From October 19 to 25, Yerevan once again became the capital of animation as it hosted the 17th ReA International Animation Film and Comics Art Festival.
The festival’s founder and director Vrej Kassouny, during the closing ceremony, said.
“When I founded this festival back in 2009, our goal was simple — to show that animation is a form of art capable of conveying the deepest emotions and ideas. Over the years, ReA fest has become a platform where Armenian and international creators listen to each other, learn, and build new connections. This year was special for us. We paid tribute to our great masters — Robert Sahakyants and Lev Atamanov, whose legacy defines the identity of Armenian animation today. At the same time, we looked to the future — toward digitalization, new technologies, and the next generation of young creators. I’m deeply grateful to our team and all our partners and supporters, without whom this festival would not be possible”.
ReA Comics Exhibition and National Competition
As part of the festival, the 3rd National Comics Competition Exhibition opened on October 21 at ACCEA. During the opening, art lovers were introduced to the Armenian translation of “Missak, Mélinée and the Manouchian Group” — a graphic novel by Jean-David Morvan and Tovmas Chérkezian.
So far, ReA Comics has translated five graphic novels into Armenian, including “Mkhitarank” by Lena Derunts, “Eastern Upbringing” by renowned Armenian-origin artist Charles Berbérian, “Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles” by Fermín Solís, and “Fires” and “Whisper” by Lorenzo Mattotti.
MarAni Forum and CoReAct Co-Production Platform
From October 22 to 24, the MarAni Forum was held at the AGBU, where leading industry experts shared their experience and knowledge through discussions and masterclasses.
This year, the CoReAct Co-Production Platform once again showcased 11 Armenian animation projects, presented to international experts who selected the best works.
Winners:
- First Place (shared) – Two projects share the top honor: “Tasty Tears” by Anna Mnatsakanyan and “Little Things” by Mary Danielyan — each receiving a support grant of 800,000 AMD. Third Place – “Creation” by Yelena Nersesyan, awarded 400,000 AMD in support. Jury’s Special Mention – “The Wolf in the House” by Sofi Mirzoyan. The financial support is being provided by the “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund. In addition, the winners will receive accreditation for MIFA, the animation market of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.
- The 1st place grant award of the “National Comics Projects Competition” was awarded to the project “Jasmine and Bimbim” by Sofia Mirzoyan. The financial support։ 700․000 AMD.
Inga Harutyunyan received the 2nd place support award for her project “Be-Little”. The financial support: 500.000 AMD. In third place is the project “Morning-Glory” by Arevik Aroyan. The financial support: 300.000 AMD. The financial support is being provided by the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia.
- “Arco”, directed by Ugo Bienvenu, won the “Best Feature Animation Film” award.
- “Little Amélie” by Maïlys Vallade & Liane-Cho Han was awarded the “Valentin Podpomogov Award” for the best art concept of a full-length animated film.
- “Winter in March” by Natalia Mirzoyan, was awarded the “Lev Atamanov Prize” for the best Armenian animated short film.
- The Short Films Competition winner is “Shadows” by Rand Beiruty from Jordan.
- The jury awarded “Because Today is Saturday” by Alice Eça Guimarães from Portugal a Special Mention in the Short Films competition.
- The short film “Earth Coal” by Bastien Dupriez has received a special award from the Animation Guild of Armenia.
- The Graduation Short Films Competition winner is “Weeds” by Pola Kazak from the Czech Republic.
- The jury awarded “The Sky Was Candy” by Anh Tú Nguyen from Germany a Special Mention in the graduation shorts competition.
- The winner of the Music Films Competition is “Le Goût du Ciel” by Pierre-Julien Fieux from France.
- The Special Mention of the jury in the Music Films Competition was awarded to “Dragas” by Robertas Nevecka from Lithuania.
- The winner of the Television Films Competition is “Thinker Ben and Motor” by Vladimir Gerasimov from Serbia.
- The Special Mention of the jury in the Television Films Competition was awarded to “Desi On” by Suresh Eriyat from India.
Special Guests
This year’s festival welcomed numerous distinguished guests. Among them were members of the creative team behind Netflix’s acclaimed series “Arcane” — Pascal Charrue, Cécile Hergé-Essaim, and Aurélien Resencourt. For the first time, thanks to the support of TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, Madeleine Sharafian, one of the directors of Pixar’s upcoming film “Elio”, visited Armenia. She delivered a talk at the MarAni Forum and held a masterclass at TUMO.
Other notable guests included Oscar-winning director Michaël Dudok de Wit, who presented his celebrated works “The Red Turtle” and the Academy Award-winning short “Father and Daughter.”
Renowned Italian comics artist, screenwriter, and illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti, creator of this year’s official ReA17 festival poster, also attended, alongside Armenian-origin comics author Charles Berbérian and acclaimed Spanish artist and animator Fermín Solís.
Spanish animation director and illustrator Javier Recio Gracia conducted a masterclass at the Union of Cinematographers of Armenia.
The main sponsor of the ReAnimania International Animation & Comics Art Festival is the Yerevan Municipality, and the main supporter is the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of Armenia. The festival is also supported by the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, the EU Delegation to Armenia, the Embassy of France in Armenia, the French Institute in Armenia, the Goethe-Institut Yerevan, and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in Armenia.
