Highlights of the 7th StopTrik IFF in Maribor
Press conference of the 7th StopTrik IFF was held on Tuesday at Infopeka where Maribor media met with Olga Bobrowska (Festival Director), Michał Bobrowski (Programme Director) and Urška Breznik (Festival Producer, head of Pekarna magdalenske mreže). While the festival timetable can be found here (link) and in the festival catalogues available at the main venues (Salon, GT22, Wetrinsky), the organizers explained the essential features of the event: the concept and the content. During four intense festival days StopTrik will reveal newest trends of worldwide stop motion, present characteristics of the independent animation production in the countries of Latin America, make the audience reflect upon the early history of cinema, eventually invite all festival attendees for talks, discussions, presentations, concerts and parties.
All together we will present 125 films, among them 39 stop motion shorts (max. 30 min) competing in "International Stop Motion Competition" (link) and an experimental "Borderlands Competition" (link). The Grand Prix will be granted by Maribor Audience whereas special awards will be decided by the Student Jury (link). The most intriguing contemporary stop motion shorts come from Europe, South and North America, Asia and Australia. During the Festival you will meet a group of artists and experts from Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, USA, The Netherlands, France, Slovenia, Croatia, Poland, UK, Hungary and Macedonia, all of them determined to present their works, share enthusiasm for artistic animation and find inspirations in festival ambient of Maribor.
The theme of StopTrik 2017 special events if centred on independent animated production from the countries of Latin America. The programme explores the most acclaimed animated cinematographies such as Mexico or Brazil but also underlines the achievements of the animators based in Chile, Peru, Puerto Rico and other countries. Two special programmes were prepared as a curatorial experiment. "Inside Perspective" is a collection of films chosen for Maribor audience by the Moebius Collective, a group of cultural activists, film and art historians based in Colombia who tirelessly promote Latin American animation abroad and on-line (link). "Outer Perspective" was created by Festival and Programme Directors in a process of discussion with filmmakers, curators and friends coming from the region, among them Pedro Giongo, Diego Akel, Elaine Gordeeff, Sávio Leite and Jair Salvador Flores Alvarez to whom we are deeply grateful. Eventually Jair Alvarez aka Mr. Kropka contributed to the programme with Maribor favourite adult-only selection of "Mexican Midnight Movies" (link), humorous but at the same time morbid spécialité of Mexican animated cintematography. It so happens that 2017 marks special anniversary for Latin American animation. Exactly 100 years ago in Argentina Italian-born animation pioneer Quirino Cristiani released first-ever animated feature-length El Apostól, a political satire made with the use of cut-out. This film is lost now but at the Opening (link) of the 7th StopTrik Audience will have a chance to get familiar with recently rediscvered footage of other Cristiani's early works: a sketch La Liga (1919) and unique making-of from Federico Valle's studio where Cristiani created yet another political mockery Peludópolis (1931).
Development of cultural activism and film education remain the core interests of StopTrik Festival organizers throughout the year and it is only natural that in the time of the festival we provide a wide range of activities that intellectually and artistically stimulate various groups of visitors. "Workshot: Back Wall Echo" with Colombian experimental filmmaker Laura Victoria Delgado (link) aims at combining stop motion animation practice with the reflection over earliest forms of visual expression. "Festival Journalist Workshops" with acclaimed journalist Nancy Denney-Phelps (link) revives the idea of insightful film coverage that preserves the festival momentum. Partners from ŻubrOFFka IFF, Poland (link) and PAF Festival, Czech Republic (link) will present the adventures and difficulties encountered by the European distributors of artistic shorts and video art. Ivan Ivanovski (link) from Macedonia will introduce his ironic and a bit perverse publishing project "Illustrated Biblical Ethics" as well as his dark puppet imaginarium, films that will be looped and available for the audience throughout the whole festival. Eventually Academy of Arts of the University of Nova Gorica (Slovenia) that offers highly appreciated professional BA and MA courses in animation filmmaking will demonstrate the achievements of the students.
There is no StopTrik without parties and relax. The side programme includes NIMETU - Flight from the Cave, multi-channel electro-acoustic performance of Andrej Hrvatin (link) QUINTET PIAZZOLLEKY, concert that fascinates with tango's imprinted sensuality, eroticism, brutality and sorrow, TANGO PERFORMENCE of Maribor acclaimed dancers Tjaša Bobek and Iztok Maroh, and eventually DEMONIOS LATINOS from Poland, audiovisual show that will storm Maribor with electro, dub, raga, cumbia, melodramatic pop and ska on Sunday closing AfterParty.
To find more we advise to follow us on facebook (https://www.facebook.com/StopTrikFestival/) and above all visit the Festival!
