SYAA 2024: Animest residency for female-identifying animators wraps fourth edition

Sisterhood of Young Animation Auteurs (SYAA) is an intensive training program/residency for emerging female animators in Central and Eastern Europe. During August 17-23, 10 animators from Romania, the Republic of Moldova, the Ukraine, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic reunited in Bucharest, Romania for mentorship sessions and best practices workshops facilitated by field experts, who guided the participants as they went through the most important steps in developing an animated film.

SYAA started in 2021 with Eurimages funding through the Gender Equality Sponsorship program and has since grown into one of the main champions of Eurimages’s long-term goal of equitable pay in the film industry. Throughout its four annual editions, SYAA has built a support system for women acting against industry discrimination, while also creating new opportunities for original animation projects.

This year’s SYAA residency received a record number of 70 applications from eight countries (Romania, the Republic of Moldova, the Ukraine, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Croatia). Producer Katarzyna Gromadzka (Poland) and scriptwriter Raluca Mănescu (Romania) selected the ten participants for the seven-day intensive workshop. 

Katarzyna Gromadzka’s description of SYAA and its impact on participants sets the stage: “it is a place to grow not only the projects, but a professional perspective on animation filmmaking. Our focus is also building  a community, a real sisterhood and support net for our participants, as well as openly discuss and explore industry standards and how as women and creators they can find their way in it.”

“Through this workshop, we aim to offer the participants a new perspective of their projects by helping them identify their film’s specific needs. After our seven days of intensive work together, we also want them to have a clear understanding of how they can position themselves in the animation industry,” agreed Raluca Mănescu.

SYAA consisted of lectures, presentations, visits to local studios, workshops, one-on-one meetings, screenings, and networking events, all meant to support the participants’ work on in-development or future animated short films, which they pitched in a new and improved manner during a dedicated session on the last day of the training program. Topics discussed during SYAA included artistic portfolio development, tools for brainstorming ideas, the pillars of an independent artistic career, how to open an animation studio. Throughout the week, the participants were coordinated by five animation experts: Sara Gunnarsdóttir (director of My Year of Dicks, an animation nominated for the 2023 Academy Award for Best Short Film), Mariam Kandelaki (producer, founding member of Saqanima – the association of animation producers in Georgia – and of the Emile Awards), Ana Branea (lecturer at UNATC – The “I.L. Caragiale” National University of Theater and Film in the Multimedia Department, editor of Turn Off the Lights, Elbow, etc.), Damian Groves (alongside brother Anton, director of many films, including the internationally-awarded Sandals), and Ana Covalciuc (actress at multiple prominent Bucharest theaters – Bulandra, National, Metropolis, Comedia, Godot, and ArCuB – and co-founder of the Acting Works Association). 

Meet the SYAA 2024 cohort: 

• Corina Bojan, sk8 birds – Romania

• Elena Georgieva, Bloom – Bulgaria

• Iulia Teodora Turicianu, Triassic Cuddle – Romania

• Lavinia Petrache, If You Really Think About It – Romania

• Mihaela Mîndru, I Was Born Under This Tree – The Republic of Moldova

• Mary Yanko, Kateryna – the Ukraine

• Nataliia Grygorieva (Domini), Ice Cream | I Scream – the Ukraine

• Rozalie Vaňaskova, Vetesnice – the Czech Republic

• Tanya Bozhinova, 2 Bodies, No Body – Bulgaria

• Tereza Burianova, Standing Alone  – the Czech Republic

As their projects grow, we hope they will continue to be informed and inspired by the resources and industry best practices they accessed during SYAA. Past editions’ alumni are a great example of this learning experience, as they produced or launched films such as Mrs. Monster (directed by Sofiya Kruglikova), Mo(u)rning (directed by Patricia Ortiz), and Dirty Paradise (directed by Alina Gheorghe).

“First and foremost, SYAA is our way of building a sorority for artists. The program aims to increase the number of directors producing their own animation projects. Through holistic training, participants solidify their understanding of animated film production, distribution, and directing, which encourages the growth of a new generation of female auteurs,” explains Helga Fodorean, program coordinator.

Starting in 2023, the SYAA training program is co-financed by the Animest Association alongside the Animation Festival Network – AFN and also co-financed by the MEDIA Program of the European Union. In February 2024, six SYAA alumnae were recognized through a showcase during the Short Film Market at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival, which this year celebrated female creators and the European initiatives supporting them.

Read all about the Sisterhood of Young Animation Auteurs on the dedicated website: syaa.animest.ro. 

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The Animest Festival is a project of the Animest Association, co-financed by the MEDIA Program of the European Union and AFCN–the Administration of the National Cultural Fund.

Institutional Partners: the Romanian Cultural Institute, The French Institute and the Embassy of France in Romania, Instituto Cervantes, the Italian Cultural Institute, The Austrian Cultural Forum, UNATC – The “I.L. Caragiale” National University of Theater and Film, the Animation Festival Network (AFN)

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