AGORA PITCHING FORUM > PROJECT SUBMISSIONS UNTIL JULY 31, 2023

The ANIMASYROS Agora continues its development as one of the most vibrant parts of the Festival by building international collaborations within the framework of the Pitching Forum while presentations, roundtables, panel-discussions, workshops, masterclasses, networking meetings and the speed dating sessions organized for the very first time this year offer the opportunity to professionals as well as animation lovers from all over the world to promote their work, expand their network, meet with established professionals, get in touch with the international community and discover what’s on in the field. Of course, ANIMASYROS 2023 Agora could not miss this year’s main theme Anima Ancients, it will focus amongst others on female creativity in animated documentary films, masterclasses and talks by internationally acclaimed Spanish producers will also take place, while strategic partners of the Festival, such as the National Center of Audiovisual Media and Communication (EKOME), the Greek Film Center, Enterprise Greece, Creative Europe and the University of the Aegean will be present. 

Furthermore, during the 4-day Pitching Coaching Workshop  entitled "How to Pitch", the participants of 6 selected projects are given the opportunity to prepare effectively, in order to present their under development project to the public, an international committee of animation professionals as well as potential investors, within the framework of the Pitching Forum (Pitching Sessions). This year’s Pitching Workshop Tutor is the co-owner and producer of the Studio Pupil animation house, one of the most important personalities of European animation with many years of experience in coaching at major festivals worldwide, Tünde Vollenbroek. The winner of the Pitching Forum will be announced on October 1 at the Festival's closing ceremony. The Pitching Forum is supported by Sky Express, the Festival’s air transport sponsor, and the Athens International Airport. 

The legendary Disney directors John Musker & Ron Clements, who created The Little Mermaid (1989) and Hercules (1997) present a unique masterclass based on the second and will share their trips to Greece that preceded its making of the film with the participants. Within the framework of the La Animaciόn Iberoamericana tribute, Iberian Peninsula and Latin America will have a special place in this year’s Agora with case study presentations of films, such as the recent Goya Award-winning Franco-Spanish film Unicorn Wars. Female creativity is in the spotlight with the "Women and animated documentaries" roundtable with the participation of Samantha Moore (UK), Katerina Athanassopoulou (GR) and Abigail Addison (UK). The panel is moderated by the director Dimitra Kouzis (Kinder Docs).

This year, a new activity is making its appearance at the Agora for the first time: the speed dating sessions, with the support of Enterprise Greece. 15 Greek creators will be selected by ANIMASYROS to participate in 20' meetings with internationally renowned producers and artists from Europe and the United States of America, to discuss with them issues that touch all the production stages of an animation film and to help them pitch their idea with the aim of finding co-productions or professional opportunities at an international level. 

In the speed dating sessions of ANIMASYROS 2023 they will participate amongst others:

- Joanna Quinn & Les Mills, animators & producers - Beryl Productions (UK), two of the most important figures of animation worldwide
- Ivan Minambres, producer - UniKo (Spain), producer of the Goya award-winning film Unicorn Wars
- John Musker & Ron Clemens, the legendary directors with very significant careers at Disney and major US studios
- Abigail Addison, producer - Animate projects (UK) specialized in animated documentaries
- Amit Gicelter, producer - Hive Production (Israel)

And the list is constantly being enriched!

The project submissions for the Agora Pitching Forum through the ANIMASYROS page hosted on the FilmFreeway platform  are open until July 31, 2023:
Agora - Under Development Projects | Submissions until 31 July 2023

[For the evaluation of the project, it is necessary to submit a short description (Logline, Concept) and a Treatment and to send stills, sketches, moodboard, in case of inability to send a trailer.]