In the imaginative setting of Romics, International Comics, Animation, Cinema and Games Festival, which takes place twice a year at the Fair of Rome, now in its XXVI edition, lands I Castelli Animati, International Animation Film Festival, organized by  Associazione Città dell’Animazione, which for years has been working for cultural diffusion and educational, productive and innovative entertainment to enhance animation, audiovisual, multimedia, cinema, new technologies on a national and international scale.

From 3^rd to 5^th of October 2019, therefore, a great focus on the extraordinary production of animation cinema from around the world, with two competitions dedicated to short films, meetings and workshops with international personalities.

I Castelli Animati was established in 1996 in Genzano di Roma, in the heart of the Castelli Romani, and soon became an essential reference point for the sector. The most complete event on animated cinema in Italy with the best of the world production in the field: international short films, the most innovative TV series, the great previews of feature films, the animated films created for the Web, commercials, special effects for movies, video games. The European Union, in fact, in 2000 designated I Castelli Animati to represent Italy in the exclusive circuit of the eight European festivals of excellence to which the EU referred for the nomination of the films for the Cartoon d’Or, the European Oscar animation, and for the selection of new productions worthy of European co-financing. Over the years, it has become a fundamental link between the art of animation and the world of cinema and entertainment, with prestigious events that have seen big names in the international show. Among the guests, Great Masters of International animation such as Peter Lord, Nick Park, Isao Takahata, Bruno Bozzetto, Michel Ocelot, David Silverman, Nelson Shin, Jan Pinkava, Borge Ring, Pwendy Tilby, Giulio Gianini and Emanuele Luzzati, Manfredo Manocca, Gianfrigi Toccafondo, John Canemaker. Prestigious presences in the field of entertainment, culture and art: Paul McCartney in the 2000 edition intervened personally at the world premiere of the film he produced Shadow Cycle; and big names in Italian cinema such as Mario Monicelli, Furio Scarpelli and Valerio Mastandrea just to name a few.

Great attention to new talents, with I Castelli Animati Campus and workshops held by the greatest authors in the world, aimed at students of Italian schools and the most prestigious international schools.

From this extraordinary experience and precious source of ideas and talents, today I Castelli Animati is back with so many novelties to bring great animated cinema to an ever wider and competent public. Animated cinema has increasingly become a reference media, from short films to feature films, to special effects for live action movies, from App to more complex video games: animation is now part of our daily media life.

A new look and many new features: workshops and conferences for school students and industry professionals, with great authors from the world of animation, special effects, 3D animation who  will speak about their experience, revealing techniques and “tricks” of the trade; special screenings of national and international animated shorts and retrospectives dedicated to the greatest masters of animation.

The heart of the festival will consist of two major competitions: INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMS COMPETITION, an unmissable overview of the great short films by the masters of animation and INTERNATIONAL GRADUATION FILMS COMPETITION with the diploma shorts of Italian and international animation schools. In the short films, the ability of the language of animated films emerges strong and powerful to make us immerse directly and emotionally into stories, themes and reflections on our contemporaneity; works made with endless techniques and experiments.

And I Castelli Animati, in an extraordinary union with Romics, has chosen to bring the great art of animated cinema in its most varied aspects to the big audience of the event, passionate and always very curious and open to new suggestions.

I Castelli Animati is waiting for you, with a section of the program totally dedicated, at Romics, International Festival of Comics, Animation, Cinema and Games from 3 to 5 October 2019.