1998 Cartoon Forum Catalog cover.

This was my first Cartoon Forum and something I'd been looking forward to attending for a long time. It didn't disappoint. Nestled in the Cyclades, the picturesque Greek island of Syros proved a perfect host for this, the ninth, Forum. For those who've never attended, Cartoon Forum is a four-day event organized by the Media Program Cartoon to facilitate the co-production of animation projects. It's unique in that it brings producers together with distributors and broadcasters offering them not only the chance to find funding but also get invaluable feedback from broadcasters, and more often than not, secure broadcasting partners. This is done through presentations which take the format of a screening and brief talk about the project, followed by feed back from the floor.

Presented Programming
The day starts with the croissant show where all 600 participants gather for a coffee and croissant and to see previews of the day's films. This year 70 projects were screened and presented to a record 600 participants. In case you're wondering, there are not 600 people at each screening; there are usually three screenings at the same time and then there's no compulsion to attend so people may have other meetings, decide to review their own presentation or simply take a breather. Of the 70 projects presented, 43, including Ethelbert the Tiger from Link Entertainment, Les Mars Brothers from France Animation, and Lisa from Happy Life, were assured of finalizing their budgets, with 20 out of the 43 (126 program hours) receiving guarantees of full finance in the short term, representing a total of 85,816607 ECU. Twenty-three other projects, including Penny Dreadful (Allegro Animation) and Pigeon Man (Millimages), have, at least according to their producers, an equally good chance of raising their finance within the next two years.

We may be returning to Greece soon...So enamored with the animation industry is Syros that the mayor has announced from now on it will host an annual animation event!

The success of an event like Cartoon depends on a workable structure so producers can get maximum benefit from the time they're allocated. Presentations are structured over half an hour which is time enough to outline the show, screen a brief pilot and then allow questions and comments from the floor.

Of all the shows presented, my personal favorite has to be 240, The First Hero of the Third Millennium, from Cromosoma. It's set on earth in 2020 AD where, following a drop in birth rates, a powerful multinational company launches a new product on the waiting world: 240, the first genetically engineered child. Delivered in an easy-open vacuum-packed container, the child has an IQ of 240, genius level, but is something of a couch potato. Another favorite was Sheeep from Hit Entertainment and produced by Ginger Baker through Grand Slamm Films, the producers of Kipper. Based on the book Sheep in Wolves Clothing by Satoshi Kitamura, it promises to be a delightful series based on the adventures of three young sheep, Hubert, Georgina and Gogol, who with the help of their cousin, a private detective by the name of Elliot Bah, solve mysteries, help out other animals and, in time honored tradition, have adventures where they try and escape from their adversary, the wolf.

The most successful of the business meetings were Planet Persheid from GUM Studios in Germany, and Mouth and Trousers from Cosgrove Hall Films in the U.K. Presentations of Mouth and Trousers and Grizzly Tales from Honeycomb Animation/Elephant (UK) attracted the highest number of investors and confirmed the market's interest in British creativity. French projects also scored highly with 14 of them confident in raising their budgets relatively soon. Plus, three French programs tied in fourth place in terms of audience attendance -- La Prophétie des Grenouilles (Folimage), Carnard à l'Extreme (Alphanim), and Crazy Cruise (Goldvision).