Animation festival vindicates artistic freedom of expression

Lleida, a town lying to the west of Barcelona, raised the curtain on Animac, Catalonia’s International Animated Film Festival. On Thursday evening, the festival kicked off with the Japanese production ‘Animation for Vivaldi’s Four Seasons,’ performed by the Symphonic Julià Carbonell Orchestra (OJC). The event will run until this Sunday, February 25. 

Expression with ‘total and absolute freedom’

Thursday was a day to celebrate animated films, but Animac director Carolina López also took the time to comment on another cultural event, one that was not, however, allowed to happen. López made reference to Madrid’s International Contemporary Art Festival, ARCO, which on Wednesday removed artwork by Santiago Serra featuring political prisoners. 

In her speech, the director thanked everyone who made the 22^nd edition of Animac possible, in which, she said, projects are shown “in a climate where everyone can present what they with total and absolute freedom.” This, she added to resounding applause, has been the case “for many years.”