PRESS RELEASE
I am appealing to you on behalf of the Animateka International Animated Film Festival in the hope that you will lend your support to our festival in the light of recent inexplicable decisions made by the Slovenian Film Fund. Over the last four years Animateka has established itself as a key festival of animated film in South-Eastern Europe. The festival endeavours to offer educational activities to local authors, both professional and amateur. It is dedicated to promoting and presenting Slovenian filmmakers abroad, while bringing to Slovenia prominent international authors, such as Koji Yamamura, Phill Mulloy, Wioleta Sowa, Christopher Nielsen, Peter Peake, Jose Miguel Ribeiro and Abi Feijo, to mention only a few.
The Ljubljana-based animated film festival ANIMATEKA is one of the two international film festivals in Slovenia that received MEDIA support in 2007 (LIFFE is the only other Slovene festival receiving European MEDIA funding). The Slovene Film Fund has just informed us that they will drastically cut their support for our 5th anniversary edition. Whereas last year the Film Fund co-financed the festival with an amount of 19.800 Euros, they have now decided to reduce their support to 3.250 Euros. This does not only mean a serious cut of Slovene public funding, this implies that we have much smaller chances of obtaining the much needed European matching funds. Consequently the future of the festival is in serious danger.
We have up to this moment refrained from issuing a public and media appeal and have instead tried all regular and regulated paths of protesting the decision made by the Slovenian Film Fund concerning financial support and funding of festivals and other film related events. We have exhausted all legal possibilities at our disposal to no success and are now forced and obliged to present our case and appeal to all those interested or concerned.
Let us present our situation in some detail. On the 8th of April 2008 we received a notification of the proposal of Slovenian Film Fund's official programme commission and its board of directors in response to our application for financial support for the 5th edition of the International Animated Film Festival Animateka in 2008, stating the following: »The project bears good references. Animated film lacks representation in Slovenian cinemas, therefore the festival contributes to the plurality of expression. We recommend it for co-financing«. The project was given a rating of 78.3 points out of a hundred by the Film Fund commission, and based on this assessment the Slovenian Film Fund has recommended the project for co-funding in the amount of 2.500,00 EUR.
Let us shed light on the situation prior to these last events. In 2007 Animateka Festival received Film Fund's financial support in the amount of 19.800 EUR, while the commission rated the festival with a score of 92 points. In the beginning of 2008 this same commission recognized the increasing (rather than decreasing) significance and quality of the project. The commission's report from 16th of January 2008 attests to this fact – the commission rated the festival with 97.66 points and recommended it for co-funding in the amount of 10.000 EUR.
In the events that followed this initial evaluation and decision of the Slovenian Film Fund and its appointed commission, the commission itself was dissolved and a new commission was appointed in its place. Consequently our application was reevaluated and given an entirely different assessment with a substantially lower amount of proposed financial support (as described above).
On the 14th of April 2008 we issued a protest to the decision of the Film Fund, stating that we cannot agree and accept such an assessment and consequent financial »support«. Our objection is based on the fact that the funding provided by the Slovenian Film Fund cannot reasonably decrease almost tenfold, while the project records an increasing number of guests and programme content as well as a steadily growing public each year.
In reply to our letter of protest the commission has recommended a 0.1 point rise in its assessment, bringing us to the »new« rating of 78.4 points and the consequent finacial support in the amount of 3.250 EUR.
The proposal of Slovenian Film Fund to so drastically cut its financial support overlooks, underestimates and denies the value and significance of the years-long work, endeavours and self-sacrifice of the Animateka festival team. Despite extremely positive feedback from the film professionals' community and the evergrowing festival audience, we cannot plan the round, fifth edition of the festival with growing vigor and a corresponding financial support, but instead face the grave dilemma whether it is even possible to plan this year's festival as professionally as we have done in the past.
Since the evaluation of the newly appointed commission and the decision of the Slovenian Film Fund lack proper explanation, we believe that they are arbitrary and moreover not in accordance with the decision of the European Commission. The commission - appointed without any prior notification, explication or basis - bluntly denies the quality and significance of a project, supported by the local and international public and professionals, as well as the European Commission. The European MEDIA Programme and its Commission have recognised the great importance of Animateka festival in the past, awarding the project with 26.000 EUR financial support in 2007. The recommended funding in the amount of 3.250 EUR not only obstructs us from realising this year's festival in full capacity, but in the first instance hinders out application for the financial support of the MEDIA Programme.
Last but not least we would like to draw the public’s attention to the systematic irregularity and inconsistence in the government’s policy of festival funding. Since the Ministry of Culture does not provide such funding, the funding of the Slovenian Film Fund is the only state source of financial support to film festivals. This fact considered the amount of 42.000 EUR intended for the financial support of all film events in 2008 (film festivals, scholarships, educational programmes…) boarders on absurd and we strongly hope that the new director of the Slovenian Film Fund will see it as his or her first priority to set up a new funding strategy and substantially increase the means allocated to film festival funding.
Please send your letters of support to the Animateka Festival and CC any letters of protest to the decision of the Slovenian Film Fund to: press@animateka.si
Therefore we would like to ask you to spread this information to every individual and/or institution that could possibly put pressure on those who could reverse this unfair decision.
Sincerely,
Director of the Animateka International Animated Film Festival