The event, organised by the Polish Animation Research Group as part of the 14th StopTrik PL International Film Festival, attracted speakers from many research centres in Poland and around the world. For the first time, the main language of communication was English, which allowed for the exchange of experiences with researchers from England, Italy, Hungary and Japan. A characteristic feature of the event, distinguishing it from other scientific meetings, was the format of a five-minute speech. Researchers had exactly five minutes to present their scientific plans, projects, publications, ask questions or invite to cooperation.
The session was attended by:
- Anna Kowalik from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, who spoke about the plans for scientific and conservation activities related to film puppets from the Studio of Small Film Forms "Se-Ma-For" in Lodz
- Katarzyna Konopińska from the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, who, as part of her MA thesis, is preserving dolls from the series about the bear Colargol
- Agata Hofelmajer-Roś from the Doctoral School at the University of Silesia, who summed up the collected information about the reprojector from the Studio of Small Film Forms "Se-Ma-For" in Lodz
- Lucy Childs, an independent artist working under the pseudonym Doctor Digitalia and the Analogue Angels, who talked about her career path from academic to animation practitioner DOI
- Elisabetta del Ponte from the Middlesex University, who, as part of her doctoral dissertation, considers the ontological status of a film puppet
- Julia Hazuka from the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts Poznan, who presented the profile of the Animation study programme at UAP
- Ewa Ciszewska from the University of Lodz, who presented a research project on the dissonant heritage of Polish animation
- Joanna Kosińska-Wajcht from the University of Lodz, who shared her plans to research the history of the SMFF “Se-Ma-For” studio in Tuszyn using oral history; Joanna Kosińska-Wajcht also spoke about the oral history archive of Polish cinematography created by Anna Michalska at the Film Museum in Lodz
- Yukki Arai from Kyoto University presented a fragment of her doctoral dissertation on the influence of Polish animation under the mark of Jan Lenica and Walerian Borowczyk on French animation
- Dominik Piekarski from the University of Lodz, whose BA thesis deals with the images of the countryside in Polish animated films
- Marta Maciejewska from the University of Gdańsk, who studies Irish animation
- Adam Trwoga from the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology (PJAIT) in Warsaw, who follows religious themes in an animated film
- Agata Gąsieniec from the University of Lodz, who is preparing an animated film about the spider's revenge as part of her BA degree
- Aleksandra Chrapowicka from the Film School in Lodz, which presented a collective student work based on the fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel
- Mikołaj Birek from the University of Information Technology and Management in Rzeszów, who talked about his film and the relationship between AI and animation,
- Géza M. Tóth from Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, the animation creator talks about his series "Mitch Match"
- Piotr Sitarski from the University of Lodz, who shared his observations on children as heroes and recipients of Polish serial animation
"Animation at the Academy" allowed for an interdisciplinary and intergenerational exchange of experiences among animation researchers.
In reference to the craft of animation in the pre-digital era, this year's name badges were hand-calligraphed by a third-year student of Film and Media Studies, Agata Gąsieniec. The opening board of the event was designed by Weronika Wasilewska.
In the following days, people associated with the Polish Animation Research Group were present at the StopTrik festival as curators of the film section "Efekt obcości" prepared by Martyna Gonciarz and Szymon Szul. This year, the student jury included a member of the group, Dominik Piekarski. Joanna Kosińska-Wajcht led a meeting about films from the "Wielogłos" programme, presenting films created at the the Magdalena Abakanowicz University of the Arts Poznan. The producer of the StopTrik festival is a member of the Polish Animation Research Group, a doctoral student at the University of Lodz, Oliwia Nadarzycka..
Text: Dr Ewa Ciszewska
Photos: Krystyna Schevchenko