From October 20-26, Yerevan became infused with the spirit of animation.With well-known directors, animation experts, four days of educational programs, new opportunities and accomplishments, and evenings packed with film screenings, the 16th ReA International Animation and Comic Art Festival of Yerevan has once again brought some of the best of animation to Armenia, marking yet another confident step towards the “rejuvenation” of Armenian animation on both local and international levels. 

 

The official closing ceremony took place on October 26 in the Cinema House hall, bringing together animation enthusiasts, top industry professionals, filmmakers, young talents, and film lovers under one roof. The evening was full of surprises, as all the winners were finally announced after six days of intense activities. 

 

The Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of RA, Zhanna Andreasyan, shared a message that was delivered by Svetlana Sahakyan, Head of the Ministry’s Department for Modern Art.

 

"Film festivals held in Armenia have become an essential and integral part of our cultural life. Today, we are all united by the ReA International Animation Film Festival, rightly considered the largest animation event in the region. Since its inception, the festival has been dedicated to the development of animation art in Armenia and to showcasing Armenian animation on international platforms," read the Minister's message.

 

The Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, Vassilis Maragos also attended the event. “The EU Delegation was happy to be one of the supporters of the festival, helping to provide different experts from EU Member States for the organization, as well as different events and activities within the festival. Such festivals with the participants from different countries foster people-to-people contacts, creation of networks and exchange of important professional experience. The relationship between the EU and Armenia in the cultural sector has grown significantly. The EU remains committed to supporting Armenia's cultural sector by fostering dialogue, cooperation, and initiatives that provide opportunities for Armenia’s talent and creativity.”

 

This year, the 16th ReA festival offered an even more diverse program. Over 250 films were screened, including those featured at renowned animation festivals like Cannes, San Sebastián, Annecy, and Berlin. More than 30 professionals from Europe and the U.S. also came to Armenia to share their knowledge, experience, and to recognize the talent of Armenian animators and young creatives. 

 

“For years, we have worked towards making animated films so popular. This year, we saw people lining up and eagerly awaiting screenings. This is a success for all of us, as we continue to demonstrate that the animation industry in Armenia is genuinely flourishing. We are honored and proud to carry forward the enduring legacy of our forebears, including Lev Atamanov, Valentin Podpomogov, Rob Sahakyants, and many other greats,” said Vrej Kassouny, Founding Director of the festival. 

 

For the second consecutive year, the ReA Comics Art program took place, launching on October 23 at the Union of Artists with the opening of a comics exhibition. It featured the book "The Boxer: The True Story of Holocaust Survivor Harry Haft" (Der Boxer: Die Überlebensgeschichte des Hertzko Haft) by German artist Reinhard Kleist, translated for the festival, as well as the Armenian premiere of the French comic "Armine’s Three Lives" ("Les 3 vies d'Arminé") by Aurel.  Up until October 27, the Union of Artists also displayed comics by Maran Hrachyan’s “Patrick Dewaere,” Fermin Solis’s “Bunuel,” and Shamiram Khachatryan’s “Banche.” On the second floor, last year’s ReA Comics Art competition winning project, “David of Sassoon” was also on display.

 

In addition to the comics art exhibition, the ReA Comics Art program included a book-signing event and the “National Comics Project Competition,” with the winners announced during the evening. From 25 entries submitted this year, 14 were selected. The jury included Reinhard Kleist, Aurel, Maran Hrachyan, and Shamiram Khachatryan.

 

The 1st place grant award in the "National Comics Projects Competition" went to Yelena Nersesyan’s project, Solace, with a prize of 800,000 AMD. Milena Adamyan’s project, Echoes of the Unspoken, earned the 2nd place support award with a prize of 600,000 AMD. In 3rd place was Dreams of the Dawn by Lucy Dyrasova, receiving a prize of 400,000 AMD.

 

One of the festival’s main components is the MarAni Market of Animation, which consists of the forum, workshops and masterclasses, and the CoReAct co-production platform. This year, the latter hosted 17 Armenian projects. The platform offers an exceptional opportunity for local creatives to present their work to international producers. This year’s CoReAct jury included José Luis Farias from Spain, Lucile Canault, Diana Hentulescu, Véronique Encrenaz, and Frederique Vinel from France. 

 

The “Jury Special Mention” for the CoReAct platform went to the Aytsemnik project (Director/Producer: Elina Yerkatyan).

 

The first prize was awarded to Grandma and the Shadow by director/producer Liana Gevorgyan and Seagull Production (prize: 1 million AMD). Second place went to “My Friend Noise” by director Hasmik Simonyan, producer Susanna Khachatryan (prize: 600,000 AMD), and third place to Kool Down by director/producer Hayk Karapetyan and Zrah Studio (prize: 400,000 AMD).

 

The winning project authors were met with a surprise from the AETIS Intellectual Property Protection Ecosystem. Thanks to the certificates awarded, the winners gained the opportunity to protect their intellectual property rights.

 

Another surprise was provided for the four winning projects by jury member Véronique Encrenaz, a senior advisor for the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, producer, and former Head of the MIFA International Animation Film Market. The creators of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place projects, as well as the winner in the Jury Special Mention category, received complimentary accreditation to participate in MIFA 2025.

 

This year, ReA festival included 48 graduation, 59 short, and 8 feature competition films. 

 

In the Graduation film category, the "Jury Special Mention" was awarded to Le Charade by Erika Totoro (USA), while the "Best Graduation Film" award went to On the 8th Day, created by Agathe Sénéchal, Alicia Massez, Elise Debruyne, Flavie Carin, and Théo Duhautois (France). The jury for this category included Carolina López (Spain), Aaron Blaise (USA), and Sara Nalbandyan (Armenia).

 

The 1st place award for short films went to Butterfly by Florence Miailhe (France), while the "Jury Special Mention" was awarded to Margarethe 89 by Lucas Malbrun (France). Jury members included Georges Schwizgebel (Switzerland), Priit Tender (Estonia), Diana Martirosyan, and Tigran Arakelyan (Armenia), and Elodie Dermange (Switzerland).

 

The "Best Feature Film" award went to Memoir of a Snail by Adam Elliot, while the "Jury Special Mention" was awarded to Sultana’s Dream by Isabel Herguera. For Best Feature Animation Film Concept, the Valentin Podpomogov Award went to Flow by Gints Zilbalodis. The jury for the feature films included Kirk Wise (USA), Kim Keukeleire (Belgium), Aurel (France), Sepideh Farsi (Iran), and Narek Margaryan (Armenia).

 

At the closing ceremony, Festival’s Founding Director Vrej Kassouny awarded the Rob Sahakyan Prize to Disney representative and influential feature animation director Kirk Wise, known for iconic films such as Beauty and the Beast, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Atlantis: The Lost Empire. Wise also conducted a masterclass at the festival.

 

"It’s been so great to be a part of the ReA festival and become part of this international animation community. I’ve never experienced anything like this before: This was my first experience at an international animation festival, and I want to thank my wonderful friends here, the jury members, and everyone who participated," noted Kirk Wise.

 

Life is a picture, bring the picture to life: with this slogan, as in the past 15 years, this year's closing ceremony of the festival marked the beginning of the upcoming 17th ReA Animation and Comic Art Festival. In 2025, the festival will return anew, with fresh surprises and even greater scale.

 

ReA Fest’s general sponsor is the Yerevan Municipality, with key support from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture, and Sports of the Republic of Armenia. Additional support comes from the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, the H. Hovnanian Family Foundation, the Embassy of France in Armenia, the French Institute in Paris, the European Union Delegation to Armenia, the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in Armenia, the Goethe Institute in Yerevan, and the Embassy of Germany in Armenia.

 

 

 

 

 

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