TAF 9

The 9th TAF took place from October 21st to October 30th 2023, both in live and digital formats, following the success of our previous hybrid festival. The in-person part of the festival was held at Warehouse D in the Thessaloniki Port from October 21st to October 24th, while the digital part was available from October 25th to October 30th. As always, admission to all screenings, talks, and festival activities was free for everyone.

This year, our festival received over 3,000 participation entries from all around the world. Out of these, we hosted 144 short animated films with various themes. Just like in previous years, the films that won in the competition section were selected by our jury, which consisted of distinguished guests from the international and domestic animation industry. Our goal, as always, was to make the festival more inclusive and diverse, and accordingly, we shaped our screening program. We want to thank the thousands of viewers who attended the film screenings and enjoyed a multicultural experience with works of art from international artists.

The Balkan Animation Forum (BAF) was held for the fourth consecutive year, where artists from the Balkans competed for prizes to support their in-development projects. BAF brought emerging artists in contact with established professionals in the field.

The project that won first place was “Roxanda,” directed by Dragan Jovicevic. The second place went to Pantelis Paradisis for his film “Sand of Shade,” and the third place was awarded to the film “Cut the Tie,” directed by Anna Oikonomou. An honorable mention was also given to the project “Atomic” by Iva Zahova.