The 18th KROK International Animated Film Festival took place in Ukraine from 24 September to 3 October. The festival’s international jury consisting of Henri Heidsieck (France), Juan Pablo Zaramella (Argentina), Andrey Kurkov (Ukraine), Joana Toste (Portugal), Svyatoslav Ushakov (Russia) decided to award the Festival’s Grand Prix and the $10 000 US cash award that goes with it to Olga and Priit Pärn’s film Divers in the Rain. By now the film has won 18 awards, of which most are from the world’s top festivals, and thus has become the most successful Estonian animated film of all time.
Mati Kütt’s Song of Heaven and Ülo Pikkov’s Body Memory are the other Estonian films that participated in the festival’s competition programme.
The Estonian equivalent for the Ukrainian word KROK is SAMM, which means STEP. This is symbolic because as its name suggests, this festival never stands still. Instead, it moves around. This festival traditionally takes place every year on some comfortable cruise ship and sails alternately in Ukraine and Russia. This year, the festival took place on the cruise ship Princessa Dnipra. The Festival began in Kiev. The ship moved on along the Dnepr River and finally arrived in Odessa. This kind of traditionally lengthy voyage has made KROK very popular all over the world with a large attendance. The Festival programme is screened on the ship and in the port cities where the ship docks.
The film was completed at Eesti Joonisfilm Studio in 2009. The Estonian Film Foundation supported the completion of the film.
Divers in the Rain synospsis:
http://www.joonisfilm.ee/films/243-2?lang=en
18th KROK International Animated Film Festival: