EVENT
Mari Kivi
The opening of Animist. Priit Tender with Morten Tchinakov and Lucija Mrzljak, the directors of The Stork.
Animist
NEW FESTIVAL
Animist Tallinn kicked off for the first time in August 2021. The new animation festival focuses exclusively on animated films while also aiming at involving different cultural fields. This year, the focus was on anthropology. Festival director Mari Kivi and artistic director Priit Tender share their ideas about the first festival and the future. By Aurelia Aasa Photos by Anastasia Evanovich, Paavo Kuldkepp, Ida Lepparu
The first Animist festival took place in Tallinn in August 8–21, 2021. Could you summarize the experience? Priit: It’s been a lot of work to start a fes-
tival from scratch – you have to create something from seemingly nothing. It somehow feels like calling a certain kind of living being into existence. Such an experience is a most impressive thing. Mari: We could decide ourselves in which direction to move with the festival. I believe that we had never worked so hard
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ESTONIAN FILM
before in our lives – but meeting happy guests and foreign visitors gives lots of energy. What is the most complicated aspect related to organizing of a small festival? Is it the financial side or reaching the audience? Mari: The most complicated thing is
to manage with limited finances. Priit: For a festival it is essential to reach the audience. It felt powerful that so many filmmakers came to the event. Peo-
Priit Tender
