Since the beginning of the week, the 17th VAFI & RAFI – International Children and Youth Animated Film Festival has officially been taking place in Varaždin and surrounding towns in Varaždin County. On Wednesday evening, the competitive section of the program dedicated to children and young people, whose films are screened within the VAFI section, officially began. On this occasion, the festival was officially visited by the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the Republic of Croatia, H.E. Mr. Lee Seungbuhm, who greeted all those present and expressed his satisfaction that the Republic of Korea is this year’s partner country of the VAFI & RAFI Festival.
The program at the Youth and Independent Culture Center P4 in Varaždin continued with the opening of a special exhibition by animator Jelena Oroz titled “Moving Sketches.” Jelena is a member of the professional jury for the VAFI section, alongside Finnish animator Oona Tiirakari and Eunyoung Choi, program coordinator of the Seoul International Children’s Film Festival, who represents this year’s partner country, the Republic of Korea. In the coming days, audiences at Cinema Gaj in Varaždin will have the opportunity to watch 95 selected animated films competing for the VAFI statue award.
To conclude the gathering, the organizers prepared a special surprise for the founders and leaders of the Creative Film Studio VANIMA — a cake celebrating the association’s 40th anniversary. It was an opportunity for Dubravka Kalinić Lebinec and Srećko Lebinec to reflect on their beginnings, when they first started creating animated films with children and became part of the magical world of animation. This autumn, VANIMA members will present their achievements from the first forty years of the association’s existence through a series of special programs currently in preparation.
Winners of the RAFI Section
During the first three festival days, screenings of professional animated films in four cinemas across Varaždin County were attended by more than 1,200 children and young people. Visitors had the opportunity to watch 60 animated films in the RAFI section competing in the official selection, and children and young people from Varaždin, Ludbreg, Novi Marof, and Ivanec decided on the awards after watching 14 screenings.
In the RAFI 0–6 category for the youngest audience, the first prize went to the film “Booba: Sleepy Vampire” from the United Kingdom and the UAE. In the RAFI 7–10 category, the award went to the Spanish film “Ballad of Fish and Birds.” In the RAFI 11–14 category, the French film “Malvina’s Flower” received the award, while in the RAFI 15–18 category, the first prize went to the Taiwanese film “Year in the Wind.”
The festival is organized by the Creative Film Studio VANIMA under the patronage of the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the City of Varaždin, and Varaždin County. All information related to the festival can be followed on the festival’s official website at www.vafirafi.com and on the festival’s official social media profiles.
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