Good practice:

Fest Anča International Animation Festival

Fest Anča is the only Slovak festival focused on animated films and related media for students, proffesionals, and also a wide audience. It raises awareness about animation as an autonomous art form and its multiple types and aspects within the region of Central Europe. Its primary focus remains on presentation of animated films produced in Europe, while the industry section's focus is on the development of cent-east region, mainly young professionals and students. It is the only platform within the animation industry in Slovakia which annualy connects stakeholders and provide them space for presentation, networking and developing skills. Fest Anča steadily offers a particularly high-quality program with a large number of European films.
In the competition for animated shorts they annually receive the most recent titles and the festival is proud of its quality selection in both the competition and non-competition sections for which is well known for. Making use of their networks and partnerships with international festivals, the festival presents the best of contemporary and archival artistic animation, introduces renowned filmmakers and artists that present their work via screenings and masterclasses.

It is mostly financed by public (Slovak Audiovisual Fund) and other private sources. Budget is approx. 150 000 EUR per year. Human resources: all year 5 persons, few months before festival 15 persons, during the festival 50 persons and 20 – 50 volunteers.

The only festival with the focus on adult audience in Slovakia, happening each year for 14 years financially covered mostly from public funding.
Successful work bond with state representatives – auspices of the Minister of Culture, presentation of ALICE project as it is happening under the Ministry and with the Municipality of Žilina. The amount of persons and the institutions that Fest Anča puts together (6000 visitors and 1600 submitted movies in 2020).

Sustainability of the team that works all year round, the flexibility shown by the pandemic. Establishing partnerships with the state sphere so the festival is understood as a partner, but also demanding in relation to the commercial sector, where it is important to convince them to support culture.

Festival Fest Anča as one of a kind in territory of Slovakia has proven its success through the years. Started as a small festival in the town of Žilina in the north of Slovakia it growth into a big festival, that is known and respected on an international level. Despite of changing personal staff various times, the continuity and growing quality was always present and is even rising. Also significant is that the festival connects different actors from animation industry, especially students, professionals, schools and state representatives. Potential for learning is the fact, that by all its wide offer of activities and program to students but also professionals, Fest Anča works as the platform for an animation industry in Slovakia that is very much needed.