Organized by Animafest Zagreb and Animateka, in collaboration with CEE Animation, Rise & Shine is a storytelling and pitching event consisting of lectures, workshops, and individual and group sessions with experienced film professionals. In 2024, a total of 11 inspiring projects were developed by their creative teams of directors/script writers and producers.
The 2024 edition started in June at Animafest Zagreb, with a series of lectures and workshops focusing on story development. In October, the teams worked on the art of presenting their projects to a live audience, as well as the production of animated short films. The final part of their Rise & Shine 2024 journey, the pitching presentation in front of the professional audience, took place in December at AnimatekaPRO.
The mentors of the third edition were director and animator Michael Dudok De Wit (NL), director and scriptwriter Pedro Rivero (ES), producer Jelena Popović (NFB, CA) and producer Anna Vašova (13ka, CZ).
"We are very happy to finish the 3rd edition of Rise & Shine with 11 talented teams, who worked on their amazing projects with such drive and motivation. Once again, the pitches were very well prepared and we hope that the awards given in partnership with CEE Animation Forum, Animateka, Animafest Zagreb, Film Centre of Montenegro and Short Film Market Clermont-Ferrand will help the winners further on their path to delivering the projects to the big screen in the future," said Saša Bach from the Rise & Shine organizing team.
The winners of 2024 Rise & Shine:
CEE Animation Forum 2025 – Direct Access Short Film Category
Marek Čermák, Karolína Fránková, Films & Chips, Czech Republic
Rise & Shine 2025 Audience Award
Yiyang Sun, ChiaHui Lei, Kitajska, Estonia Academy of Arts, China, Estonia
Film Centre of Montenegro Award of 1.500,00 EUR
Valène De Valck, Bastien Martin, Camera-etc, Belgium
Attendance of the Short Film Market Clermont-Ferrand 2025
Mackenzie Fincham, Peter Lindhout, Spotted Bird, Netherlands
Sofija Kruglikova, Maja Zupanc, Invida, Slovenia
Vivien Hárshegyi, Bella Szederkényi, CUB Animation, Hungary
Julia Benedyktowicz, Dominika Krysiewicz, Animoon, Poland
Cristina Pîrvu, Helga Fodorean, Susana António, Safe Frame, COLA Animation, Romania, Portugal
Rise & Shine is financially supported by Croatian Audiovisual Centre, City of Zagreb, Zagreb Tourist Board, Croatian Directors´ Guild, Acción Cultural Española, AC/E, Animateka International Animated Film Festival, Slovene Animated Film Association – DSAF, Czech Film Fund, Audiovisual Producers´ Association, Ministry of Culture Czech Republic.
