During the fifth Anima Mundi Festival, the audience awarded for the third consecutive year, a prize for their favorite animated film. The Public Award is very important and meaningful because it reflects the charm and spontaneity of Brazilian taste, preference and opinion. After five years of presenting a variety of great works, we are now able to observe how the Anima Mundi audience's taste is becoming more refined.Dada by Piet Kroon. © Picture Start/Cilia van Dijk Film Productions.Among the many great films that were screened, Dada, by Piet Kroon from Holland, was...
During the fifth Anima Mundi Festival, the audience awarded for the third consecutive year, a prize for their favorite animated film. The Public Award is very important and meaningful because it reflects the charm and spontaneity of Brazilian taste, preference and opinion. After five years of presenting a variety of great works, we are now able to observe how the Anima Mundi audience's taste is becoming more refined.
Dada by Piet Kroon. © Picture Start/Cilia van Dijk Film Productions.
Among the many great films that were screened, Dada, by Piet Kroon from Holland, was the winner of Anima Mundi '98. This film's popularity certainly illustrates the Brazilian audience's identity because it reflects the social, political and economical context that Brazil has been living with for so many years.
One of the strongest Brazilian cultural characteristics is an irreverence toward the imposed and pre-established political resolutions determined by the rulers of our society. Good humor and mockery are constantly used in many art forms to ridicule and criticize what is considered dishonest, inappropriate and immoral in these decisions. This characteristic became very significant during the years Brazil was ruled by a Dictatorship when any other form of opposition and dissidence was strongly repressed with violence.
The public was captivated by Dada because it told a story by using very intelligent humor. The audience enjoyed the film, laughing frequently, and recognizing themselves as the protagonists.
Lea Zagury is one of the four directors of the Anima Mundi Festival. She is an independent filmmaker of animated shorts and studied Experimental Animation at Cal Arts. She has since worked at PDI in film effects and in development for Turner Feature Animation. She is now developing an animated television series with Troon in L.A..
Aida Queiros is also a director of Anima Mundi. She is a founder and president of Campo Quatro Desenhos Animados, an animation studio in Rio Di Janiero that produces commercials. She also directs her own animated shorts and teaches animation courses in several institutions.
See also: Piet Kroon's article, Don't Quit Your Day Job, Work the Night Shift on the making of his latest film, T.R.A.N.S.I.T.
