Animix Festival at TLV Cinematheque Aug 6th 2024

Here it comes, the beloved festival, “Animix” Tel Aviv - the international festival for animation, comics, and caricature, showcasing the best creations in the fields of animation, caricature, and comics in Israel and around the world, will take place this year for the 24th time. Since its inception, the festival has become the largest framework in the country that curates and exposes interesting materials to the general public and aficionados in these fields, while nurturing and showcasing the new generation of animation and comic artists in Israel. The festival, which will open on August 6 at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque and run until the 10th of the month, will focus this year on visual works dealing with the events of October 7 and the ongoing war in Gaza. The difficult reports, chilling testimonies, and tales of heroism will find expression in the artistic and unique language of animators, cartoonists, and illustrators participating in the festival. Among the various events, we can mention the launch of the comic book "In the Heart of October 7" - an anthology book in which 12 comic artists illustrate 12 stories of heroism that occurred on that dark day. The Japanese manga artist Makoto Tanaka, who gained fame for her manga story about the abduction of Noa Argamani, will arrive from Tokyo as a guest of the festival, sharing about this unconventional creation and presenting a selection of her works, many of which are intertwined with the Hebrew language. Additionally, the program "Iron Pencils" will be showcased, featuring special projects created during the war in Gaza - aimed at making accessible and commemorating the stories we must not forget through lines and colors, graphic novels, and animations. A special guest for this evening will be Kibbutz Be’eri member, Haim Yalin. This year’s festival honoree is cartoonist, caricaturist, and illustrator Ilana Zeffren, whose works will be displayed in a special exhibition, along with children's workshops under her guidance and a special personal meeting about her work, hosted by broadcaster Miki Haimovich. For the first time in Israel, the festival will hold an international animation competition, artistically managed by Tom Madr and produced by Tamar Sudovitz. At a time when Israel's image in the world is at a low point, the traditional Israeli competition "Asif" has been expanded to accept international submissions in all categories: feature films, short films, documentaries, student films, music videos, and films for children and youth. Despite concerns about a lack of cooperation due to the war, artists from around the world have voted with their feet and will participate in the competition with over 300 films from more than 20 different countries. The artistic director of "Asif": Tom Madr, producer: Tamar Sorovitz. Other events at the festival include celebrating 25 years of the beloved character "SpongeBob" in collaboration with the "Nickelodeon" channel, featuring the legendary voice actor of the character, Ido Mosari, along with special events and exhibitions. A special conversation will be held on stage between beloved children's author Galila Ron-Feder Amit and illustrator Racheli Shalev to mark the release of the famous book "To Myself" as a newly adapted graphic novel. Haim Yalin, a Kibbutz Be’eri member who grew up in Argentina, will discuss with Michel Kichka about the renowned comic strip series "Mafalda" created by Argentine illustrator Quino, and the connection between the Argentine comic heroine and events in Israel. There will also be a tribute to the satirical animation series "M.K. 22," which is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Additionally, there will be a homage program dedicated to the work of the illustrator, designer, and animator Yitzhak Yores, who passed away this year at the age of 86. Yores founded the "Animation Unit" at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in the 1970s and laid the foundations for today's illustrious animation department, with numerous achievements and awards for Israeli students both locally and internationally. Ticket prices range from 28 to 48 NIS per event. Details can be found on the Animix website www.animix.co.il, WhatsApp: amimixtlv, and on the Cinematheque website: https://www.cinema.co.il/. Information is also available on the festival's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/AnimicsFestival. (Illustration: Ilana Zeffren, Makoto Tanaka, Nosuko, Ze'ev Engelmaier, Michel Kichka, Yuko Kono, and Nobuhiro Yamashita.)