Festival to animate screen at Istanbul Modern Museum

ISTANBUL

Alessandro Rak’s ‘The Art of Happiness’ will be screened at the festival.

Istanbul Modern Cinema will host the second Animators’ Festival tomorrow and May 25 with a special focus on Italian productions. With the slogan “over one hundred films, one hundred percent animation,” the event will feature a selection of contemporary Italian animated films.

Also included are selections from major international festivals such as Annecy, O!pla, and View, as well as a selection of films by the late environmental activist and animal rights defender Frederic Back. A panel discussing the place of animation in contemporary art will also take place.

The guest for this year’s festival is director Alessandro Rak, who earned acclaim with his film “The Art of Happiness,” which premiered at the 70th Venice Film Festival in 2013. Contemplating concepts such as life and reality and shuttling between Far Eastern philosophies and the Western dilemmas of the individual, “The Art of Happiness” sets a new example, proving that animation can treat serious adult matters and the individual’s quest for meaning in a dynamic fashion.

The film will be screened on May 25, followed by a conversation with the director.

The festival is being organized by the Canlandıranlar Association.