Anim'est characters up in Bucharest

BUDAPEST -- The 6-year-old Anim'est Intl. Animation Film Festival, that has become East Europe's premier toonfest, opened up its doorways within the Romanian capital, Bucharest, Friday for 10-times of tests. Fest will screen 436 films to 150 industry professionals as well as an believed 22,000 local site visitors, who can decide on an eclectic line-up. The majority of the films are shorts, but you will find 27 features, including U.S. fare like "Rango," "Rio" and "Kung Fu Panda 2," and worldwide photos like France's "The Cat in Paris" and also the U.K.-France's "The Illusionist."The winning title within the fest's competition will get the Anim'est Trophy, and will also be shortlisted for Europe's top animation prize, the Cartoon d'Or, presented through the European Association of Animation Film.With 511 films tested at Anim'est 2010, the fest's shrinkage within the this past year might be an expression from the results of the financial crisis. But toon professionals condition the genre is fairing much better than most. Jan Naszewski, mind of Warsaw-based New Europe Film Sales, states the marketplace for children's cartoons is lowering, but interest in animation overall continues to be strong. "We have found there's always an industry for animation," Naszewski told Variety, particularly shorts, which increasingly more tv stations favor due to their programming flexibility. "For me personally like a distributor it's simpler to market animation than (fiction) features and documentaries." As well as in a global where worldwide co-productions have progressively get to be the norm, animation offers mix-cultural appeal. "Animation frequently has little dialogue, and it is simpler to dub," Naszewski stated. "It is a better fit for worldwide co-productions."Fest repetition Toma Peiu states the animation biz continues to be increased by technological developments and mix-fertilization using the VFX sector. "Animation covers a significantly larger range than in the past,Inch he stated. Fest systems March. 16. Contact the range newsroom at news@variety.com