Kecskemét Animation Film Festival
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Kecskemét Animation Film Festival () (KAFF) is an
animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...
film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...
held biennially during the month of June in Kecskemét, Hungary. Although the bulk of the festival is oriented toward efforts in Hungarian animation, the associated KAFF-sponsored Festival of European Animated Feature Films and TV Specials () has opened the festival to international works as well. The festival was first held in 1985 and was opened to international works of animation in 1996.


History

The history of Hungarian animation has been tied to the city of
Kecskemét Kecskemét ( , sk, Kečkemét) is a city with county rights central part Hungary. It is the eighth-largest city in the country, and the county seat of Bács-Kiskun. Kecskemét lies halfway between the capital Budapest and the country's th ...
since 1971 when the Budapest-based state-run monopoly, Pannónia Film Studio, was granted the right to form a subsidiary studio named Kecskeméti Animációs Filmstúdió. For the next two decades Hungarian animation would be produced exclusively in these two cities as well as at a smaller affiliated studio located in
Pécs Pécs ( , ; hr, Pečuh; german: Fünfkirchen, ; also known by other #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the countr ...
. When state funding evaporated in 1990 and the Pannónia animation monopoly came to an end, the former state-run animation studios found themselves in prime position to become independent commercial entities and in 1991 Kecskeméti Animációs Filmstúdió became Kecskemétfilm Kft under the leadership of Ferenc Mikulás. The first Kecskemét Animation Film Festival was held in 1985 during the peak of Hungarian animation efforts.
A KAFF története
'. Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 2011.
The festival was initially intended as a tri-annual event that would highlight the most notable works of Hungarian animators. Between 1985 and 2005 the event followed this timetable with the only exception being that the festival scheduled for 1991 suffered organization problems related to the fall of Communism in the country and the establishment of the Third Republic, and so the 1991 festival was rescheduled for 1993. From 2005 onward, however, the festival has occurred biennially. In addition, while the main KAFF event remains focused on the works of Hungarian animators, the festival expanded in 1996 to simultaneously coordinate an affiliated event, the Festival of European Animated Feature Films and TV Specials (also known as the International Festival of Animated Feature Films and TV Specials). The two festivals are part of the same event and are considered synonymous.


Jury members

Each festival has two kinds of juries. The preselection jury consists of 3 people who screen the possible submissions to come up with the initial quality lineup for the festival. The selection jury consists of a 3 to 5 person team who are charged with determining which of these films is to be awarded prizes. Since the 5th International Festival of Animated Feature Films and TV Specials in 2007, a separate set of jurymen (including 3 preselection and 3-5 regular jury) have been used to select films and award prizes for the international portion of the event. Appointment of all jury members is done by KAFF staff and until 2005 both juries may have had a president/chairperson. This position was usually given to guests as a form of high honor. Since the 4th KAFF in 1996, the composition of the jury has been decidedly international with guests since then hailing from Russia, Japan, Canada, USA, South Korea, and over a dozen other countries from all over Europe. Former jury presidents/chairpeople have included: * Sándor Féjja - 1985 Chairman of the KAFF Preselection Jury
1.Kecskeméti Animációs Filmszemle
'. Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 1985.
* István Nemeskürty - 1985 Chairman of the KAFF Selection Jury * József Veress - 1988 and 1996 Chairman of the KAFF Preselection Jury
2. Kecskeméti Animációs Filmfesztivál
'. Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 1988.

4. Kecskeméti Animációs Filmfesztivál 1. Nemzetközi Animációs Játékfilm Fesztivál
'. Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 1996.
*
John Halas John Halas (born János Halász;Brian McFarlane ''The Encyclopedia of British Film'', London: Methuen/BFI, 2003, p.48 16 April 1912 – 21 January 1995) was a pioneering British animator. Together with Gyula Macskássy (an acquaintance from Sá ...
- 1988 Chairman of the KAFF Selection Jury *
Giannalberto Bendazzi Giannalberto Bendazzi (17 July 1946 – 13 December 2021) was an Italian animation historian, author, and professor. Life and career Born in Ravenna, Italy, and raised in Milan, Bendazzi started his career as a journalist and at the same time a ...
- 1993 and 1999 Chairman of the KAFF Selection Jury
3. Kecskeméti Animációs Filmfesztivál
'. Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 1993.

5. Kecskeméti Animációs Filmfesztivál 2. Nemzetközi Animációs Játékfilm Fesztivál
'. Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 1999.
*
Yuriy Norshteyn Yuri Borisovich Norstein, PAR (russian: link=no, Ю́рий Бори́сович Норште́йн; born 15 September 1941) is a Soviet and Russian animator best known for his animated shorts ''Hedgehog in the Fog'' and '' Tale of Tales''. Sin ...
- 1996 Chairman of the KAFF Selection Jury * Sándor Buglya - 1999 Chairman of the KAFF Preselection Jury *
Priit Pärn Priit Pärn (born 26 August 1946 in Tallinn) is an Estonian cartoonist and animation director whose films have enjoyed success among critics as well as the public at various film festivals. Pärn formerly worked as a plant ecologist; his car ...
- 2002 Chairman of the KAFF Selection Jury
KAFF 2002 - Zsuri
' (English:

). Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 2002.


Prizes awarded

KAFF and Festival of European Animated Feature Films and TV Specials prizes are generally of 2 types—Special Awards and Category Awards. Top Prizes are also awarded as well as Memorial Awards and a variety of other miscellaneous prizes. For top prizes, recipients may also be entitled to monetary prizes. The number of prizes awarded has gradually risen from 11 prizes in 1985 to over 25 in the late 2000s. Commonly awarded prizes include: *Top Prizes **Kecskemét City Award - Awarded every year since it was initiated in 1988. The Kecskemét City Award began as one of KAFF's two top prizes (awarded only to Hungarian films), but it was shifted to the Festival of European Animated Feature Films and TV Specials in 1999 where it has since become the top international prize. **Grand Prix - Awarded every year since it was initiated in 1993. The Grand Prix is KAFF's top prize (awarded only to Hungarian films). **1st Prize - Awarded in the Festival of European Animated Feature Films and TV Specials in 1996 and 1999. Lower tier 2nd and 3rd Prizes were also available in these years. *Category Awards **Best Short Film - Awarded every year since 1985. **Best TV Series - Awarded every year since 1985. **Best Animated Feature Film - Awarded every year since 1985 except in 1988, 1993, and 1996. This award began as a KAFF award but was shifted to the Festival of European Animated Feature Films and TV Specials in 2002. **Best Commercial/Promotional Film/Applied Animation - Awarded every year since it was initiated in 1999. **Best TV Special - Awarded twice as a KAFF award in 1985 and 2005,

' (English:

). Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 2005.
and shifted to the Festival of European Animated Feature Films and TV Specials in 2002 where it has been awarded every year except 2009.
A 9. Kecskeméti Animációs Filmfesztivál és a 6. Nemzetközi Animációs Fesztivál díjai
' (English:
Awards
). Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 2009.
*Special Awards **Adult Audience Award - Awarded every year since 1985. **Best Music - Awarded every year since it was initiated in 1988. **Best First Film - Awarded every year since 1985 except in 2011.
10. Kecskeméti Animációs Filmfesztivál 7. Európai Animációs Játékfilm Fesztivál
'. Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 2011.
**Film and TV Critics' Award - Awarded every year since it was initiated in 1993. **Best Animation - Awarded every year since 1985 except in 1996 and 2002.

' (English:

). Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 2002.
**Best Script - Awarded every year since 1985 except in 1988, 1993, and 2002. **Children's Jury/Audience Award - Awarded every year since 1985 except in 1988, 1993, and 2002. **Local Kecskemét Television Audience Award - Awarded every year since it was initiated in 1996 except in 1999. **Best Visual Language - Awarded every year since it was initiated in 1993 except in 2002 and 2011. **Jury's Diploma of Merit - Awarded every year since it was initiated in 1988 except 1999, 2009, and 2011. **Organising Committee's Award for Life's Work - Awarded every year since it was initiated in 2002. **Best Experimental Film - Awarded in 1988, 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2009. *Other Awards **Academic topic awards have repeatedly been awarded including the Popular Science Award (1985), Best Literary Work (1988), Best Cultural History (1993), Most Poetic Animated Film (2005), and Best Animated Documentary Film (2005). **Student filmmaker awards have been awarded including Best Diploma Film (2007,
KAFF 2007 Díjak
' (English:
KAFF 2007 Awards
). Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál. 2007.
2009, and 2011) and the Students' Jury Award (2009 and 2011). **Technical awards have included Best Graphic Design (1988), Best 3D (2002, 2005, and 2011), and Best Editing (2011). **Genre awards have included Best Amateur Film (1985), Best Children's Film (1996), Best Humorous Animated Film (2005), and Best Music Video (2011). **Numerous memorial awards have also been a mainstay at KAFF events starting with the Pesti Műsor Award (1993) and continuing nearly every year afterward. Rarely awarded more than one year in a row, a few exceptions include the Art Cinema Society Award offered in 2007 and 2009, and the KAFF-SZAFT Award sponsored by the Meeting of Free Animation Filmmakers who gave three memorial awards in 2009 and another three in 2011.


Top prize winners


KAFF Grand Prix (Hungarian)


1st Prize (International)


Kecskemét City Prize


See also

*
List of animation awards This list of animation awards is an index of articles about notable awards for animation. It excludes animated feature films awards, which are covered by a separate list. It includes a list of Japanese anime awards. General Anime awards ...


External links


kaff.hu
- Kecskeméti Animáció Film Fesztivál Homepage *
Nyári vendég
' (in Hungarian) - A FilmKultura report by István Kispéter on the 2011 KAFF.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kecskemet Animation Film Festival Animation film festivals Animation awards Film festivals in Hungary Hungarian animation Film festivals established in 1985 Summer events in Hungary 1985 establishments in Hungary