ANIMAC 'DIVERSITY', THE MOST DIVERSE AND ACCESSIBLE EDITION

Sign language in Catalan is introduced in different conferences and work is being done with the ONCE Foundation to subtitle a session for deaf people

Relaxed sessions adapted for the public with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been scheduled and diversity will be addressed from different aspects

The Down Lleida Foundation will participate in a workshop that will result in an animatic that will be projected during the closing of the Exhibition

The objective is to guarantee the right of access to culture to all citizens with the incorporation of physical, intellectual and sensory accessibility measures

Animac, the International Animated Film Festival of Catalonia, organized by the Lleida City Council, presents the most diverse and accessible edition under the motto “Diversity”. The purpose is to guarantee the right of access to culture to all citizens by incorporating accessibility measures at a physical, intellectual and sensory level. Along these lines, relaxed sessions have been scheduled, sign language is introduced in different conferences and diversity will be addressed from various aspects and points of view with the collaboration of different entities.

Apart from the opening and closing of the Exhibition, as usual, the sign language in Catalan is introduced in three conferences, one of them by Enrique García, technician from the Directorate of Universal Accessibility and Innovation by the ONCE Foundation, which will focus on accessibility in video games. In addition, we are working with this entity to define the most appropriate session to subtitle for deaf people.

As for the sessions, two relaxed sessions have been scheduled: Animac Tranqui and Pequeño Animac Tranqui, adapted for the public with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The first, for young people and adults, and the second, for boys and girls. During these sessions the volume of the room will be lower than usual, there will be more lighting and a prior presentation will be made by the Animac organization to advance the content that will be viewed. Furthermore, the selected films are characterized by being animations with slow transitions, specially selected themes and low visual impact.

From a global vision of diversity, this topic will be addressed from different perspectives and lines, such as migrations and the environment, feminism and women, LGTBIQ+ identities or non-violence, among others. others. In this sense, a conference will be held on the Mianima project, which supports the pre-production of projects directed by women; another on how to deal with non-violence in children’s animation, by the creator Nuria G. Blanco, and a third by the producer Edmon Roc and the screenwriter Yaiza Berrocal who will address climate change through the film Black Butterflies , in the production phase.

It should be noted that this year, groups that have been working for years and demanding inclusion from different perspectives join Animac, such as the Down Lleida Foundation, which will participate in a workshop led by Toni García, director of the animated feature film D’Artacan and the three muskedogs (Spain, 2021) and the animator Lluís Viciana. During the workshop, an animatic (animation technique that allows storyboards to come to life) will be carried out, which will be projected during the closing of the Exhibition.

There will also be a workshop on LGTBIQ+ identities, led by the director, animator and activist Emilio Martí.

In addition, there will be a Lila/Rainbow Point in the Animacrea space on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. The hand-held program and the information brochure have been adapted, in collaboration with the Aspros Foundation, for easy reading and pictograms will be installed in the Llotja. to facilitate the correct interpretation of the spaces. The objective is to make the Exhibition accessible.

It should be noted that, in recent years, the animated film industry has moved towards greater diversity in terms of voices, stories and characters. Studies have recognized the importance of reflecting the richness of human experiences, representing not only diverse cultures, but also a variety of gender identities, sexual orientations, and physical and cognitive abilities. For this reason it is the leitmotiv of this 28th edition of Animac.