Animar_BCN European Animation Convention begins
The third Animar_BCN congress will bring
together some 60 European organisations
linked to the animation industry in Barcelona
• The European Animation Convention will be held between 26 and
28 November
• The impact of artificial intelligence on the industry, and the drive
towards sustainable animation will be merely a couple of the
topics up for debate in Barcelona
Barcelona will become the European capital of
animation for the third year running between 26 and 28 November. Once again,
the city will be hosting Animar_BCN, the European Animation Convention. The
meeting will attract some 90 delegates representing 60 European organisations
from the industry, including associations and federations of producers, public
policy-makers, investment funds and broadcasters. The aim is to analyse European
animation, encompassing the sector’s entire value chain and all European
territories. A total of 24 European countries will be represented.
Animar_BCN arose from an initiative of the Spanish Federation of Audiovisual
Producers (PROA) and ProAnimats and is a platform for debating and promoting
the competitiveness, cooperation and visibility of European animation. It has been
held since 2022 and is now in its third edition.
One of the key features of this year’s event will be the debate on the impact of
artificial intelligence on the industry. The effect on the intellectual property of
works, processes and professionals will be the focus of a working group moderated
by Lucía Recalde, Head of the Creative Europe Unit, MEDIA, DG CONNECT —
Communications Networks, Content and Technology — of the European
Commission, and Moe Honan, Vice Chairwoman of Animation in Europe.
Industry stakeholders will also be reflecting on green animation. They will be
analysing the environmental sustainability initiatives being applied in the sector
and will assess the possibility of attaining a European standard. This working group
press release
will be moderated by Carlota Guerrero, Manager of the Catalunya Film
Commission and EUFCN Co-President, and Dirk Beinhold, Vice Chairman of
Animation in Europe.
A third working group will focus on the legal framework of European animation
works. It will address the implementation of the AVMSD (Audiovisual Media
Services Directive) and other European directives that influence the definition of
“independent production company” or “European work” and the retention of
intellectual property, among other aspects. The group will be co-moderated by
Els Hendrix, Executive Director — Federal Government Commissioner for Culture
and the Media. BKM, and Philippe Alessandri, Chairman of Animation in Europe.
The promotion of European animation co-productions will be another topic up for
debate, focusing particularly on public funding programmes, minority and pan-
European co-productions, and tax incentives. This discussion will be moderated
by Alex Traila, Pilot Programme for Series Co-production – Programme Manager
Eurimages, Council of Europe, and Iván Agenjo, Vice Chairman of Animation in
Europe.
To explore this topic further, Animar_BCN will be hosting an event open to
professionals, entitled “Let’s talk Europe”, which will analyse the weight of
European co-production of both cinematographic and non-cinematographic works.
To this end, it will demonstrate how producers, distributors, channels and
institutions from all over Europe measure the success of these types of
collaborations. The case studies of the film Rock Bottom (with its producers Alba
Sotorra and Robert Jaszczurowski) and DeAPlaneta (with its Content and
Distribution Director, Carlos Biern) will be discussed. This session, presented by
the Treasurer of Animation in Europe, Pablo Jordi, will also feature the
participation of Alessia Sonaglioni, Programme Manager at Pilot Programme for
Series Co-Productions, Council of Europe; Patricia Hidalgo, Director of Children’s
& Education at the BBC; Yago Fandiño, Clan and Children Content Director at
RTVE; Andrea Basilio, Head of Children’s Content at RTP; Martin Engelhardt
Hansen, Director of Business Affairs at DR; Todor Ignatov, Head of Cinema and
foreign programs department at BNT, and Muntsa Tarrés, Executive Producer
Children’s and animation co-productions at 3CAT.
The conclusions of the four working groups will be shared at a public session to
be held on the morning of Thursday 28 November in the Lecture Hall of
Blanquerna-Ramon Llull University. The session will be facilitated by Cristina
Angelucci, editor of the European Animation Journal. Registration required for
attendance.
Animar_BCN is an initiative by PROA (Federation of Audiovisual Producers) and
ProAnimats with the support of the ICEX España Exportación e Inversiones, the
ICEC (Institut Català de les Empreses Culturals), the Ministry of Culture, the ICAA
(Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales), the Barcelona City
Council and Animation in Europe, as well as the collaboration of CEE Animation,
DSAF!, the European Animation Journal, Blanquerna-Ramon Llull University and
DIBOOS.
