''Cyclists'' is a 2018 Croatian-French animated short film by

Veljko Popović Veljko (Cyrillic script: Вељко) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin. It may refer to: *FK Hajduk Veljko, Serbian football club based in Negotin, Serbia *Hajduk Veljko Petrović (1780–1813), Vojvoda of the First Serbian Uprising rebell ...

, internationally co-produced and distributed by Bonobostudio.

Synopsis

The short is described as a comedy set in a small Mediterranean town, having unique aesthetics with vivid colors of summer as inspired by the art of

Vasko Lipovac Vasko Lipovac (14 June 1931 – 4 July 2006) was a Yugoslavian and Croatian painter, sculptor, printmaker, designer, illustrator and scenographer and one of the most prominent artists of the region. He is best known for his minimalist figurat ...

. The idea derived from a notable installation of 60 cyclists by the artist. The cycling season is nearing its grand finale. During the final race, the two men in the lead are competing for more than the Grand Trophy; they are fighting for the affection of a lady and fulfilment of their erotic fantasies. It is described as "In a small town next to the sea in Croatia, the cycling season is at its peak. During the final race the two leaders are not just battling for the grand prize, but also for the affection of a lady and fulfillment of their erotic fantasy."

Development

Veljko Popović closely studied Vasko Lipovac's art and variously experimented with CGI and 3D animation, trying to create character poses not seen in his art.

Reception

The short premiered at

Animafest World Festival of Animated Film Zagreb (), best known as Animafest Zagreb, is a film festival entirely dedicated to animated film held annually in Zagreb, Croatia. Initiated by the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA), the event was es ...

in June 2018, where it won the award for ''Best Croatian Film''. It won further awards at

Hiroshima International Animation Festival The International Animation Festival Hiroshima, founded as International Animation Festival for the World Peace in 1985, was a biennial film festival for animated films held in Hiroshima, Japan. Its last edition was held in 2020. History The fe ...

, Betina Film Festival, Linoleum Festival and Croatian Film Days as well as getting a Jury Award at

Annecy Annecy ( , ; , also ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Haute-Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, regi ...

. It was a staff pick at

Vimeo Vimeo ( ) is an American Online video platform, video hosting, sharing, and services provider founded in 2004 and headquartered in New York City. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices and operates on a ...

and daily pick at

Cartoon Brew Cartoon Brew is an animation news website created by Amid Amidi and animation historian Jerry Beck that was launched on 15 March 2004. Cartoon Dump It also created '' Cartoon Dump'', a weekly podcast showing poorly made TV cartoons featuring ' ...

. In 2023 the short was selected for the international competition of the 17th

International Cycling Film Festival The International Cycling Film Festival (, ) is an independent, not-for-profit film festival held annually in Germany, in Poland, in Kosovo and in the Netherlands. Its mission is to strengthen international cooperation in the areas of art film and ...

Awards

*Annecy (jury distinction for short film, 2018) *Hiroshima (special prize, 2018) *Animafest Zagreb (best Croatian film, 2018) *Krok (grand prix, 2018).

References

External links

* Watc
Cyclists
at

* {{IMDb title, 8119856 2018 animated short films Croatian animated short films