Indie-AniFest 2019 to celebrate past, present of animation

Organizers for the 15th Korea Independent Animation Film Festival on Thursday introduced this year’s opening film, the “relay animation” project and other programs for the annual festival.

The Indie-AniFest, hosted by the Korean Independent Animation Filmmakers Association and organized by Indie-AniFest Executive Committee will take place at CGV Myeongdong Station Cine Library on Sept. 19-24. It features animation films produced in Asian countries -- or have at least one Asian country involved in production -- and works completed after August 2017 and had never been entered in a festival.

The opening film is “Away,” the first feature-length film by Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis.

“‘Away’ is an enchanting 75-minute fantasy adventure that reinterprets the narrative of the hero and focuses on a minimalist aesthetic. It is a meditative poem that takes us on the journey of a boy and his dog,” said Jinny Choo, programmer of the Indie-AniFest.

A notable section of the festival is Korea Special section, which features three animation classics produced in korea, “Robot Taekwon V” (1976) by Kim Chung-gi, “Taegwondongja Maruchi Arachi” (1977) by Lim Jung-kyu and “Fifteen Children Space Adventure” (1980) by Jeong Su-yong.

The three animations, which were all massive hits at the time of their release, had a profound impact on the animation scene here. To this day, Robot Taekwon V remains one of the most recognizable animation figures in Korea.

World special section includes a Koji Yamamura retrospective, a special program featuring Boris Labbe, and screening talk section featuring Ru Kuwahata.

Thursday’s press conference also introduced this year’s relay animation project “Would Be OK,” which is a joint project by six artists to create an animation for musician HerCheck’s new song of the same name.

For more information on the festival, visit http://www.ianifest.org provided in Korean and English.


By Yoon Min-sik
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)