Animation universe

Diversity remains the core principle of our program. Traditionally, "Animation Universe" caters to a wide audience, everyone will be able to find a film to their liking. Each year, the audience of the Moscow International Film Festival get more and more evidence that animation is not a genre for children, but a unique form of cinema offering endless surprises. This year, we have managed to prepared an especially large number of pleasant surprises.

Most certainly, entertaining, colorful, and fun films for children and family viewing remain a significant part of our program. Families can embark on extraordinary journeys in our festival halls. Iranian filmmakers invite us to "Dreamland", Brazilian artists take us to a music festival with "Abah and His Band", and Russian animators lead us to a famous nature reserve on "The Road to Baikal" together with the popular characters Leo and Tig.

Short films collected into one rich session, offer both entertainment and fantasy. These stories will help children overcome fears and self-doubt and will prompt adults to reflect on eternal values.

Among the feature-length movies for adult audiences there are not only serious, philosophical works but also bold experiments for sophisticated viewers. A highlight for them will be the avant-garde Japanese film "Invisions", emerging at the intersection of cinema and video art. Having participated in the Animafest Zagreb, this film sparks controversial reactions but is certainly deserves attention.

Among the participants in the "Animation Universe" program are award-winning features from international forums as well as movies overlooked by festival selectors. Our goal is to present the rich palette of modern animation from various countries. Most importantly, all these films have not been screened in Russia, the guests of the MIFF will be the first to see and appraise works that may later travel to other Russian festivals. This year's participants include animators from Denmark, Israel, Korea, the USA, Colombia, Canada, Iran, France, Brazil, and other countries. We are confident that these contemporary films from around the globe will be of interest for the general public, cinema connoisseurs and animation professionals.

Alena Sycheva

Tatiana Tsyvareva