Come and See Anima Mundi, the Film Festival for Animation in Latin America!

For animation lovers, there’s no better place to be than at Anima Mundi every July in Sao Paulo! It starts earlier in the month in Rio and then moves to Sao Paulo for the final half, just because this festival is so enormous! Essentially, Anima Mundi is a competitive Brazilian film festival that is devoted to animation, and anyone who wishes can enter.

The festival was started in 1992 by three animators from Brazil who wanted to spread awareness of the growing field of computer animation. Every year, the competition portion of the festival has been judged by the general public, and each person that watches a film receives a ballot on which they can grade the film from one to five. Professional judges also judge the technical aspects of the animation, but most of the power is in the hands of the people!

Anima Mundi is an excellent time for independent film producers to get their work out into the public, gaining a lot of exposure for little cost. Prizes are awarded in various categories such as Children’s Short, Feature Film, Brazilian animation, First Work, and so forth, and aspects of the films like script, soundtrack, and design are all taken into account by the professional judges.

But Anima Mundi isn’t only for watching and judging films – there’s a lot more for the average festival-goer to enjoy as well! Each year, there are mini-workshops held to teach anyone who is interested how to animate in various styles – hand-drawn, stop motion, pixilation – and there are often speakers who talk about the work they’ve done and various aspects of the industry. Other areas of the festival consist of exhibitions of animation panels, and on occasion, famous international animators will attend some of these exhibitions or hold lectures themselves!

Alongside the regular portions of the festival, a secondary portion has also been added to Anima Mundi in recent years – this is an internet animation competition. Competitors are able to upload their animated shorts up onto the internet, and visitors to the festival website have a chance to vote online for their favorite videos! There is a special award given for this website competition, and the best-loved pieces are shown to the public at some of the large public screenings.

Visitors to Sao Paulo who would like to attend the festival should plan to arrive in the city around mid-June, as it tends to run for approximately 3 weeks. There is no charge to visit many of the exhibitions, however some of the workshops and specialized lectures may have a charge associated with participation. If you’d like more information on the upcoming festival, call the head office for Anima Mundi Expo at (11)3159-1323.

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