The 8th edition of Cartoon Movie concluded in Potsdam-Babelsberg, Germany on March 11, 2006, with industry tributes awarded to directors Nick Park and Steve Box producing studio Aardman Animation for WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT while the distributor honor went to Gebeka Films of France. Every year the animation professionals at the Potsdam gathering offer their three tributes to producers, distributors or directors who have worked for the development and increased prestige of European animated film.
Competing against 12 finalists, Park and Box, fresh from their Oscar victory, won the 2006 Tribute for Best European Director of the Year, Bebeka Films as declared Best European Distributor of the year and Aaardman was named Best European Producer of the year.
Investor attantence rose 25% as approximately 480 creatives, producers, byers, distributors and investors from 29 countries used Cartoon Movie for business, contacts and exchange of ideas. Organizers inlcuded 12 representatives of the interactive entertainment industry for the first time.
Over the three-day conference at the fx.centre, 46 animation film projects from 13 countries with a budget totally more than 300 million euros were presented. Since the founding of CARTOON MOVIEin 1999, some 97 feature animation films costing 565 million euros have been produced in Europe.
France and Spain were agin the most active producing countries , presenting 14 and 11 movies respecitively, while Great Britain, Germany, Danmark and Sweden presented three projects each. Belgium and Finland also presented two films each. Ireland, Latvia, Poland, the Czech Republik and Estonia had one project each.
Ten completed films were shown with the opening film, ASTERIX AND THE VIKINGS, which was shown for the first time in Germany Some of the other films screened were RENAISSANCE produced by Onyx Films, Lux Animation S.A., Timefirm Ltd. Millimages S.A. and Odyssey Entertainment Ltd.; KIRIKOU ET LES BÊTES SAUVAGES (Les Armateurs); the new Pettson and Findus film THE TOMTE MACHINE (TV Loonland/Happy Life/A.Films) and FRANK & WENDY by Eesti Joonisfilm from Estonia.
An animation program was started for kids and teenagers, by the Medienboard and Vision Kino, which runs from March 2 until April 11, with different institutions offering school screenings and events on animation. Attendence and program information for interested school classes and teachers is available from Vision Kino, phone: 0331/7062 250, info@visionkino.de, www.visionkino.de.
The next Cartoon Movie 2007 takes place March 8-10, 2007. In October 2006, Cartoon will also offer Cartoon Master Feature in Potsdam-Babelsberg, with the theme of improving, funding and exposure of animation features. For information: master@cartoon.skynet.be.
Cartoon Movie is supported by the Media Programm of the European Union, the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Land Brandenburg, the Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, FFA and ILB. The German co-organizer is NFP teleart.
