11th Countryside Animafest Cyprus July 19-22, Prastio Avdimou village, Limassol

As Cyprus prepares to celebrate its European presidency, the Countryside Documentary and Animated Film Festival is integrated in the upcoming festivities, peeling its documentary layers back to reveal its latest reincarnation: the 11th Countryside Animafest Cyprus. This animation-oriented showcase comes equipped with an Official Competition Section and an International Jury.

Starting this year, the festival will extend its reach to the Cypriot countryside under the general title Animafest on tour. Come October, it will curate a handpicked selection of the best animation films of the season tagged Aspects of the Fantastic within the context of the International Short Film Festival of Cyprus. In November, in collaboration with the Cyprus University of Technology the MediaDesk Cyprus and Goethe-Institut Cyprus, it will organize an international convention on traditional techniques in 21st Century animation in Limassol.

The Countryside Animafest Cyprus aims at raising audience awareness and promoting cultural, financial and social development in the field of animation. To this end, the festival has the pleasure of establishing an International Competition Section, while starting 2013 it will introduce a second one focusing on Cypriot creatives. The festival is also initiating international collaborations with well-established counterparts, like the Stuttgart-based Trickfilm Festival, who will take us on a private tour of the year?s best-of, while Mexico native Cutout Fest will provide a "who's who" of Latin American animation. A special animation program will be curated also by Gerben Schermer, Director of Holland Animation Film Festival.

The festival's new direction will be reinforced by established members of the international film community, who will pick out two winners (first and second place) for best film in the International Competition Section, accompanied by 2000 and 1000 euros respectively.

This year's jury will consist of producer Lucie Kalmar, a former festival and foreign markets exec at Wild Bunch, who is currently involved in the development of Festival Scope. Kalmar will be joined by Arril Johnson, a senior animation lecturer at the University of the West of England, Bristol, whose animation experience already counts four decades, Yannis Yapanis a distinguished Cypriot film Director, The producer of Zagreb Animafest Vjera Matkovic and Igor Prassel, Festival Program Director of ANIMATEKA The festival is co-organized by NGO "Views of the World" the "Hambis Printmaking Museum" and Media Desk Cyprus it is supported by Hellenic Bank and Goethe Institute Cyprus under the auspices of the Ministry of Education and Culture.

Entrance is Free - For more information, please visit our website www.cafcy.org