Category: News

06.01.2023

Call for Entries!

The 8th edition of the Turku Animated Film Festival will be held again in Turku, Finland, August 23-27, 2023, presenting dozens of screenings during five days.

Submissions for TAFF 2023 are open until March 31.  Submit your work via the link below.

The competitions for animated shorts will be held again in 2023. For the International Competition, International Student Film Competition, TAFF Junior Competition and National Competition we are looking for original, bold, uncompromising & inventive animated shorts under 30 minutes to compete for Grand Prix, Best Professional Film, Best Student Film, Tough Eye award, TAFF Junior Award, Main Prize in National Competition and Audience award in International Competition. In addition, the festival programme consists of a seductive selection of carefully selected special programme.

The Competition is open for short animated films that have been completed after 1st of January 2022.

TAFF takes place in the hometown of the renowned Turku Arts Academy. Our venue is a beautifully restored old factory milieu by the River Aura in Turku, Finland. TAFF is organized by the non-profit Association Turun elokuvatapahtumat ry.

28.08.2022

THANK YOU FOR THIS FESTIVAL!!

The 7th TAFF ended with Sunday’s Audience Favorites and Best of TAFF screenings.

This year we were able to enjoy a particularly rich coverage of different styles and genres of animation. Even though old craft techniques are still cherished, animation does not stand still, directors are constantly renewing their expression and creating new ways of using well-known techniques.

At the 2022 TAFF nine films were awarded in ten (10) different categories. The main prize was won by Špela Čadež’s Steakhouse, which managed to convey the atmosphere of a home in crisis with its smoke and fog veiled story. Read the list of all winners and the jury’s statements for the choices from here.

After two years of pandemic, we are happy that we were able to enjoy the festival again in a warm atmosphere with both Finnish and international visitors. It is you, our guests and audience, who make our festival come alive!

“Animation often contains many layers of narrative, metaphors and symbolism. After the screenings, many films remain haunting in the mind, and the deepest secrets of the films may only be revealed in the post-screening discussions among friends. Audience have their own ways of interpreting stories and it is interesting to compare views. Thus, you get more out of the viewing experience than you expected.” describes the artistic director of the festival, Joni Männistö.

So thank you to our guests, friends and viewers!

Thank you to our judges, the board of the Turun elokuvatapahtumat Ry, our wonderful volunteers and our employees for their great work!
Thanks to our partners Rajupaja Oy, Scene Turku, Animaatiokilta ry, Institut Français, Turku Book Cafe, Aurinkobaletti, Tehdas Teatteri, Aura of Puppets, Laivahostel S/S Bore and Bagel House and Jalobus.
Thank you to YLE, Avek, Taike, the Finnish Film Foundation, the City of Turku, the Finnish Culture Fund and the Pro Manilla Foundation for supporting the festival!

Thank you, TAFF 2022!

See you again next year!

27.08.2022

The winners of Turku Animated Film Festival 2022 have been awarded!

This year 10 awards were given to very special films that touched the hearts and souls of our juries and audience.


GRAND PRIX –
Steakhouse by Špela Čadež

“Fog and smoke create a suffocating and intense atmosphere. This impressive cinematic experience reflects the emotional reality of verbal abuse.”

BEST NATIONAL FILM –
All My Mom’s Phone Calls by Iiti Yli-Harja

“Rough, tough  and honest. Masterfully paced work in which the form supports the content and vice versa. Finally a realistic portrait of a mother in a kitchen.”

TAFF JUNIOR AWARD –
Black Slide by Uri Lotan

“Layered storytelling, full of emotion.”
BEST PROFESSIONAL FILM –
Sierra by Sander Joon

“A playful story about a father – son relationship that manages to be both entertaining and emotional. The puchy sound design and vibrant art style compliment this colorful story.”

BEST STUDENT FILM
Goodbye Jérôme! by Gabrielle Selnet, Adam Sillard & Chloé Farr

“This whimsical story about a breakup in heaven captivates the viewer with its psychodelic aesthetic and straightforward emotional honesty.”

TOUGH EYE –
Backflip by Nikita Diakur

“Will machines take over the world? Will algorithms master tasks that us humans are too weak and inneficient to perform? Let’s find out in this slapstick comedy about a clumsy avatar learning to do a backflip.”

SPECIAL MENTION –
In my chest of fire there is still place to temple your dagger: a love story by Pablo Ballarín

SPECIAL MENTION: STUDENT –
Zoon by Jonatan Schwenk

SPECIAL MENTION: NATIONAL –
Bad to the Boner by Robert Lönnqvist
AUDIENCE AWARD –
Sierra by Sander Joon

25.08.2022

Here is the jury of our National Competition!

Our National Competition includes 9 films from the last two years. The best domestic film is selected by our jury of experienced artists working with animation in Finland and Estonia.


Lucija Mrzaljak

Lucija Mrzljak is a Croatian animation film director and illustrator based in Tallinn, Estonia. She studied at fine art academies in Zagreb, Krakow, Prague and Tallinn. Since 2016 she co-directed several animated short animated films with the Estonian director Morten Tšinakov in Eesti Joonisfilm studio in Tallinn and Adriatic Animation studio in Zagreb: Demonstration Of Brilliance In Four Acts (2017), The Stork (2020), Eva (2022).

Lucija lives and works in Tallinn as a director, illustrator and as a guest teacher at the Estonian Academy of Fine Arts. You can enjoy Lucija’s animation in our Jury 2 -screening.


Hanneriina Moisseinen

Hanneriina Moisseinen, (b. 1978 in Joensuu) is an awarded comic book artist and a master of arts. Moisseinen has published four comics so far and directed the animated films Birthday (2014) and The Drifter Who Loved Books (2017). Moisseinen lives and works in Helsinki.

Hanneriina’s Masterclass is part of TAFF Pro -program.

Tomi Riionheimo

Geography and biology teacher who drifted into animation productions through comics in the late 90s and stayed there. Self-taught graphic artist and filmmaker, shirt seller and foreign tour manager of the band Eläkeläiset, producer and owner of Indie Films Oy since 2001.

Tomi Riionheimo’s animations are part of TAFF Program in Comics-secreening.

24.08.2022

For five days, Manilla’s Culturefactory will be filled with the latest jewels of animation.

TAFF’s program once again covers the boldest and most insightful films of recent international animation from the past two years. From more than 2,000 short films submitted, 29 animations from different countries were selected for the competition series. In addition to the main competition series, there are competitions for Finnish films as well as films for younger audience.
In addition to the competitions, animated documentaries and music videos also have their own screenings. Thursday and on Saturday the Sarjis show to be seen offers glimpses to those hungry for nostalgia, when in addition to modern cartoon-based animations, you get to admire Jasso-Kissa as well as Rieku and Raiku. Films of competition judges from the period of their career are shown in the jury’s title screenings. The screenings feature animations by Daniel Šuljić, Renata Gąsiorowska, Lucija Mrzljak and Julian Gallese.
This year, the two-day TAFF Pro program, aimed at professionals, focuses on combining animation and comics. Professional section organized on Thursday and Friday will have master classes and panels with award-winning artists who combine comics and animation, as well as a wide range of production professionals. The main language of TAFF Pro is English.
After the audience restrictions of the last few years, the popular TAFF Junior school screenings have returned in full measure to the festival’s program – the first screenings were already fully booked on the day of their release! TAFF Junior school performances can be watched by pre-school and elementary school students in the Turku area. Open to everyone and free for kids under 16, the TAFF Junior screenings start the festival days of the weekend on Saturday and Sunday.
Throughout the festival, Aurinkobaletti’s bar and terrace offer refreshment for the thirsty. Today TAFF and Kirjakahvila will jointly organize an open-air screening, showing the film Aya of Yop City, based on the comic by Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie.

11.08.2022

Thursday and Friday are for professionals!

The two days of TAFF Pro brings together domestic and foreign animators and others working in animation. TAFF Pro strives to promote the vitality of the animation field and offers new ideas and contacts to industry players and students. This year’s theme is the combination of comics and animation. The pro program consists of master classes and panels, as well as cartoon-themed film screenings.

You can read about TAFF Pro and apply for professional accreditation from our Professionals-page.
In the master classes, you will hear directly from the artists who combine comics and animation about their experiences and processes. In the panel discussions, the convergence of animation and comics will be examined, as well as production and copyright issues. Reflections and experiences about copyrights, working with the production team and where to begin if you want your comics to be an animated film will be discussed. The panel examines the topic from the perspective of artists, production and copyright law.
You can see the TAFF Pro program here.
The primary language of the TAFF Pro program is English. Questions to the panelists can also be asked in Finnish.

08.08.2022

Meet our jury!


Our jury for the International Competition are well established professionals of animation, whose works you get to enjoy first hand in our Jury screenings.

Daniel Šuljić (1971) is an animation film director and a musician, who works Zagreb and Vienna. He has studied painting and animation and has been widely recognized in his work in both teaching as well as directing animation. 

The screening at TAFF showcases the diverse array of films and a music video from Daniel’s career between the years 1993 and 2018.

Read more about Daniel and buy tickets to his screening from here.

Renata Gąsiorowska is an animator and cartoonist from Kraków, Poland. She currently lives and works in Wrocław. She has made five short films, a few animated music videos and several short comics published around the world. Renata’s school film, Pussy, has won multiple awards. Her newest short film Home in a shell was produced for HBO Poland as a part of “At Home” anthology.

Read more about Renata and buy a ticket for her and Lucija Mrzljak’s, from our Finnish competition’s jury, joined screening from here.

Julian Gallese is an artist from San José, Costa Rica. Julian has studied in Vancouver Film School as well as Royal College of Arts in London. Julian has made several independent short films and currently lives and works in London.

Read more about Julian and buy a ticket for his screening from here. 

 

 

08.07.2022

The Official Selection of the 7th Turku Animated Film Festival is here!

 

Once again Turku Animated Film Festival accumulated a record number of films for the international competition. Out of more than 2,000 entries, 44 films from 23 different countries were selected for the main competition series.

 

Spectrum of techniques and styles

 

This year’s TAFF will feature work from well-established professionals as well as rising stars. The International Competition includes Oscar-nominated Hugo Covarrubias from Chile, and Atsushi Wada, who has been awarded at the Berlin Film Festival. Špela Čadež returns to TAFF with her intimate drama Steakhouse. Estonian Sander Joon‘s first professional film Sierra is once again proof of the director’s ability to master new techniques. The representation of student films in this year’s competition is also significant and, as usual, in addition to the Grand Prix, the competition also awards the best student film. The films selected for the competition include works bathing in full colors that are visually polished to the last detail, as well as more minimalist and rough works with punk spirit. Old techniques are still cherished, but fresh digital technologies and artificial intelligence are also seen this year.

 

“One of the strengths of animation is that, at its best, the chosen technique supports the story. It can also be seen in this year’s films. Different techniques are smoothly combined with each other in several films and these decisions are specifically made to serve the story. They make the finished film stronger and more interesting.  

The directors want to create new styles and renew animation, so you always see something new and wonderful.” ponders the artistic director, Joni Männistö.

 

In addition to the main competition, the best films are awarded in the Finnish competition as well as in TAFF Junior category, suitable for the younger audiences.

Official Selection of TAFF 2022:

 

International competition

A Bite of Bone | Honami Yano | 2021 | Japan

A white white day | Vasily Chirkov | 2022 | Russia

Anxious Body | Yoriko Mizushiri | 2021 | France

Backflip | NIkita Diakur | 2022 | Germany

Bewogen Woerde | Fynn van der Ziel | 2021 | Netherlands

Bestia | Hugo Covarrubias | 2021 | Chile

Bird in the Penisula | Atsushi Wada | 2022 | France, Japan

Channidae | Pauline Morel | 2021 | Belgium 

Cucumbers | Leonid Shmelkov | 2021 | Russia, France

Cufufu | Bruno Quast | 2021 | Estonia

Ding (Thing) | Malte Stein | 2021 | Germany

Elephtant in Castle | Florence Yuk Ki Lee | 2021 | Hong Kong

Girl in the Water | Shi-Rou Huang | 2021 | Taiwan

Goodbye Jérôme! | Gabrielle Selnet, Adam Sillard, Chloé Farr | 2021 | France

Good Old Vinyl | Yarin Philipp | 2022 | Russia

Granny’s Sexual Life | Urška Djukić, Émilie Pigeard | 2021 | Slovenia, France 

Graziano and the Giraffe | Fabio Orlando, Tommaso Zerbi | 2022 | Italy

Hold Me Tight | Leoluna Robert-Tourneur | 2021 | Belgium, France

In my chest of fire there is still place to temple your dagger: a love story | Pablo Ballarín | 2021 | Spain

In the Upper Room | Alexander Gratzer | 2022 | Hungary, Austria

I Want To Be Bored | Magda Kreps | 2021 | United Kingdom

Lesser of Two Evils | Máté Horesnyi | 2021 | Hungary

Letter to a Pig | Tal Kantor |2022 | France

Lines | Ivan Stojkovic | 2021 | Serbia

Los Huesos | Cristóbal León, Joaquín Cociña | 2021 | Chile

Oneluv | Varya Yakovleva | 2022 | Russia

Pentola | Leo Černic | 2022 | Italy

Pests | Juliette Laboria | 2021 | France

Please let me in | Peter Millard | 2022 | United Kingdom

Regular | Nata Metlukh | 2022 | United States

Rites of Spring | Yiorgos Tsangaris | 2021 | Cyprus

Sauna | Anna Lena Spring, Lara Perren | 2021 | Switzerland

Sensual Pill | Sam3 | 2021 | Greece

Sierra | Sander Joon | 2022 | Estonia

Steakhouse | Špela Čadež | 2021 | Slovenia, Germany, France

Sweet Nothing | Joana Fischer, Marie Kenov | 2021 | Switzerland

The Debutante | ​​Elizabeth Hobbs | 2022 | United Kingdom

The dog’s leash | Nicolas Piret | 2021 | Belgium

The fourth wall | Mahboobeh Kalaee | 2021 | Iran

The Pattern | ​​Péter Bogyó | 2022 | Hungary

The Seine’s tears | Yanis Belaid, Eliott Benard, Nicolas Mayeur, Etienne Moulin, Hadrien Pinot, Lisa Vicente, Philippine Singer, Alice Letailleur | 2021 | France

The Visit | Mateusz Jarmulski | 2021 | Poland

Two Sisters | Anna Budanova | 2021 | France

Zoon | Jonatan Schwenk | 2021 | Germany

 


National competition

 

All My Mom’s Phone Calls | Iiti Yli-Harja | 2021 | Finland

Bad to the Boner | Robert Lönnqvist | 2021 | Finland

Burning Love | Tomi Niko Krister Malkki | 2022 | Finland

Heinola | Aleksi Mäkelä | 2021 | Finland

Letters to Parkkimäentie | Mika Koskinen | 2022 | Finland

Mona | Sirpa Kristiina Loivarinne | 2022 | Finland

Tales of The Outback | Lauri Ketonen, Konsta Verta | 2021 | Finland

The Paper | Katariina Anna Maria Haukka | 2022 | Finland

You were in my dream | Iida-Sofia Kivistö | 2021 | Finland

 

TAFF Junior

 

Battery Daddy | Seung-bae Jeong | 2021 | Republic of Korea

Black Slide | Uri Lotan | 2021 | Israel

Don’t blow it up | Alžbeta Mačáková Mišejková  | 2022 | Czech Republic

Franzy’s Soup-Kitchen | Ana Chubinidze | 2021 | France

I’m not afraid! | Marita Mayer | 2022 | Norway

Letters From the Edge of the Forest | Jelena Oroz | 2022 | Croatia

Lost Brain | Isabelle Favez | 2022 | Switzerland

Luce and the Rock | Britt Raes | 2022 | Belgium

Marea | Giulia Martinelli | 2022 | Switzerland

META | Antje Heyn | 2022 | Germany

Mom is always right | Marie Urbánková | 2022 | Czech Republic

Patouille and the parachute seeds | Inès Bernard-Espina, Mélody Boulissière, Clémentine Campos | 2021 | France

Reflection | Sanna de Vries | 2021 | Netherlands

Snail’s breakfast | Eugeniy Fadeyev | 2022 | Russian Federation

The Boy and the Elephant | Sonia Gerbeaud | 2022 | France

The Hand and the Egg | Fatemeh Gharavi Manjili | 2021 | Iran

The Turnip | Piret Sigus, Silja Saarepuu | 2022 | Estonia

Trails of the Morning | Maša Avramović | 2021 | France

Talkoolaisia infopöydän ympärillä puuhastelemassa.
Kuva: Paavo Pykäläinen

14.06.2022

TAFF IS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS!

Our volunteer application is now open! We warmly welcome you to be a part of the festival 24.-28.8. You don’t have to have any specific education or previous experience for most of the job, we’ll brief you. Check out the different job descriptions below.

We provide you with an awesome, communal experience, free entrance to the screenings outside your shifts, food & beverages and an afterparty at the end of the festival. You’ll also get a reference letter if you wish so.

Our aim is to have a relaxed, cosy & safe event for everyone, our visitors and our volunteers.  We wish to get your work input for 3 shifts / approximately 15 hours, rest of the time you are free to enjoy the festival atmosphere. You can also let us know in the application form if you’d like to be in the same shift with a friend.

 

THE APPLICATION FORM

Please note that with this form TAFF (Turun elokuvatapahtumat ry) gathers information about volunteer applicants. The information is only accessible to festival employees and is kept only for as long as necessary. Information is not given out to third parties. 

 

If you have any questions, please drop us an email at info@taff.fi .

 

JOB DESCRIPTIONS:

 

  • Set up  / close down / cleaning / decorating:

Setting up the venue, bringing the festival atmosphere with decorations.

  • Tech:

Making sure the films are running smoothly

  • Runner:

Runner does whatever is needed at the moment

  • ​​Ticket sales / info:

Selling tickets and merchandise, answering questions and providing customer service

  • Screening presenter / door manager:

Checking tickets at the door, making sure everything is in order at the venue, presenting the screening

  • Host

Hosting our international guests and helping them during festival. We are looking for people with good English skills, but proficiency in other languages is a plus.

  • Security:

Securing the evening events and helping our guests with issues that arise in them. Official licence required.

  • Distribution:

Handing out marketing materials around the city before the festival in August.

  • Driver:

Driving things and people around the city. B-licence required.

  • Photographer:

Taking and editing photographs during the festival. Own equipment required. We hope you’d send a compact portfolio to info@taff.fi .

09.06.2022

TAFF 2022 is on its way!

 

The most charming international animation film festival in Finland, Turku Animated Film Festival (TAFF), will be held again 24.–28.8.2022!

After two unusual summers, we can finally invite all our international friends, fans and guests to join us in the cultural complex of Manilla to enjoy the most interesting fresh works of animation. As usual TAFF will be a hearty mix of fresh and diverse animation films and side events by the Aura river.

 

Our festival programme is currently taking its final shape, but follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates on the festival and sneak peeks for this year’s films.

 

See you in August!

 

Producer

Anna Jauhola

anna@taff.fi

 

Creative Director

Joni Männistö

joni@taff.fi

 

Publicist

Marja Ahtola

marja@taff.fi

10.04.2022

 

The call for entries for the 7th edition of Turku Animated Film Festival has closed. In total 2140 films were submitted – a great number that will keep our festival management busy for a while.

Big thanks for all the submissions, which we’re looking forward to going through!

TAFF takes place in the hometown of the renowned Turku Arts Academy. Our venue is a beautifully restored old factory milieu by the River Aura in Turku, Finland. TAFF is organized by the non-profit Association Turun elokuvatapahtumat ry.

See you in Turku in August!

 

06.01.2022

Call for Entries!

The seventh edition of the Turku Animated Film Festival will be held again in Turku, Finland, August 24-28, 2022, presenting dozens of screenings during five days.

Submissions for TAFF 2022 are open until March 31.

The competitions for animated shorts will be held again in 2022. For the International Competition, International Student Film Competition, TAFF Junior Competition and National Competition we are looking for original, bold, uncompromising & inventive animated shorts under 30 minutes to compete for Grand Prix, Best Professional Film, Best Student Film, Tough Eye award, TAFF Junior Award, Main Prize in National Competition and Audience award in International Competition. In addition, the festival programme consists of a seductive selection of carefully selected special programme.

The Competition is open for short animated films that have been completed after 1st of January 2021.

TAFF takes place in the hometown of the renowned Turku Arts Academy. Our venue is a beautifully restored old factory milieu by the River Aura in Turku, Finland. TAFF is organized by the non-profit Association Turun elokuvatapahtumat ry.

Photo: Marja Ahtola

30.08.2021

Thank you for TAFF 2021!

With the traditional ‘Audience favorites’ and ‘Winners’ -screenings, this year’s TAFF, the 5th edition of the festival, came to an end last night. Although organizing TAFF was quite a rollercoaster this year, we managed to create a safe, collective and joyful event in the end!

What we missed in this year’s festive side events, we luckily gained from our extensive and diverse program. This year’s films were exceptionally high quality and we got to enjoy the world-class animation as much with our souls as we did with our eyes. We got to see many touching, charming and amusing films that will tickle our minds even after the festival.Our warmest thank you to all the wonderful animators and filmmakers whose work we were honored to show.

TAFF 2021’s Grand Prix went to Soetkin Verstegen’s stunning Freeze Frame that creates a study of animation, and film, as an artform within it’s freezing narrative. Read more about all the winner films here.

We’d like to thank our judges, the board of Turun elokuvatapahtumat ry, staff and all of our volunteers as well as Rajupaja Oy, Scene – Turku European Film City, Kirjakahvila Turku, AB Dance Company and Finnish Animation Guild for their cooperation.
Thank you Arts Promotion Center Finland, Cultural Committee of Turku, Finnish Cultural Foundation and Pro Manillasäätiö for financial support.
And of course we’d love to thank all of our wonderful festivalgoers, you are what makes TAFF the festival it is!

See you all next year!

Still from Grand Prix -winner "Freeze Frame"

28.08.2021

The winners of TAFF 2021 are awarded!

The best films of Turku Animated Film Festival 2021 have been chosen! Altogether six films were awarded; each affected the viewers and judges in a special way.

Grand Prix

Freeze Frame – Soetkin Verstegen

“A spectacular film about film. Deep and beautiful piece, that illuminates our understanding of the world and the meaning of life frame by frame.” 

National Competition

Plunger (Karhupumppu) – Lauri Ketonen, Konsta Verta

“The film is at the same time of this world and detached from it. It creates a space-like place where inventive animation tells a lot with less and the sound milieu takes the viewer to the core of events. The film tells the story of breaking the routines in an identifiable manner and asks the fundamental question: is my life crap or am I the crap in my life?”

Best professional film

Precious – Paul Mas

“A touching portrayal of a little child’s desire to belong and the realities of life that the child is forced to absorb. Wonderful, functional character design.”

Best student film

Hide ‘n Seek – Barbora Halířová

“Insightful, magnificent animating and clever narration. The film is a wild merriment of metaphors where children’s game of hide and seek is a masquerade of a whole lifetime.”  

Tough Eye Award

Night Bus – Joe Hsieh

“Dramaturgically strong, suspenseful film noir, that powers through all the way to its cathartic end.”

TAFF Junior Award

Gon, the Little Fox – Takeshi Yashiro

“Impressively controlled storytelling in a visually dazzling world, where the masterfully crafted and designed puppets bring the tragic and touching story to life.”

Audience Award

Precious – Paul Mas

 

28.08.2021

Meet the judges!

Today we will announce the winners of Turku Animated Film Festival 2021’s competitions! We had a group of professionals and devoted friends of animation and culture judging the films.

Judges of the International Competition

From the left: Albert Laine, Eija Saarinen & Annika Dahlsten

Albert Laine is an artist, an educator and a producer. He has broad experience in the fields of culture, communication and organizational work. Laine works in the threshold of cinema, media art and fine art. Laine is the chairman of the Finnish Animation Guild, producer of the Animatricks International Animation Festival and a member of the National Arts Council – Board of Audiovisual Art.

Eija Saarinen is the emerita lecturer of animation from the Arts Academy at Turku University of Applied Sciences with vast experience from the field of animation starting from the 1990’s.

Annika Dahlsten is a Turku-based animation and visual artist, whose works are often spatial ensembles that utilize the many forms of animation. At their current position as the regional artist of the Arts Promotion Centre Finland (Taike) they strive to promote animation and form connections between different fields.

 

Judges of the National Competition

From the left: Rose Pietola, Terhi Väänänen & Konsta Weber

Rose Pietola is the executive producer of VAFT (Video Art Festival Turku) and a long time fan of TAFF. Grass root level cultural movement, festivals and events are their thing and they curate art ‘outside the white cube’.

Terhi Väänänen is the founder and CEO of Turku-based Pyjama Films -animation studio and involved in the development of all the studio’s projects. Väänänen has a masters in Media Culture and Arts Management and has previously worked as the executive director of Animatricks-festival.

Konsta Weber is a member of the municipal executive of Turku, member of the council and technology entrepreneur. Of their many merits in promoting Finnish animation film they jokingly highlight their German-speaking voice acting double role as Horse and Doorman in the awarded animation film Wurmloch.

 

Judges of TAFF Junior

The 8- and 9-graders of the Luostarivuori School taking the visual arts optional course taught by teacher Katri Kankkunen.

27.08.2021

Great news, people!

 

As of this Friday The Regional State Administrative Agency for Southwestern Finland (AVI) has announced that the 2 meter safety distance is no longer required. For TAFF this means that we are able to increase our seat capacity and can sell tickets to screenings that were previously sold out.

 

Even though current contact tracing has shown that public events have not been a source of transmissions in Southwestern Finland, we still offer our visitors the option to maintain the longer, 2 meter safety distance at our venues through seating arrangements. We are not selling tickets at full capacity, but we are happy to be able to offer more viewers a place in our screenings! We still require the use of a face mask, good hand hygiene and do enhanced cleaning at the venues.

 

Please read our updated safety instructions prior to arriving at the festival venue.

26.08.2021

Sold-out screenings

Updated Fri 27.8. 10:39

Due to the current COVID-19 situation, the capacity of our audiences is exceptionally small this year. Some of our screenings have been sold out and not everyone willing has been able to buy tickets in-person at our festival location. Please buy tickets (soon!) beforehand from our webshop for screenings that interest you, especially arriving in pairs or in groups, to ensure your place in the audience!

You will see each screening’s status on their page and here we also collect our screenings that have sold out.

 

Currently sold-out screenings:

Friday:

International Competition 6, 17:00

Thursday:

International Competition 3, 16:00

National Competition, 20:00

Wednesday:

International Competition 2, 20:00

Kuvassa jalkakäytävälle on kirjoitettu värikkäin kirjaimin "WELCOME! TERVETULOA". Tekstin ympärillä näkyy ihmisten jalkoja sandaaleissa ja kesäkengissä.
Photo: Paavo Pykäläinen

24.08.2021

TAFF kicks off on Wednesday!

 

Turku Animated Film Festival will be held for the fifth time on August 25-29, 2021 in the beautiful milieu of Manilla. This year the festival will be enjoyed mainly by our local guests and the main focus of our program in the midst of restrictions is in our amazing films! This year’s festival has short animated films from 24 different countries that have been selected from more than 3,900 submitted titles.

 

The number of screenings in the International Competition was increased for this year by two additional screenings, as a result of which 59 competitive films have been divided into seven screenings with different content. Our program also has a National Competition as well as three Junior-screenings of movies suitable for our younger audience.

 

In addition to the competitions, this year’s TAFF will feature music videos at Playlist-screenings as well as animated documentaries at Documentary Panorama. For professionals we have TAFF Pro on Friday afternoon.

 

You can find our complete timetable and buy the tickets for the screenings from here. On Wednesday, the opening day of the festival, an outdoor screening will be held in the Brinkkala courtyard, to which there is free admission.

Noin kymmenen katsojaa katsovat eteenpäin teatterin penkeillä. Sali on pimeä, mutta katsojien kasvoille heijastuu valoa valkokankaalta.
Photo: Paavo Pykäläinen Photography

09.08.2021

How is the festival organization going?

 

Now that new Covid-19 cases are increasing and the region of Southwest Finland has entered the spread phase, we must introduce the most limited festival arrangements so that we can still organize a delightful and safe festival for everyone at the end of the month.

 

“Due to changing constraints and the tediously evolving corona situation, we still have to wait a moment with schedules and the opening of the ticket shop. In the meantime, we hope everyone will take care of themselves and each other and get vaccinated if possible,” says festival director Kimmo Sillanmikko.

 

We have added a Safety-page to our website, where we will update the festival’s safety instructions according to the information provided by the authorities. We hope everyone joining the festival will read them through beforehand. We will also inform those who buy our tickets and our volunteers of the current instructions by e-mail before the start of the event.

 

With the current arrangements, we follow the Southwest Finland Regional State Administrative Agency’s restrictions set on 4.8. Naturally, we will react if the situation still changes. With these restrictions in place, we will only sell a limited number of tickets to the screenings to ensure that safety distance is possible. During the festival, we take special care of the cleanliness of the premises and offer our guests several opportunities to take care of their hand hygiene. We oblige visitors and staff to use a face mask throughout the festival.

 

Let’s stay safe and see you on August 25-29!

Kuvassa rivi palkintoja valaistulla pöydällä. Taka-alalla näkyy katsomo, jossa ihmisiä.
Photo: Paavo Pykäläinen

23.07.2021

The films for the competition series have been selected

 

This year, the festival will be held mainly among domestic guests and participants, but our festivalgoers will still be able to enjoy cinematic experiences created around the world. This year’s series will feature films submitted in 2020 and 2021 and they have been selected from more than 3,900 short animated films. Although the number of titles in the main competition series were increased this year, a lot of great works and master-level creators were left out.

 

“The choices are becoming very challenging. This time around the number of films was also overwhelming,” commented TAFF’s artistic director, Joni Männistö, on the competition selections. “There are more and more great films, and it feels like they’re also longer than before. Students also make a lot of 7-10 minute movies.”

 

Fresh names and Oscar nominees

 

A total of 59 films from 24 countries were selected for the main competition series of the festival. The selections include new films from Bastien Dubois, Uri and Michelle Kranot and Miloš Tomić, who have previously visited TAFF. Animations from Adrien Merigeau and Daria Kashcheeva, both Oscar nominees, will also be seen as part of this year’s competition series. Eating in the dark, directed by Inari Sirola, a graduate of the Royal College of Arts, brings Finnish touch to the international competition.

 

In addition to the main competition series, the competition program also includes two series reserved for Finnish animators as well as for films suited for the younger audience. The domestic series features works from both students and better-known film makers. Familiar names for experienced TAFF visitors include for example Tatu Pohjavirta and Kaisa Penttilä, whose work Maihinnousu is also seen in the TAFF Junior series that’s suitable for children.

International competition:

All Those Sensations in My Belly | Marko Djeska | 2020 | Croatia
And then the bear | Agnès Patron | 2019 | France
Anna, cat-and-mouse | Varya Yakovleva | 2020 | Russian Federation
Arka | Natko Stipaničev | 2020 | Croatia
Awkward | Nata Metlukh | 2020 | United States
Ben and Kat or Kat and Ben Go To Little Lake Fountain | Elizabeth Whitfield & Nicholas Dimas | 2019 | United States
Carrousel | Jasmine Elsen | 2020 | Belgium
Cosmonaut | Kaspar Jancis | 2020 | Estonia
Daughter | Daria Kashcheeva | 2019 | Czech Republic
Displaced | Laura Benavides Ramirez | 2020 | Estonia
Easter Eggs | Nicolas Keppens | 2020 | Belgium
Eating in the Dark | Inari Sirola | 2021 | United Kingdom
Ecorce | Samuel Patthey & Silvain Monney | 2020 | Switzerland
Film Found | Claudia Munksgaard-Palmqvist | 2020 | Denmark
Freeze frame | Soetkin Verstegen | 2019 | Belgium
Genius Loci | Adrien Mérigeau | 2019 | France
Happiness | Andrey Zhidkov | 2020 | Russian Federation
Hide N Seek | Barbora Halířová | Czech Republic
Hit and Run | Hannah Brewerton | 2020 | United Kingdom
Homeless Home | Alberto Vázquez | 2020 | France
I Want A Sun In My Pocket | Laui Laessa | 2019 | Costa Rica
I Wish | Nadia Goldman | 2021 | Russian Federation
Lursaguak. Scenes from life | Izibene Oñederra | 2019 | Spain
Marbles | Natalia Spychala | 2020 | Poland
MATE | Chaerin Im | 2019 | United States
My Exercise | Atsushi Wada | 2020 | Japan
Naked | Kirill Khachaturov | 2020 | Russian Federation
Navozande, the musician | Reza Riahi | 2020 | France
Night Bus | Joe Hsieh | 2020 | Taiwan
Night Shift | Linda Stūre | 2019 | Latvia
Nod. Wink. Horse. | Ollie Magee | 2020 | United Kingdom
Poum Poum! | Damien Tran | 2021 | France
Precious | Paul Mas | 2020 | France
Purpleboy | Alexandre Siqueira | 2019 | Portugal
Push This Button if You Begin to Panic | Gabriel Böhmer | 2020 | United Kingdom
Radiovision – Mihovil Logar Speaking | Miloš Tomić | 2019 | Serbia
Room with a Sea View | Leonid Shmelkov | 2020 | Estonia
Serial Parallels | Max Hattler | 2019 | Hong Kong
Sh_t Happens | Michaela Mihalyi & David Štumpf | 2019 | Czech Republic
Sheep, Wolf and a Cup of Tea… | Marion Lacourt | 2019 | France
Socrates’ Adventures in the Under Ground | Aria Covamonas | 2020 | Mexico
Souvenir Souvenir | Bastien Dubois | 2020 | France
Symbiosis | Nadja Andrasev | 2019 | France
Thank you | Julian Gallese | 2020 | United Kingdom
The Chimney Swift | Frédéric Schuld | 2020 | Germany
The Dream Report | Jack O’Shea | 2019 | Ireland
The Hangman at Home | Michelle & Uri Kranot | 2020 | Denmark
The Man and the Head | Nilas Røpke Driessen | 2019 | Denmark
The piece of tail in the mouth of the snake that bites its own tail | Pablo M. Ballarín | 2019 | Estonia
The Stork | Morten Tšinakov & Lucija Mrzljak | 2020 | Estonia
The Surrogate | Stas Santimov | 2020 | Ukraine
The Zucchini’s Smile | Lucas Ansart | 2020 | France
TIE | Alexandra Ramires ( Xá ) | 2020 | Portugal, France
Vadim on a walk | Sasha Svirsky | 2021 | Russian Federation
Washing Machine | Alexandra Májová | 2020 | Czech Republic
We Have Everything | Francisca Villela | 2020 | Chile
What resonates in silence | Marine Blin | 2020 | France
Why Slugs Have No Legs | Aline Höchli | 2019 | Switzerland
WOULD YOU PLEASE? | Ada Güvenir | 2020 | Belgium

 

TAFF Junior:

A Stone in the Shoe | Eric Montchaud | 2020 | France, Switzerland
Away | Mathilde Pepinster | 2019 | Belgium
Beginning of the Light | Anastasia Melikhova | 2020 | Russian Federation
El Mago Georges | Katalin Egely | 2020 | Argentina
Gon, the Little Fox | Takeshi Yashiro | 2019 |Japan
Kiko and the Animals | Yawen Zheng | 2020 | France
La Bestia | Marlijn van Nuenen & Ram Tamez & Alfredo Gerard Kuttikatt | 2020 | France
Matilda and the Spare Head | Ignas Meilūnas | 2020 | Lithuania
Orgiastic Hyper-Plastic | Paul Bush | 2020 | Denmark, United Kingdom
Pearl Diver | Margrethe Danielsen | 2020 | Norway
Pishto’s Birthday | Sonya Kendel | 2020 | Russian Federation
Sweater | Zilai Feng | 2019 | United States
The Kite | Martin Smatana | 2019 | Czech Republic
The Landing | Kaisa Penttilä | 2021 | Finland
Tide | Joana Rosa Bragança | 2019 | Portugal
TIES | Dina Velikovskaya | 2019 | Germany

 

National competition:

Afterparty | Lauri Pulkkinen & Hertta Lehtovirta & Sanna Liinamaa & Janne Häkkinen & Ulkrika Fredrikson | 2019 | Finland
All tender things | Tatu Pohjavirta | 2020 | Finland
CRAZY | Inari Sirola | 2019 | United Kingdom
Do I know what I’m looking for? | Ylva-Lii Wahlström | 2019 | Finland
Eating in the Dark | Inari Sirola | 2021 | United Kingdom
Hello | Mikko Aumala | 2020 | Finland
Maybe Ur A Star | Aliina Kauranne | 2019 | Finland
Patent Nr. 314805 | Mika Taanila | 2020 | Finland
Plunger | Lauri Ketonen & Konsta Verta | 2019 | Finland
Rinse and Shine | Iiris Korjus & Katariina Haukka | 2021 | Finland
Taiga | Leena Lehti | 2021 | Finland
The Big Day | Joonas Ennala | 2020 | Finland
The Devil Knocks Thrice | Pauli Setälä | 2020 | Finland
The Landing | Kaisa Penttilä | 2021 | Finland
Treasure Hunt | Paula Garcia | 2020 | Finland
UV-Fright | Ylva-Lii Wahlström | 2019 | Finland
What Time Is | Niina Suominen | 2020 | Finland

Photo: Paavo Pykäläinen Photography

22.07.2021

TAFF is looking for volunteers!

Our volunteer application is now open! We warmly welcome you to be a part of the festival 25.-29.8. You don’t have to have any specific education or previous experience, we’ll brief you to all the jobs. Check out the different job descriptions below.

We provide you with an awesome, communal experience, free entrance to the screenings outside your shifts, food & beverages and an afterparty at the end of the festival. You’ll also get a reference letter if you wish so.

Our aim is to have a relaxed, cosy & safe event for everyone, our visitors and our volunteers.  We wish to get your work input for approximately 10-12 hours, rest of the time you are free to enjoy the festival atmosphere. You can also let us know in the application form if you’d like to be in the same shift with a friend.

 

THE APPLICATION FORM

Please note that with this form TAFF (Turun elokuvatapahtumat ry) gathers information about volunteer applicants. The information is only accessible to festival employees and is kept only for as long as necessary. Information is not given out to third parties. 

 

After you have filled in the application form, we’ll be in touch in 3 weekdays. If you have any questions, please drop us an email at info@taff.fi.

 

Job descriptions:

 

  • Set up  / close down / cleaning / decorating:

Setting up the venue, bringing the festival atmosphere with decorations.

 

  • Technique:

Making sure the films are running smoothly

 

  • Runner:

Runner does whatever is needed at the moment

 

  • ​​Ticket sales / info:

Selling tickets and merchandise, answering questions and providing customer service

 

  • Screening presenter / door manager:

Checking tickets at the door, making sure everything is in order at the venue, presenting the screening

 

  • Distribution:

Handing out marketing materials around the city before the festival in August.

 

  • Driver:

Driving things and people around the city. B-licence needed.

Kuvassa näkyy yliopiston seinään heijastettu video, jossa kaksi ihmistä suutelee. Ihmisiä katsoo videota nurmialueella seinän edessä sekä kauemmaksi parkeeratun pakettiauton katolla istuen.
Paavo Pykäläinen Photography

12.07.2021

One week left to apply for Portaali-screening!

 

Are you still hesitant if you can host a Portaali-screening? Did you have questions while filling out the application? Here we try to answer some questions that have come up:

 

Q: How long does the screening last?

A: The screening lasts 70 min and is shown late at night after sunset. This means that at earliest, the show would start between ten and eleven and end around midnight.

 

Q: My friends and I haven’t been to art events before and don’t understand anything about video art or animation, can I still apply to host a screening?

A: Of course! With Portaali-screenings, you can have a cultural experience with the people you enjoy in a familiar environment so it’s perfect for first-timers. The films can be enjoyed (or hated!) without prior knowledge of video art or animation, but we will also be happy to tell you more about them. You can read more about our selected films this week from VAFT and TAFF’s instagram.

 

Q: How many people might come to my backyard if I host a Portaali-screening?

A: The screenings are private, so you can decide how many people and who you want to invite to the event. Only the current restrictions and the size of the screening space should be taken into account in the number of guests.

 

Q: How much information do I need to tell about the screening area? Can the venue be changed later if we find a more fun environment?

A: We need information about the screening environment in the application so we can evaluate how to set up the projection equipment there. This also means that the venue cannot be changed later.

 

Q: Are there any restrictions for the screening venues?

A: The venues should be large enough to accommodate projection equipment and the audience. This area can be around the size of a large garage or more. The venue needs to have an electrical outlet (we will bring extension cords if necessary).

As the screenings are held late in the evening, the screenings must be approved by the housing association if necessary.

 

If you have not yet found the answer to your question, send an e-mail to annu@taff.fi.

Ihmiset katsovat elokuvaa, joka on heijastettu rakennuksen seinään.
Paavo Pykäläinen Photography

05.07.2021

Invite Portaali-screening to you

The Ääriö Association, which organizes the Video Art Festival Turku, and the Turku Film Events Association, which organizes the Turku Animated Film Festival, will join forces in the summer of 2021 with portable Portaali- outdoor screenings. The screenings are free of charge and take place in a backyard, a park or anywhere outdoors in the Turku-area. Through the portal, the viewer can immerse themselves in a whole new world through video and animation art in a safe and communal environment. Portaali is a gateway to new dimensions and the themes of the shows reflect escapism, fantasy and diving into imaginative places.

Anyone can apply for the screening via the form below. The application is open 5.–19. July 2021. We will notify all applicants about the selections by 30.7. The selection emphasizes open, accessible and safe venues that are spread widely throughout Turku. The host of the screening takes care of inviting their close circle to the screening and providing a required number of seats for them. Portaali comes with projection and sound equipment, a screen and the 70-minute programme of video art and animation. Outdoor screenings will take place on 19.–22.8. after sunset and the person ordering the show must have a permit to use the space, for example from a housing association. Current hygiene and safety guidelines must be followed in the event.

Ääriö ry is a non-profit association from Turku aiming to promote the visibility of audiovisual art. The association organizes various contemporary art events, most notably Video Art Festival Turku (VAFT), which is held once a year.

Turku Film Events Association’s Turku Animated Film Festival, more commonly known as TAFF, will be held for the fifth time in the Finnish animation capital Turku at the end of August. TAFF was founded to promote animated film culture both in Finland and internationally.

In 2021, Turku celebrates the tenth anniversary of the city’s year as the European Capital of Culture. Portaali is part of the anniversary program.

 

APPLICATION FORM

Please note that with this form Ääriö ry and Turun elokuvatapahtumat ry gather information about applicants for the Portal-screenings. The information is only accesible to festival (VAFT and TAFF) employees and is kept only for as long as necessary.

Questions?

About applying:

Annu Suvanto, producer (TAFF)

annu@taff.fi

050 364 3683

 

Media inquiries:

Rose Pietola, festival director (VAFT)

videoartfestivalturku@gmail.com

 

Kimmo Sillanmikko, festival director (TAFF)

kimmo@taff.fi

Kuvassa katsojien siluetteja värikästä animaatioelokuvan näkymää vasten TAFF -festivaaleilla
Photo: Paavo Pykäläinen Photography

01.07.2021

Here comes TAFF again!

Finland’s most charming international animation film festival, Turku Animated Film Festival (TAFF), will be held again 25.–29.8.2021!

After an exceptional year and the introduction of TAFF Pro Festival, this summer we’ll be able to enjoy the festival in person with all of our audience. As usual TAFF will be a hearty mix of fresh and diverse animation films and side events in the cultural complex of Manilla.

Our festival programme is currently taking its final shape, but follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates on the festival and sneak peeks for this year’s films. For a head start to the festival TAFF and Video Art Festival Turku (VAFT) have joined forces to present a portable Portal-screening with selection of animated films and video art pieces. More info on the screenings and application will be coming soon.

See you in August!