KLIK! Amsterdam Animation Festival 2015 - From Dutch Oscar entry to committed work from the Arab world

A film with an invisible protagonist? The ever-creative trio Job, Joris & Marieke proves it can be done with the heartwarming and moving short animation (Otto), about a childless woman who steals a girl's imaginary boyfriend. Meanwhile submitted for the Oscars. This week, this gem, along with many more beauties, can be seen at the international animation festival CLICK! at EYE, Amsterdam. Don't miss it.

According to the organisers, this six-day event offers the best of the international animation vanguard. The offering is wide and diverse. Besides a festival hit like The Prophet by Lion King director Roger Allers or the latest from Cartoon Network, for example, also include work by independent filmmakers from the Arab world, often working under difficult circumstances. The latter is a section that festival director Yvonne van Ulden is definitely proud of.

This year, KLIK! is experiencing its eighth edition. Started as a small-scale initiative, it was asked to come to EYE in 2012. There, it has grown into the Amsterdam counterpart of the Holland Animation Film Festival, held in Utrecht every spring.

Asked about the profile of KLIK!, Van Ulden first mentions the love of animation as expressed in a wide variety of genres. KLIK! shows that there is much more to animation than Disney or Pixar, without necessarily being experimental. Secondly, KLIK! aims at a broad and preferably young audience, with films that touch the viewer through their emotion or humour, or simply because they are beautiful to watch. Van Ulden also mentions KLIK!'s commitment and political involvement, as evidenced by the Arab Spring and Fall section, among others.

Furthermore, with the theme programme Rock, Paper, Scissors, the festival calls special attention to traditional materials and techniques, which is almost counterintuitive in this digital age.

The various competitions this year were chosen from 1,800 entries from 80 countries. Renowned creators, including Tomm Moore (Oscar nomination for Song of the Sea) and Disney animator Eric Daniels (Frozen) will give lectures and master classes. Job, Joris & Marieke, who won an Oscar nomination last year for A Single Life, will also be present with a presentation.

KLIK Amsterdam Animation Festival 2015 will take place from 27 October to 1 November at EYE.