NOW PLAYING and COMING SOON...

Just in case you haven't heard, there are some new festivals where you can see our horse and hound:

SIGGRAPH Asia
Clemont Ferrand, France
Encounters Film Festival, Bristol, UK
BUSTER Film Festival, Copenhagen, Denmark
Viborg Animation Festival, Viborg, Denmark
Luxor Egyptian & European Film Festival, Egypt
Milwaukee Children's Film Festival, WI, USA
Anim'est Int. Film Festival, Bucharest, Romania
KROK Int. Animation Film Festival, Ukraine
Klik! Animation Int. Festival, Amsterdam, Holland

Full list here

Award at the Rhode Island Film Festival (RIIFF)

After six days and nights of screenings, thousands of meetings and greetings, the Youth Jury on the Rhode Island Film Festival (RIIFF) made a decision: RISING HOPE was awarded for "Best Animated Short Film" -- Thank you, Rhode Island!
Award winners list: www.film-festival.org

Screenings at (ITFS)
the Stuttgart Trickfilm-Festival

Animation and mathematics:
1 film, 3 screenings on the 2’nd day of the festival. Take a pick:

9.5.2012, 17:00 “Open Air” in the Festival Garden
9.5.2012, 21:00  International Competition in Gloria Palast1
9.5.2012, 22:00  The 3D Stereoscopic Program in Metropol2
10.5.2012, 11:00 International Competition in Metropol2
www.itfs.de

AniFest Teplice

In Teplice we spotted the first dog-fan of “Rising Hope”. The dog Azor liked the movie. He even barked exited at the bar-scene!

Pulcinella Award "Cartoons & Sport"

„Rising Hope“ won the Special Pulcinella Award "Cartoons & Sport" on the Cartoons on the Bay Festival, in Rapallo, Italy. The award ceremony was specially scheduled earlier on the day, so the guests could enjoy a thrilling italian football derby afterwards. This is what the director said after the ceremony: „We are very happy about this award! It is perfect for us - during the production we only took breakes to play football. Actually as I was a child, I dreamed to become a professional soccer player. But then I started drawing. This was the beginning of the end of my sports carrer. So I never have won any sport awards in my life. Until now! I consider „Cartoon & Sport“as my first sport award!"

Berlinale Premiere

Rising Hope had a successful appearance at Berlinale. After the opening of the movie we had a great Q&A session with our children audience. The team had to answer adorable questions such as: “Are you all rich?” or “Why is the movie short?” . Perhaps we just had to say that Rising Hope is short precisely because we are not rich. Meanwhile, we would like to share some of the great reviews we have received from the most picky critics amongst children journalists at Berlinale: www.jungejournalisten.berlinale.de

Berlinale Screenings 2012

13.2.2012 − 16:30 Haus der Kulturen der Welt − Kino 2
14.2.2012 − 10:00 Filmtheater am Friedrichshain
16.2.2012 − 11:00 Haus der Kulturen der Welt − Kino 2
www.berlinale.de

Rising Hope

Rising Hope, who used to be the fastest horse in the world, suddenly turns into a loser. With the help of a new friend − a jack-of-all-trades hound − he finds hope and himself again.

Joshu was a famous Chinese Zen Master. One day a troubled monk approached him, intending to ask the Master for guidance. A dog walked by. The monk asked Joshu, "Does that dog have a Buddha-nature or not?"
Rising Hope, the main character in this short, is a famous racehorse. When he gets in trouble, a dog walks by. Well, I don't know what master Joshu answered about the dog in his story, but I'm sure that the dog in this movie has a Buddha-nature of a kind. He shows Rising Hope how to escape from the pressure to perform and how to find his own bliss.