Country: Hungary

Short

|

11:00

|

Margareth

Margareth

An animated short film about a young woman who distracts herself from the joy of life by creating her own dark reality.

Margareth is at a bar chatting with one of her acquaintances, Lola. Margareth is mesmerized by her, she wants to be just like her. Amazingly beautiful, open minded and most importantly: free. Free of bad thoughts, free of self hatred, but full with confidence. Margareth craves for confidence. Suddenly someone just greets them: Dunbar, a long-forgotten boy from preschool. When Dunbar introduce himself to Margareth, she gets furious and humiliated to her bones. A deep wrinkle starts to appear on her forehead, a strand of her hair turns grey, and she shrinks to the size of a plum. Dunbar didn’t see any of these, so he sits on her. If it’s possible, Margareth is humiliated even more. From under Dunbar’s buttocks, she overhears that three days from now, on the 13th of April he is going to have his 30th birthday in the local circus. Margareth declares war and contemplates the best birthday present she can give for Dunbar: the worst day of his life.

Director’s statement
The concept behind Margareth is deeply rooted in a personal journey and struggles.Complex schemes developed from various childhood experiences can make it hard to lead an emotionally healthy life. It’s easy to project our inner turmoil onto others and it is also easy to hate and pointing fingers.Poisoning thoughts isolate us, with lingering voices from the past turning our present into a living nightmare.I believe that by lowering our shields and approaching others with an open heart, we can overcome our inner demons that really embitter our souls.Recently I found a footage of myself when I was 3 years old. The person behind the camera asked: „Who’s the beauty?” Without hesitation but with a huge smile on my face I answered: „Me.” As cheesy as it sounds: with a pinch of humour and a big box of self-irony my aim is to plant the seed of this mindset in Margareth and into the hearts of everyone. I want to remind us of the genuine love we once had for ourselves and for the world around us.

Producer
Bella Szederkényi
info@cubanimation.com
Director and Scriptwriter
Vivien Hárshegyi
harshegyivivi@gmail.com

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

Young adults, adults

Animation technique

Drawing

Production company

CUB Animation

Estimated budget

120000 EUR

Funding secured

Nothing

Student / Rising Stars

|

11 min.

|

The Way Out

The Way Out

A man working at a warehouse finds his life to be pointless. One day a telemarketing presenter offers him a new life goal. He takes this opportunity, but his choice comes at a price he doesn't expect.

Nov

11

Wed 14:00

Rising Stars Pitching

Nov

11

Wed 18:00

MOME Presents Its International Animation Master Program

The main character is a young man who works at a warehouse. He is stuck in the monotony of his job and cannot find any joy in his life. One day, an accident happens at work: a box drops from a forklift and its contents - some designer lamps - scatter. After work, the man watches a telemarketing channel at home. The presenter is a handsome man glowing with happiness. He sits in an elegant living room, demonstrating the items for sale. The warehouse guy notices the lamp he had seen earlier at work. The next day when facing the same monotony of his life again he grabs a lamp and rushes home. He turns on the lamp and the TV as well. The telemarketing program is on again, but the presenter is missing. The man gets closer to his TV, touches the screen and suddenly finds himself in the broadcast. He is finally happy, until he notices a TV showing his room at home. He grabs the remote control and turns off the TV cutting himself off from his old life forever.

Director’s statement
In this film I want to present a man who suffers in life - not materialistically, but spiritually. He has almost everything our society can offer, yet he feels his life is pointless and monotonous. The moment he sees the world of a TV program, he realizes the difference. There is another way of living. Enjoy consumption, and your reward is eternal happiness! What's more, he spends his time at work surrounded by the props of this newly discovered life. The world around him has a unique atmosphere of non-places: geometric system of shelves at work and a catalog-like environment at home. A world made of metal, concrete and plastic. With this storyline, I don't want to suggest that finding happiness in a consuming lifestyle is a wrong choice. For me, it seems that it's the only choice left to us. Without being aware of any other way, I only suggest that becoming a consumer comes at a price. A man, by choosing it, loses his struggling, sad, empty, yet his most valuable, human part forever.

Director
Dániel Diószeghy
danieldioszeghy@gmail.com

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

adults / young adults

Animation technique

Drawing

Production company

MOME Anim – Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design

Estimated budget

66 000 EUR

Stage of the project

In production

Looking for

Co-producer, Animation studio, Post-production studio, Animator(s)

Short

|

14 min.

|

Toxik

Toxik

A young man, who was constantly verbally abused by his mother when he was a child - due to guilt and shame - is unable to function in relationships where the other party treats him as a human being.

Nov

11

Wed 10:00

Short Films Pitching

The protagonist of the story is Tóni, a twenty-year-old theater ticket clerk. The boy has been verbally abused from an early age by his ex-pop singer mother, accusing him of causing her career to collapse and her husband to leave her because of the birth. By adulthood, Tónit buried the anger he feels towards his mother deep within himself and covers her with his own perceived guilt. Due to his sense of guilt, the boy is unable to have relationships where the other party treats him normally, so he often ends up with people who treat him awfully. This is until he finally meets a normal girl, with whom the boy's horrible memories with his mother come up. The girl makes him realize that Tóni's mother is a terrible person based on these facts. Tóni is offended and breaks up with the girl, but his deep dormant anger towards his mother flares up and this anger gradually tries to take control over him.

Director’s statement
As a filmmaker, I am primarily interested in the realization of psychological themes using animation techniques. The subject of my films are usually the visual projection of human emotions, using surrealist tools. I also dealt with this in my previous film 'Supper' and I would like to follow this path in the case of "Toxik" as well. The primary goal of the film is to examine the causes of toxic relationships through a specific example. The question raised by the film is what circumstances led to the protagonist always making illogical relationship decisions, and whether there is any hope of breaking the pattern. Dark humor plays a big role in the plot, because no matter how serious a topic is, it is important for me to use humor to make it more approachable and humane. Because the story is somewhat semi-autobiogrophical, I knew I needed professional help - not only to digest my own history, but also to write this film.

Producer

Gábor Osváth


gosvath@gmail.com
Director and Producer
Dániel Bárány
danbarany@gmail.com

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

adults

Animation technique

Drawing

Production company

Boddah

Estimated budget

120 000 EUR

Funding secured

46 000 EUR

Stage of the project

In pre-production

Looking for

Co-producer, Sales agent / distributor

Feature

|

90min.

|

MouMoush – The King of Plastic

MouMoush - The King of Plastic

Margo and Liam are two lively siblings who find themselves traveling through time and space, fighting supervillain MouMoush, the King of Plastic, a powerful man aiming for world domination.

Nov

12

Thu 11:30

Feature Films Pitching

After the release of Ruben Brandt in 2018, though, I revisited The Adventures of Liam Grant (my old idea for a TV series), looking at the adventures drawn and painted many years ago with new eyes. I found myself drawn into the story once more. A mixture of fairy-tale magic, environmental awareness, and, of course, my sense of humor– MouMoush, King of Plastic was born. The central theme of the film became the conflicts arising from the intertwining of nature and human civilization, possible resolutions to this conflict, and how seeing the world from the perspective of a child might help the world. I want to emulate the wonderful way that children imagine stories, and apply that to the world we live in today. Our protagonists, who, even as children, recognize evil and are not afraid to confront it, take action. To show kids that they have a role to play in this world and that they can find allies in adults, even when the odds are against them.

Director’s statement
After the release of Ruben Brandt in 2018, though, I revisited The Adventures of Liam Grant (my old idea for a TV series), looking at the adventures drawn and painted many years ago with new eyes. I found myself drawn into the story once more.

A mixture of fairy-tale magic, environmental awareness, and, of course, my sense of humor– MouMoush, King of Plastic was born. The central theme of the film became the conflicts arising from the intertwining of nature and human civilization and possible resolutions to this conflict, and how seeing the world from the perspective of a child might actually help the world.

I want to emulate the wonderful way that children imagine stories, and apply that to the world we live in today. Our protagonists, who, even as children, recognize evil and are not afraid to confront it, take action.

I want to show kids that they have a role to play in this world and that they can find allies in adults, even when the odds are against them.

Producer

Hermina Roczkov


h.roczkov@darwinbuffet.eu
Producer
Radmila Roczkov
roczkov@gmail.com
Director
Milorad Krstic
info@milorad.eu

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

Children (+8) and Family

Animation technique

We use a mixture of animation and rendering techniques, with detailed 2D textures projected onto 3D objects (but still functioning as graphics), with 2.5D drawn or painted backgrounds. The main characters are primarily 2D frame-by-frame animations.

Production company

Mumus Production Budapest

Stage of the project

in pre-production

Looking for

Co-producer, Sales agent / distributor, Broadcaster, Animation studio, Animator(s)

Student / Rising Stars

|

8 min.

|

Eruption

Eruption

A girl travels into her subconsciousness to find the root of the toxic relationship with herself.

Nov

11

Wed 14:00

Rising Stars Pitching

Nov

11

Wed 18:00

MOME Presents Its International Animation Master Program

A girl sits in a crowded subway car. She can't stand to look at her own reflection. As she looks around, she only notices the loving gestures of other people towards each other, which scares her. Every gesture pushes her deeper into anxiety, until she is forced to zoom into her own mind. A volcanic eruption destroys the living world of the strange planet. Following the remains of the lava she finds herself in her childhood living room. The lava is sinking through the closed bathroom door, dripping from the sink inside. She knocks on the door, the response is hurtful words from someone behind the door. When she finally opens the door, the lava floods the house, and in the bathroom mirror she notices herself looking back at her, there was no one else in the bathroom all along. The girl starts to drown in the lava, she notices the drain under the dripping faucet is blocked. When the girl falls unconscious, the plug breaks, and the lava drains out from the house. She snaps back into reality looking at herself in the opposite subway window. The door opens, she has arrived.

Director’s statement
It is often hard for me to look in the mirror because of the guilt and disgust I feel for myself, just as my main character does. It took me years to realize that it is because I see myself through the eyes of people who have caused me verbal trauma in the past. The inspiration for the film came from my own life, but I think it's a universal topic and many other people can relate to this. It has been very important for me to make this film because it has a story that may help others
realize what they are going through sooner than I did, and for those who don't live with something like this, it can also be interesting to see how certain people deal with a problem like this. I feel it's also important for me to express this chapter from my life through art, which has always helped me cope with the past.

Director
Zoé Nagy
zoe.nagy@gmail.com

Target audience

Late teens, Adults

Animation technique

Drawing

Production company

MOME Anim – Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design

Estimated budget

EUR 48 000

Stage of the project

In development

Looking for

Co-producer, Animation studio, Animator(s), Sound designer

Short

|

|

Be Still My Heart

Maradj csendben szívem

Experimental animated short about reclaiming the heart's ability for love.

Nov

11

Wed 10:00

Short Films Pitching

Dressed in the garments of abstract animation, the film takes us on a sensual journey into the depths of the wounded heart, to find the last spark of love there, and turn it into a fire again. And again, and again.

Director’s statement
"Tell me what you long for and I'll tell you who you are."— James Hillman's quote really struck me the first time I heard it. Longing, yearning, is the primary activity of the soul. Following the end of a long-term relationship, it became painfully obvious to me that the object of my most ardent desire is that of romantic love fulfilled, and a most idealized version of it at that. I felt as if only this were able to complete me, and in chasing this ideal, I — of course — heaped one disappointment upon another. This process of trial and error started to resemble that of alchemy: how does lead turn into gold, and how does disappointment become knowing? And what happens when — unwittingly — we turn away from wanting to fulfill the desire and towards getting to know it? And finally: what if we come to realize that the object of our longing isn't found in the external world, or rather, it's not the external world where it is found? These are the questions my film became centered around.

Producer
Bella Szederkényi
info@cubanimation.com
Director
Melinda Kádár
Kdrmlnd@gmail.com

Target audience

young adults

Production company

CUB Animation

Estimated budget

EUR 54 000

Funding secured

Zero

Stage of the project

In development

Looking for

Co-producer, Sales agent / distributor

Feature

|

90 min.

|

Where Did It Go Wrong?

Hol rontottam el?

There may come a moment in all of our lives when our world view collapses for good. When instead of an old friend, politics and history knock on the door and take control of our lives. We rack our brains, but we don't understand where we messed up.

Born at the beginning of the twentieth century, László Kozma is an ambitious young man. He makes his inventions in the belief, one after another, to make the world a better place. Kozma deeply believes in knowledge and technical development, but he no longer pays attention to what is happening around him.Even under the fascist and communist regimes, he searches for a logical explanation, but the course of history is often irrational. One day he innocently finds himself in a prison in the 1950s, during the Cold War in Central Europe. This prison period provides the framework for our film. Kozma looks for the reasons in his past and the 20s, 40s, and 50s come to life. Even then, as the creator of Europe's first computer, Kozma examines his own responsibility: he must have messed it up somewhere.

Director’s statement
Kozma's story gives us a chance to show – through a generally unknown and astounding walk of life – how easily one's ambitions and opportunities can fall victim to history and to those in power. Kozma, the genius engineer, was born in the same year as János Neumann, ""the father of the computer"". Kozma, however, was impelled to make all the wrong decisions by his peculiar patriotism, his naivety and stubborn belief in the rational workings of the world. As a result, both the fascist and the communist regime gave him a rough deal. As creators, we believe that from the perspective of 70 years, Kozma's touching, charming life story still raises crucial questions and is more relevant than ever.

Director and Scriptwriter
Márton Szirmai
szmarci@gmail.com
Producer
György Pálos
gypalos@gmail.com

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

young adults, adults

Animation technique

drawing

Production company

Hol Rontottam El Kft. (Ltd)

Co-production company

Reka Temple (Cinemon Entertainment, HU)

Gabor Osvath (Boddah, HU)

Estimated budget

1.600.000

Funding secured

220.000 EUR NFI (National Film Fund - HUNGARY) 100.000 EUR (Tax Rebate) 80.000 EUR (prod.'s own investment)

Looking for

Co-producer, Animation studio

TV series

|

26 x 5 min.

|

Rosie and Sapphire

Rozi és Zafír

Encouraged by Sapphire, the wise horse, Rosie, an optimistic, plant-loving artist, and her peculiar, nature-loving friends learn to be empathetic in a world where kind deeds lead to miracles.

Rosie and Sapphire is a series of 5-minute stories for 4-5 year olds about the magical power of kind-hearted actions. The stories centre around Rosie, an observant, optimistic and poetic girl, who loves to explore and observe her surroundings, the growth of plants, and she enjoys drawing. Not only is she curious about the world around her, but she is also very interested in other creatures and their feelings and opinions. Rosie’s neighbour is her mysterious friend Sapphire, the free-spirited, warm-hearted, wise horse who always stands by her. Rosie is doing her day-to-day work along with her three friends who live self-sufficiently in nature: Mookie, Lulu and Edmund. Each episode of “Rosie and Sapphire” draws inspiration from everyday childhood moments. But there is always a touch of miracle in the episodes! The key element of the stories is that magical events result from good intentions and compassionate actions.

Director’s statement
Reflecting on my childhood, I noticed that my most comforting bedtime stories never featured evil characters. This inspired me to create an animated series where everyone has good intentions — yet Rosie and Sapphire's world is still full of meaningful inner and outer conflicts.
Rosie is an observant, somewhat clumsy girl, guided by Sapphire, her wise and free-spirited horse companion. Together with three friends of very different personalities, they form a group where every member brings unique strengths — modelling inclusive, positive behaviour.
Each episode explores emotions like kindness, empathy, courage, and loneliness. Sapphire offers security, but always encourages the children to solve problems creatively. Stories are rooted in everyday situations children recognise (losing a hat, muddy clothes, reluctance to brush teeth) with a touch of magic. But the magic always comes from good intentions, heartfelt kindness, and helping each other — this is the key to the stories.
I prioritise calm, slow-paced storytelling over overstimulation, because Rosie and Sapphire's world carries a simple belief: kindness makes the world better.

Director and Scriptwriter
Anna Katalin Lovrity
lovrityk@gmail.com
Producer
Balint Gelley
balint@cubanimation.com

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

4-6 years, all genders

Animation technique

2D (vector based)

Production company

CUB Animation

Estimated budget

700 000 EUR

Funding secured

21 000 EUR (NFI, Hungary)

Stage of the project

Development

Looking for

Distributors, broadcasters, open to any suggestions for co-operation.

Short

|

11'

|

Reduction

Reduction

Two girls live together on a post-apocalyptic coast. When a mysterious character enters the life of one, a chain of irreversible events begins.

Two girls live together on a post-apocalyptic coast, both sharing the same goal of reaching the other side in hope of a better life. However, when a mysterious character enters the life of one, a chain of irreversible events begins. Relationships fall apart, along with the very world around them.

Director
Réka Anna Szakály
szakalyrekaanna@gmail.com
Producer
József Fülöp
fulop@saltofilm.com

Country of production

Hungary

Production company

MOME Anim – Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design

Screenplay

Réka Anna Szakály

Cinematography

Boglárka Ászity

Animation

Bori Mészáros

Editing

Vanda Gprácz

Sound

Chros Allan Todd

Music

Chros Allan Todd

Colouring

Áron Farkas

World Sales / Distributor

Réka Anna Szakály

TV special

|

28′

|

The Cat Princess

Macskakirálylány

A hut stands in the middle of the deep, dark, fairy tale forest. It is the home of Mournful Prince who never got further than this after he set out to try his luck. When unexpected guests arrive, led by a mysterious cat, everything changes.

Mournful Prince whiles his days away in a messy hut until he is interrupted by a cat who immediately initiates the task of tidying. Soon, more unexpected guests arrive: Brother Moss, a talking tree, and Ragdoll Sara, a raggedy doll. The cat includes the complaining yet amusing company in the tidying; moreover, she organizes a “Sadness Contest” for them. In the end, everyone is a winner of the contest, as the Prince’s wishes come true: the hut turns into a palace, the cat transforms into a princess, and the Mournful Prince is now happier than he’s ever been before.

Director’s statement
As an animation professional, I gained most of my experience from making children’s content. So did my sister, Zsuzsa Tamas, author of many successful children books. Her story, The Cat Princess, based on a folk fairy tale, received the Best Children’s Book of the Year award in Hungary in 2014. We decided to adapt the book to screen: a TV special for children aged 6 to 8 and their families. Having read the book I was captivated by the structure, the unique “story within a story” parts: the lyrical tales told in the text provide the opportunity to create four independent stories, each with their own visual world and animation style. I was further inspired by the questions that the story raises: what happens when someone just can’t grow up? How can we help each other when we are in trouble too? The heart-warming answers offered by the story have faith in the strength of love and kindness, express the importance of friendship and the liberating power of a shared task.

Director

Iván Tamás
ivan@cubanimation.com
Producer

Bálint Gelley
balint@cubanimation.com

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

children aged 6–8, family

Animation technique

traditional

Production company

CUB Animation

Feature

|

90′

|

Solo Lobo

Solo Lobo is a clumsy bandit who roars the prairie of the Wild West with his trusty friend Mula, the mule when all of a sudden, a puppy bursts into their life and turns everything upside down...

Meet Solo Lobo, a bandit of the clumsier kind. He roams the prairie on the back of his trusty friend Mula, the mule and tries to rob travellers on his way. Usually without much luck. One day, Paunch, a puppy becomes part of his loot and changes Solo’s entire life. Suddenly, he has all the prospects to become a rich man if he returns the puppy for a reward. However, this task proves to be heavier than it first seems, as others wish to set hands on Paunch as well. When our clumsy bandit learns that, he heads for canyons and deserts, escapes from dangerous bandits, Indian warriors, and from the depth of a mine so that he could save this heart-melting puppy from greedy relatives.

Director’s statement
Our aim was to make a film that is funny, full of exciting adventures and entertaining for the entire family. The story takes place in the historical times of the Wild West, where Indians and cowboys were ruling the canyons and the prairies. By using a very special combination of 2D and 3D techniques, the visual experience for the audience is simply amazing. Besides the exciting and entertaining storyline, we have put a great emphasis on the character development of Solo Lobo: at the beginning of the story, Solo is a loner but his character changes slowly as he starts to be fond of Paunch, the puppy. His evolving love for his new friend can be followed through the entire film. Although Solo makes his living by robbing, he is still a lovable person. He is easy to identify with. His flaws and the way he’s fumbling around cheer up the audience. We are keeping our fingers crossed for Solo Lobo and wishing to be part of his adventures!

Director

Attila Herkó
Director

Zoltán Miklósy
Producer

Éva Konrád
eva.konrad@umatik.eu

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

family

Animation technique

2D vector based

Production company

Umatik Filmforgalmazó Kft.

Short

|

15′

|

Amok

Inside a cartoony world, Clyde tries to stop himself from killing.

Clyde is haunted by the Evil Gnome. He recounts to his therapist how the Gnome caused a freak accident killing his girlfriend and burning him terribly. Through hypnotherapy, Clyde relives his first encounter with the Gnome, symbolically linked to his mother’s death. After the session, Clyde is unable to regain his calm. He disembowels cakes at the pastry shop; he hallucinates at the park; he re-experiences the flaming car- crash at home. Trying to cool down, he finds refuge at the swimming pool – but the Gnome jumps him, and he loses consciousness in the water. A Wonderful Girl saves him just in time, and Clyde repays her – by killing her in the sauna! He awakes from the terrible nightmare, finally realizing that the Gnome is just a projection of his own homicidal desires. He flees to a techno party, but the Gnome presents him with another victim. Realising the only way out, Clyde sets himself – and the Gnome – on fire and leaps majestically from the penthouse venue to his death.

Director’s statement
Amok is a psycho-comedy, a fun, colourful, cartoony addition to the mischievous psycho killer genre (American Psycho, The House that Jack Built, etc). My aim is to take the viewer on a ride through Clyde’s traumas, his hallucinations, nightmares and the caricaturesque unreal reality, to the point where we all understand that Clyde has to choose between homicide and suicide. As in all crime fiction, the viewer has to put in some work, mentally connecting the fragmented scenes to formulate Clyde’s psychological profile and hopefully to sympathise with him and feel some cartoony catharsis during his anti-heroic sacrifice. The exaggerated, cartoony surroundings are meant to evoke the ever-positive, self-promoting, graphical surface-oriented zeitgeist, sprinkled with a constant propagandistic reminder of the Threat of Terror. As populist governments evoke the character of The Terrorist to carry out their political agendas, so does Clyde project his Inner Terrorist in the form of the Gnome.

Director

Balázs Turai
balturai@gmail.com
Producer

Gábor Osváth
gabor@boddah.hu
Producer

Péter B. Lukács
peter.b.lukacs@gmail.com

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

12+

Animation technique

traditional

Production company

Boddah

TV special

|

1 x 25′

|

Noah’s Tree

Noé fája

10-year-old Noah realizes that the only way to get rid of the tree growing from his chest is if he learns to express emotions about his parents' divorce before Christmas.

The ten-year-old Noah’s family is about to fall apart. His parents’ arguments put him under a lot of pressure. At school Noah lies to his friends (Grace and Toby) that everything is perfect at home. Noah only finds comfort talking to his imaginary friend: a male voice (∼20) in his head. When Noah’s Dad packs his things into boxes to move out the boy panics and tries to escape. Two elves who have been watching Noah open a portal for him that leads into a magical fantasy world where he meets his imaginary friend; the talking and walking Tree. The elves wanting to help the boy tell him that he has to stop lying and start expressing his fears to his real friends. But the boy prefers spending fun and carefree time with Tree and don’t want to deal with reality anymore. Grace realizes that Noah needs help but the boy constantly rejects her attempts. Noah slowly starts to transform into a tree himself. The elves warn him that he’ll get stuck in the fantasy world forever becoming a tree unless he tells his problems honestly to a person who he can really trust. Grace.

Producer

Gábor Osváth


gosvath@gmail.com
Director

Péter Vácz


vaczpeter@gmail.com

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

family, youth

Animation technique

stop motion

Production company

Filmfabriq

Short

|

9′

|

Funfair

Vidámpark

A young woman decides to escape from adult life to a hidden universe full of surreal creatures.

Nov

04

Wed 10:00

Short Films pitching session

A young woman is carried by bats in the clouds above the sea. She enjoys the ride a lot. When they begin the descent to the mainland the girl gets very scared. She escapes from landing from her winged couriers and finds herself in a hidden universe. In this world there are lots of surreal creatures working and enjoying themselves. There is entertainment everywhere. The young woman has so much fun in the beginning but when she’s left alone she realizes she can’t hide here forever. She decides to leave this place but becomes desperate as she doesn't know how to return. Luckily, the huge Wisdom Tooth and 100 grandmas are on their way to help her. She returns to her actual universe and she is now ready to continue her way to the mainland.

Director’s statement
My previous short was about the abandonment of the nest. The farewell is followed by a new beginning, a journey into the unknown, full of seemingly unpredictable challenges. This new phase of life excites me a lot. Our protagonist finds this situation so scary that she escapes from it. I plan to elaborate on the process of conquering fear when we need to start something new. The universe of Funfair is filled with many fantastic creatures and attractions as metaphors for different feelings and patterns. Sometimes it takes time to choose fight instead of flight when it’s needed. What lifts us up when we are in our deepest despair? What gives us power to go on and start something new? In Funfair the answer lies in the hats of 100 miniature grannies. I want to visualize a surreal alternative to a mental process with humor and sensitivity. For me, the development of the visual and scriptwriting processes help each other, they work back and forth and develop together.

Director and Scriptwriter
Éva Darabos
Producer
Orsolya Sipos
sipos@saltofilm.com
Producer
József Fülöp
fulop@saltofilm.com

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

young adults

Animation technique

2D hand drawn

Production company

SALTO Films Ltd.

Estimated budget

90.000 EUR

Funding secured

Under application.

Student / Rising Stars

|

8-10’

|

M-0

M-0

There are an increasing number of fires breaking out in underground stations, and people begin to experience spontaneous combustions on a daily basis. Oddly enough, no one seems to care about it.

Nov

04

Wed 13:30

Rising Stars pitching session

The story is set in a dystopian reality, in a region where daily cases of fires in the underground are common. People grow accustomed to this environment and the system doesn’t take any notice of the issue either. There are various posters in the stations telling people that everything is working in order, and there’s nothing to worry about. However, travelers are encouraged to stay cautious for their own safety. The plot follows the events of Eve’s journey through the underground and the stations. She’s someone who has also adapted to the changes but has also realized that this shouldn’t be the norm. She’s thinking about leaving this place behind but hasn’t made that decision yet. Although she will change her mind when things start getting even more out of control.

Director’s statement
I wanted to capture the feeling of living in an alternate reality dictated by someone else, and being indifferent about it. The story was inspired by an experience of mine, when I was travelling on the same metro line everyday which was known to catch fire frequently because of the outdated vehicles. One day while travelling there was a faint smell of smoke and I felt a sense of panic, but other people didn't seem to care about it at all. It was like everyone got used to it by then, and I found that thought very interesting. I feel like when something is getting worse day by day, we tend to adapt to the situation, but without questioning it, and it can get out of hand. In this film I will play into this mindset.

Director and Scriptwriter
Vivien Csigó
viviencsigo@gmail.com

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

adults

Animation technique

drawing

Production company

MOME Anim – Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design

Estimated budget

50.000 euro

Student / Rising Stars

|

10′

|

Noah

Noah

After the death of their mad father, two sisters decide to fulfill his ideology which is to cleanse the planet of humanity. They design a bioweapon to use against the surrounding city.

Nov

04

Wed 13:30

Rising Stars pitching session

In a post-apocalyptic world, two sisters live on the last nature-dominated island, surrounded by an infinite city. For the entirety of their lives, they have been isolated with their mad father, who thought of people as noxious pests on the planet. He believed that the only solution is to exterminate humanity. After his death, they find his research for designing a bioweapon to use against the city dwellers. The orphaned girls, filled with grief and false beliefs, decide to continue their admired father’s legacy and fulfill his plan.

Director’s statement
The basic idea came from the place of humans in the contrast between nature and cities, which is a topic is becoming increasingly important in our world. With my story, I would like to show this tension through the eyes of two traumatized individuals who inherited nothing else but a distorted ideology. I would also like to find answers to whether is it possible to leave familial belief systems behind.

Director and Scriptwriter
Luca Ábrányi
abranyi.luca.kata@gmail.com

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

adults

Animation technique

drawing

Production company

MOME Anim – Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design

Estimated budget

40000

Student / Rising Stars

|

10’

|

Bonefuzz

Csontzörej

A withdrawn, deaf boy is passing the time by playing video games in the solitude of his room. His brother invites him to a concert featuring a mysterious band, which will change his life forever.

Nov

04

Wed 13:30

Rising Stars pitching session

A withdrawn, deaf teenager named Vajk gets an invitation from his brother to join him for a concert of a mysterious band. After some hesitation, he decides to escape his unvarying lifestyle. Their trip leads to the town's old abandoned factory. At the concert, he is wearing his cochlear implant but only senses unbearable noise through it. When he takes them off, he realizes that he has been abandoned and tries to get out. As the band begins to play their next song, the crowd goes wild and pushes Vajk with his head against the floor. Through it, he hears something clearly. The sound transforms the factory and the crowd into an abstract mass, lifting the boy’s body into the air. At the peak of the song, he falls back to reality. When Vajk wakes up, he hears a dull ring, which slowly blends with ambient noises. A branch breaks under his feet, reminding him of the sounds he heard last night. He notices that his implants are ruined. Vajk can’t get back to the quiet silence he’s used to.

Director’s statement
My diploma project, Bonefuzz, is an adaptation of a short story by Attila Veres, titled Mistcity. The film was inspired by a fragment of his story, where a deaf boy meets a mysterious rock band whose music can be heard by him. As someone who can’t imagine life without music and composing, I wanted to capture the fundamental effect music can have on our perception of reality. Representing this, the band’s song has both a lasting psychological and physical effect on the protagonist. To emphasize the climax of the film, I want to establish a sense of mystery and anticipation, for which I would use the cinematography of mystical thrillers, and the musical aesthetics of the 90's rock era. The technical execution combines traditional and 3D animation. As a director, I treat sound and visuals as equally important. The style of the animation focuses on bold, dynamic movements, over detailed backgrounds. I would use OSC driven animations to highlight the sync between music and motion.

Director and Scriptwriter
Mark Laszlo
mark.laszlo.07@gmail.com

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

adults, young adults

Animation technique

3D (CGI), drawing

Production company

MOME Anim – Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design

Estimated budget

55000

Funding secured

There is no funding secured.

Short

|

12′

|

Doghouse

Kutyaház

Emma does not want to face the monster living in the wall.

Emma needs to move home with her mom again, which she doesn’t like. Her mom loves dancing, which she hates. She also enjoys reminiscing of success in her years past, meanwhile Emma’s present is far from it. As uncomfortable as the whole situation is it’s only exacerbated by a gaping, seemingly endless hole in the living room wall. Dark and reaching veins spread from its center, creeping throughout the room, and the black pit keeps growling at Emma anytime she comes to face her true feelings. The place it too much, her mom is too much, too intimate and close, yet so far and distant. It’s time to face the monster in the wall

Director’s statement
The film is based on my own emotional experiences; my fear to connect to people, my sadness towards not belonging to my family, my strange relationship with myself and my hometown which I hate yet keep returning back to, and how I dealt (or didn’t) with these during the last 27 years. It’s personal but also something everyone can resonate with. We all carry family burdens and bad memories that shaped us, we all wanna do better than our parents, stop following toxic patterns, and yet sometimes we fail and feel shame, anger, and sadness.

Producer
Daniel Deak
danieldeak@daazo.com
Director and Scriptwriter
Réka Anna Szakály
szakalyrekaanna@gmail.com

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

adults / young adults

Animation technique

2D

Production company

Daazo Film and Media Ltd.

Estimated budget

80.000

Funding secured

Own investment; Hungarian Tax Rebate (30% of total costs); To be applied for the grant of the National Film Institute Hungary

Bye Little Block!

Pá kis panelom!

A surreal farewell to a residential block area.

May

07

Thu 13:00

CEE Animation Talents

A young woman learns that soon she will have to move from the residential block flat she lives in. After receiving the upsetting news from the owner of the flat, she is overwhelmed with emotion. Her teardrop of farewell grows into a concrete monolith. When the drop hits the ground, a surreal panorama of the residential block area – she used to call home – unfolds ...

Director

Éva Darabos


Producer

József Fülöp


Country of production

Hungary

Production company

MOME Anim – Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design

Screenplay

Éva Darabos

Animation

Domonkos Erhardt, Éva Darabos, Bálint Halasi, Vivien Hárshegyi, Bence Hlavay, Melinda Kádár, Katalin Sárdi

Editing

Judit Czakó

Sound

Dávid V. Bodnár

Music

Dávid V. Bodnár

World Sales / Distributor

National Film Institute Hungary (NFI)

Feature

|

70′

|

Senior Crush

Tanár Úr

Red, an extravagant, Eastern-European millennial high school girl develops a crush on the school’s awkward IT guy, which prompts her to reevaluate her opinion about fame and personal relationships.

Apr

28

Tue 10:00

Feature Films Pitching Session

Red is a 16-year old high school student in the 2000’s. After the death of her mother, she is raised by her extroverted father, who looks down on anyone, who is a “loser” in his eyes. Based on his teaching, she takes every opportunity to become the center of attention, though she mistakes her classmates’ amazement to be love. One day, she gets an opportunity to appear on a television program. In order to do this, she needs the technical aid of the school’s grumpy IT guy, "Mr. Toad." The eccentric man is the first person who can see through the shallowness of the girl. Red’s initial antipathy eventually changes and she begins to appreciate his honesty. This new experience turns into a deep crush for Toad, who at first gives in, but later on, he chases her away in a humiliating way. Red is now disillusioned in Toad attitude, but at the same time, she can’t relate to her father’s attention seeking either. From these two experiences, she begins to develop her new, empathic character.

Director’s statement
Senior Crush is an analogue rotoscope animation that has a rough and insecure style, just like being a teenager. The style’s peculiarity defined by the "sketchy" and childish pencil drawings. While the colors, objects and costumes of the characters are coherent, the style of drawings could change based on their emotional changes. Besides being a coming-age story, the film also illustrates the everyday life of a Hungarian teenager in the end of the 2000’s. Red’s attempt to seduce the much older Mr. Toad may seem outrageous, but instead of being dramatic it appears spiced with black humor. The film can be tied to Ghost Word (2001), that also talks about serious issues through satire. A close visual reference to this production would be the works of ShiShi Jamazaki japan animator, who also works with rotoscope technic.

Director

Orsolya Richolm
richolmricholm@gmail.com
Producer

Andrea Ausztrics
ausztrics.andrea@umbrella.tv

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

teenagers to millennials, 16-40

Animation technique

analogue rotoscope animation

Production company

ULab Kft.

Looking for

co-producer, financing, creative input

TV series

|

52 x 2:30 min.

|

Mitch-Match

Mitch-Match

Seeing something more in a simple object may be the most ancient of creative gestures.

Apr

27

Mon 11:30

TV Series Pitching Session

There’s only one matchstick left in the box. This blue headed matchstick, this ordinary thing is the protagonist of Mitch-Match series. The character embarks on a journey in every episode and always returns to the box, at the end of lots of strange, playful and imaginative adventures. A single matchstick, an easy-to-use object, and at the same an opportunity for creative experiences that evokes everyone’s fantasy.

Director’s statement
Playfulness lies in the fact that the eternal childlike fantasy is capable of imagining anything in objects and able to create a complex world from the simplest things - wooden cubes, pebbles. The Mitch-Match series makes an attempt to trigger this ability from everyone. We decided to use the most basic object – a matchstick – to create a story. The film delivers a highly creative and playful animation style with a simplest gesture by bringing matchsticks to life and tries to encourage the audience to put together the pieces of the puzzle. In this filmmaking gesture, I wanted to find a way to bring out the eternal child from everyone.

Director and Producer
Géza M. Tóth
geza@kedd.net
Watch preview

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

family

Animation technique

stop motion

Production company

KEDD Animation Studio

Stage of the project

Completed. Additional episodes in development.

Looking for

financing, pre-sale deals with broadcasters

World Sales / Distributor

n/a

TV series

|

5′

|

Rosie and Sapphire

Rozi és Zafír

Helped by Sapphire, the wise blue horse, Rosie, the 5 years old curious little girl learns to be kind and empathic towards others in everyday situations with a touch of magical events.

Apr

27

Mon 11:30

TV Series Pitching Session

Rosie is a young girl living with her horse Sapphire on a big field full of pink grass. One day, she gets an invitation from her penfriend, Fannar who lives far away in the land of snow. Rosie and Sapphire decide to visit him and to bring something typical from their home: pink grass in a pot. After a long, colorful journey they arrive at Fannar’s place. Fannar welcomes them kindly, immediately putting soft scarfs on their neck, offering warm lined boots, and a cup of hot tea. He is very happy about the pot of pink grass. They are having a great time while playing in the snow, but at one point Rosie and Sapphire have to go home. When saying goodbye Fannar gives them a beautiful snowball as a souvenir.When Rosie and Sapphire arrive home, they see that the pink grass field is gone because of the drought. Rosie still has Fannar’s present, and with the help of the water drops coming from the snowball, she can magically give new life to the plants, and a field is full of pink grass again.

Director’s statement
Pink Grass is the pilot episode of a series, in which Rosie and Sapphire will be the main characters. Each of the independent episodes is about important emotions such as kindness, empathy, fear, courage, connecting with others. Rosie is a curious, little bit giddy girl, but Sapphire, the horse, always helps her with his wisdom. Since children can understand the world through symbolic stories, there are magical elements in every story, there is a loose connection with myths and fairy tales. Besides the topics of friendship and how to deal with different feelings, I also want to talk about the environment as children discover something interesting every day around them. Therefore, it is important to present natural phenomena in a playful way. Most importantly I want to talk about kindness and empathy through memorable, funny fairy tales.

Director

Kata Lovrity
lovrityk@gmail.com
Producer

Bálint Gelley
info@cubanimation.com

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

preschool children

Animation technique

2D

Production company

CUB Animation

Looking for

co-producer

Short

|

12′

|

Albert

Albert

Albert is a neurotic perfectionist who, with all his might, is ready to help to his colleagues, even if they don’t want to.

Apr

27

Mon 10:00

Opening & Short Films Pitching Session

Albert's life is orderly, he is efficient and punctual in his work, he is always a worker of the month, satisfied with himself. His only problem is that his colleagues haven’t noticed his captivating personality yet. He does his best to help the everyday lives of those around him with his experiences. He draws attention out loud when they’re littering, remarks if there’s a mess on their desk, and doesn’t hesitate to tell his boss how he could work more efficiently. Despite all these helpful deeds, no one calls him to have coffee, he is often left alone in the office and doesn’t understand what’s going wrong. Their resistance equips Albert even more for action, so he resortes to increasingly drastic methods to open his colleagues’ eyes. The most important thing is that everything is perfect. The film shows Albert’s personality development through his peculiar perceptionist worldview, where life is like a huge tetris game.

Director’s statement
The film is made using the stop-motion technique, Albert becomes a giraffe, and the other characters are portrayed as anthropomorphic animals to reinforce Albert’s way of thinking with the animal’s qualities. This is further assisted by its surroundings, the dominant visual element of the visual world is the Tetris game, which clearly highlights Albert’s perfectionism and the imperfections of the others Every piece of furniture or object gives information about others based on the perfect or imperfect fit, illustrating how Albert sees himself and how his surroundings look. An important dramaturgical point will be when the perfectly matched objects around Albert disappear like they used to be in a Tetris game. With this, I would like to show Albert’s uncertain behaviour about his perfectionism. The puppets are made with needle felt technique with interchangeable eyes and mouths. The musical world also uses the music used in the classic Tetris game. However, natural noises will be used.

Director

Szandra Pataki
szandra.pataki@gmail.com
Producer

Krisztina Endrényi
krisztina@endrenyilaw.com

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

12+

Animation technique

stop motion

Production company

Mythberg Films Kft.

Looking for

co-producer, financing, sales agents, postproduction, festivals

Short

|

10′

|

Milu’s Dog

Milu's Dog

A young girl wants a dog so bad that she's willing to believe something all together bigger is one.

Apr

27

Mon 10:00

Opening & Short Films Pitching Session

A young girl really wants a dog. One day she's walking in the woods and she comes across a small fluffy animal that she takes in as one; even though it's actually a bear. They have adventures and grow close, until one day the dog's true identity as a bear is discovered and he's taken away to a zoo. The little girl then breaks the bear free and they escape to the woods to live happily.

Director’s statement
This book is full of love and charm, the characters instantly cling on to your soul as you follow them through beautifully illustrated pages. These environments are oozing with details that have characters begging to bring even more richness to the story as an animated short. The story is told in the book with a light touch that makes it’s potential as an animation very exciting, and the themes it touches on are ones that we think every little boy and girl think about from time to time. Of loneliness, and of a wild beast being a soft, cuddly protector.

Director

Daniel Gray
daninski@gmail.com
Producer

Bella Szederkényi
bella@cubanimation.com

Country of production

Hungary

Target audience

family

Animation technique

2D

Production company

CUB Animation

Looking for

co-producer, financing, sales agents

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CEE Animation is supported by the Creative Europe – MEDIA Programme of the European Union and co-funded by state funds and foundations and professional organisations from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia.

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