Eleusis 2021 / European Capital of Culture and Animasyros International Animation Festival organise the European Animation Competition “An animated EUphoria by Eleusis 2021 / European Capital of Culture – powered by Animasyros” to promote the message of Eleusis 2021 / ECoC on a European and global level.
Directors, producers, professional and amateur animators are invited to produce their own animation film in the context of the European Animation Competition programme “An animated EUphoria by Eleusis 2021 / European Capital of Culture – powered by Animasyros”. The theme of the competition is “Transition to EUphoria” and the goal is the use of animation to interpret the core message of Eleusis 2021.
Participants are free to select their own technique, while music must be original and each deliverable can not last more than thirty seconds (30”).
This particular action is an initiative of Eleusis 2021 / ECoC, in cooperation with the Animasyros International Animation Festival + Agora.
The competition aims at the international promotion of the vision and the mission of the artistic programme of Eleusis 2021 / ECoC. The winner will receive €1500, while the second and third place will receive €500 each.
The Script
The programme of Eleusis 2021 can be summed up by the phrase “Transition to EUphoria”. Transition refers to the current conjuncture of Europe, an important aspect of which is the Greek crisis of the recent past. It also refers to the redefinition of the content of sustainability, both socially and economically. It becomes the most important common challenge faced today by Eleusis, Greece and Europe.
EUphoria is a word designed to describe the ability of art and culture to become the catalyst for a transition to a sustainable future on a local and European level. The idea of EUphoria was based on the fact that the digraph EU appears in both the words Europe and Eleusis. It is the point where Eleusis meets Europe. On a semantic level now, EU is the acronym of the European Union, that is, the symbol of united Europe, while, transcribed in Greek, it coincides with the “eu”. In Greek, the adverb “eu” denotes the good, not in a moralistic but in a much deeper sense. “Eu” is the good that has the ability to transform and upgrade its environment. But this is also the basic property of art and culture. Thus, “eu” is essentially equivalent to art and culture, and EUphoria – which in Greek means “to bear well” – states the positive impact of the arts and culture, as well as the beneficial influence of Europe should it decide to put art and culture at the foundation of its development.
Although small in size, the historic city of Eleusis resembles Europe to such an extent that we could call it a miniature of the continent. That is why it can be an ideal place to study the major social and economic challenges Europe faces today. At a social level, much like the continent is made up of many different nations, the population of Eleusis consists of people coming from many different places. A common feature in both cases is the fact that these populations are not linked to each other by past ties – because of their origins, common images, customs and traditions – but by the ties of the present and the future, that is by their shared desire to build a community for themselves and their children. At an economic level, Eleusis faces the same challenges as post-industrial Europe. The challenge of a balanced development that ensures work for all while respecting natural resources and the citizens’ quality of life.
These common great challenges facing Eleusis and Europe become the three Main Themes of Eleusis 2021 / ECoC.
The EUrbanisation theme focuses on the social aspects of transition, the challenge to redefine our relationship to the Other, whether he/she is a citizen of the EU or a “foreigner”, an immigrant or a refugee.
The EU Working Classes theme deals with the financial aspects of transition, especially in regards to work and the labour force of tomorrow.
The EUnvironment theme allows us to study the great challenge of redefining our relationship to the environment and the imperative social demand for sustainability.
Eleusis aspires thus to explore the “eu” in Europe, sustainable development, and the sustainable future of a united Europe.
For more information, please visit the Animated Euphoria website, by clicking HERE.