Biennial of Animation Bratislava
An international festival of animation films for children - Biennial of Animation Bratislava (BAB) is an event that already has tradition. From its very beginnings, it was formed as an accompanying event to another major cultural event – Biennial of Illustration Bratislava (BIB). Such international children’s animation film shows took place in 1985, 1987 and 1989. In 1991, BAB acquired the status of an international film festival.
On the map of world’s festival, Biennial of Animation Bratislava is unparalleled as it the only one focused solely on films designed for child viewers. Its mission is to enable artists to confront the animation production for children, monitor artistic qualities of their works, and enable the linkage to book illustration as well as to create conditions for the assessment and promoting of this type of film art. Since 1993, BAB is organized under the auspices of the International Centre of Film for Children and Young People (CIFEJ).
Representing an acknowledgement for lifetime work, the PRIX KLINGSOR award has been awarded since 1991. It is intended to award authors who perfectly combine high artistic and cinematographic qualities in their works and appeal to child viewers. The laureates of this award are outstanding personalities of European and world’s animation film scene: Emanuele Luzzati, Giulio Gianini, Fréderic Back, Faith Hubleyová, Gene Deitch, Co Hoedman, Břetislav Pojar, Caroline Leafová, and Michel Ocelot.
Beginning in 1999, the festival began to grant ALBIN BRUNOVSKY MEDAL OF HONOUR in honor of that outstanding Slovakian graphic artist and illustrator who had belonged to "Founding Fathers” of the festival. The medals are awarded for exceptional artistic, creative and any professional contributions in the field of animation film. So far, it has been conferred to Jan Švankmajer, Jean Francoise Laguionie, Viktor Kubal, Marie Benešová, Gabriela Gavalčinová, Paul Driessen, Ludvík Kadleček, Rudolf Urc, and Koji Yamamura.
An international jury grants the festival’s grand prize – VIKTOR KUBAL AWARD for the best film, in addition to UNICEF Award, CIFEJ Award, and St Vojtech – VISEGRAD AWARD. At the festival’s shows, also child moviegoers are invited to vote and thereby award their CHILD VIEWER AWARD.
The festival also comprises retrospective film shows, filmmakers’ profile presentations, thematic film cycles, international workshops and symposia. The concept and programming of the festival has been gradually changed and updated; currently, there is focus on promoting interactivity, communication with both child, adolescent and adult audiences, and this is interlaced into all events. Movie shows and discussions attended by the authors are aimed at establishing closer cooperation with the audience at their encounters with high culture. Another ambition is to stir up the emerging generation of young writers and filmmakers engaged in animation film. In 2008, the festival opened a new practical and theoretical platform – creative workshops led by outstanding filmmakers and producers accompanied by projections of animation films created by children. In this rapidly evolving period witnessing the emergence of new media and technologies, the festival is thus becoming a natural place for media education and for cooperation with refined audience. In the course of a few days Bratislava welcomes major film makers and legends of world cinema and animation. Thanks to this, and also to active participation of a wide spectrum of viewers, a valuable cultural and unique event arises.
The Biennial of Animation Bratislava is held under the auspices and with financial support from the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic. BIBIANA's BAB Secretariat is the principal organizer of the festival.
