Animaphix 2024: International Animation Festival in Bagheria

Animaphix, the international animation festival, will take place in Bagheria, Sicily, from July 22 to 28, 2024. The event is hosted at Villa Cattolica, home of the Museo Guttuso. The program features 92 films across five sections: Nazionale, Internazionale, Pittura Animata, Anidoc, and Experimental. Among these, 33 are national and international premieres, including Joko by Polish animator Izabela Plucinska, made with her signature plasticine animation, and Le Tableau by Canadian illustrator Michèle Lemieux. A special retrospective honors Bulgarian filmmaker Theodore Ushev, who will receive the Premio Renato Guttuso 2024 for his work in painted animation. The festival focuses on Italian animation with the feature film Invelle by Simone Massi, produced by Minimum Fax and distributed by Lucky Red, set for theatrical release on August 29, 2024, and previewed in Sicily on July 23 at 22:00. Additionally, Bruno Di Marino will deliver a lecture titled A mano libera – Arte e animazione in Italia, covering Italian animation from 1957 to 1977. Visual arts exhibitions include Idèe by Theodore Ushev, inspired by Frans Masereel's graphic novel and Berthold Bartosch's 1932 film, Spazio Oltre by fiber artist Filly Cusenza, Orma by Dario Denso Andriolo, and a photography exhibition by Nicola Scafidi on film sets in Sicily.