KLIK! Amsterdam Animation Festival Opens
Four-Day Fest in the Dutch Capital Proves Anime Has Come of Age
Sep 17, 2009
The KLIK! Amsterdam Animation Festival started in the Dutch capital as a one-day event in 2007. Now in its third year and running for four days from September 17-20, the festival is proving that animation has come of age. Luuk van Huet, KLIK!’s press and PR coordinator, and fully fledged film addict with a two-a-day habit, talks to Suite101 about animation after Pixar and the most fun to be had in the dark with your clothes on.
Suite101: How did you choose the films for this year’s festival?
Van Huet: Two fellow KLIK! members, Dario van Vree and Yvonne van Ulden, and I watched all the films - over 720 of them - that were sent in to the festival, mostly together during marathon screening sessions from noon until midnight. We also invited filmmakers to send in films we'd seen at other festivals. We’ve strived to make our program accessible and entertaining for a broad audience: to those unfamiliar with independent animation as well as the animation buffs. The most important criteria are overall quality and entertainment value.
Suite101: What is the attraction for you of animation?
Van Huet: When I started programming for KLIK! in 2007, I was blown away by the quality and range of the films I saw. As a film critic and movie buff, I thought I had a pretty good view of the animation scene, but it turned out that I just had a familiarity with commercial animation. Independent animation turned out to be another matter entirely; and I figured that if I didn't know about this with a fully fledged two-film-a-day habit, ‘normal’ cinephiles probably didn’t know about it either. So I decided to dedicate myself to righting that wrong.
Suite101: In addition to the regular programming, this year’s festival has two specific sections: political and erotic animation. Who do you hope to attract?
Van Huet: We hope to attract anyone who’s interested in animation or film festivals in general and we've added our two specific themes to show that animation is an ‘adult’ medium in more ways than one.
Suite101: Do you think that, by its very nature, animation can get away with more than ‘regular’ films?
Van Huet: Yes and no. On the one hand, animation has a unique capacity to address matters that are considered taboo or controversial in a way that deflates the self-important nature of the issue; but on the other hand animation is often seen as a ‘genre’ for kids. While the excellent feature films from Pixar and films like Waltz with Bashir and Persepolis have challenged that notion in the last couple of years, animation in the Netherlands still has an image problem. We aim to rectify that.
Suite101: The festival opens with the anime classic Princess Mononok on September 17, followed by the Dutch premiere of Brendan and the Secret of Kells on September 18. Which other films should not be missed?
Van Huet: Mary and Max will also have its Benelux premiere at KLIK! This is a feature-length claymation film about the friendship between a lonely Australian girl and a middle-aged New Yorker directed by Adam Elliot. The voice cast features Toni Colette, Eric Bana and Philip Seymour Hoffman and it won a Crystal Bear at the Berlinale this year. And South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut Sing-And-Swear-A-Long is one of the best experiences you can have in a darkened room with your clothes on!
KLIK! Amsterdam Animation Festival 2009 takes place from September 17-20. Check the website for full details of locations, films in competition and special guests, including animation heavyweight Phil Mulloy.
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