Animasyros13 International Animation Festival
23 – 27 September 2020 – Syros Island

The Phygital edition

Animasyros 13 goes… Phygital! Fans of animation from anywhere in the world will have the unique opportunity to watch on live streaming a significant part of the Festival program, as well as the Agora (Market) and to get a taste of the most important Animation event in Greece!

Animasyros International Animation Festival, the largest Animation Festival in the country, will be held for the 13th consecutive year, presenting a rich artistic programming as well as international collaborations, from 23 to 27 September 2020, on the island of Syros, in co-organization with the Municipality of Syros – Ermoupolis and the Representation of the European Commission in Greece. Responding to the special conditions that prevail due to the pandemic of Covid-19, Animasyros 13 adopts a new form, that of “Phygital”. The rich program of the Festival will be shown in situ on the island of Syros, while the most important part thereof will be broadcasted in a secure live streaming platform, giving the viewer the feeling, from anywhere in the world, that he is actually attending the Festival, while it actually takes place.

The premises of the Festival
Syros is the capital of Animation in Greece
In this year’s edition, Animasyros expands to the whole island of Syros filling it with the art of animation. Specifically, all screenings of the Festival will take place only outdoors, with Ermoupolis being the main point of reference, while every day another settlement of the island will be added on the map of Animasyros. More details will be announced soon.

The program of the Festival
Animation for every age from every corner of the earth
Animasyros 13 will host the competition sections of the International & Student and TV and Commissioned movies. More than 2,600 films have already been submitted in total claiming one of the Animasyros awards! The preselection process has been completed and results will be announced in August.

In addition, there will be two more awards, the European Values Award #ThisIsEU – European Commission Delegation Award awarded by the European Commission and the Best Greek Language Film Award awarded by the Greek Film Center.

At the same time, the program of the Festival will be enriched with a series of thematic panoramas of competitive non-competitive sections, such as the international and Greek panoramas, LGBTQI + themed films in the framework of the annual collaboration with Animapride as well as special screenings of feature films in collaboration with Chaniartoon. Children hold a special place in the program, both through the K.ID.S category, where this year a collaboration with the Athens International Children Film Festival is inaugurated, as well as through the screening of animation films made by the children themselves.

Honored country of the 13th event is the Czech Republic, with the support and cooperation of the Czech Centre of Athens and includes screenings of contemporary animation films curated by the animation department of the significant FAMU school and the International Animation Festival Anifilm.

The market
Agora, the market of Animasyros, in its 6th edition, launches a collaboration with Annecy MIFA – Animation du Monde, the largest worldwide commercial event in the field of Animation. The Agora includes a special training program for the projects that have been preselected to participate and a pitching forum in Syros. The project that will win the pitching forum competition, will be presented at MIFA Pitches during the Annecy Festival in 2021, in front of an audience with more than 200 professionals. The Market is enriched with a four-day presentation program that includes, among others the presentation by Tomm Moore himself and his co-director Ross Stewart of the making of their new film Wolvewalkers. Finally, those who want to attend the Animasyros Agora will have the opportunity to do so, as it will be broadcasted online via an electronic platform.

Educational programs
Educational activities- being an important pillar of Animasyros – could not be missing from this year’s program. Based on the prevailing conditions, three (3) educational programs will be carried out for three different age groups. An adult masterclass (professionals and animation students) with Dan Richards of A+C Animation Studio(GB), an animation & calligraphy workshop for teenagers with the calligrapher Maria Genitsariou and instructor Ioanna Giakoumatou, while our little friends, 5th & 6th grade students, are taken over by the animators Fokion and Eleni Mouri, for a workshop tackling environmental issues. Applications for participation in the workshops will begin at the end of August. Stay tuned for more details.