“I Myself! Poetry. Animation. Music” – a New Project of the RAFA at the Intersection of Creative Industries

The Russian Animated Film Association (RAFA) is proud to present the cross-cultural project “I myself! Poems. Animation. Music”: young animators from children’s studios will create cartoons based on music written in verses. The project is implemented with the support of the Presidential Fund for Cultural Initiatives (PFCI) and covers 15 regions of Russia.

“I myself! Poems. Animation. Music” is an almanac based on the works of contemporary Russian poets, which will be created by creative teams distributed across the regions of Russia. Young reciters, composers, music performers and animators will work together to bring the poems to life, consistently embodying them in sound and visual images. The cycle will consist of 30 cartoons in different techniques (drawn animation, plasticine, and translation), which will bring little viewers closer to understanding the meanings of children’s poetry and the harmony of modern music.

“As part of an interdisciplinary creative project at the intersection of poetry, music and animation, its participants will tell stories about growing up and understanding the world. With the help of simple but convincing images, they will create their works and open them to the viewer,” comments Irina Mastusova, Executive Director of the RAFA. “I am convinced that the collaborative work of passionate people leads to an enriching exchange and creative growth for all participants. This includes the organizers – the final result is unknown, but we believe in the magic of animation and count on the synergy of the arts.” Artistic director “I myself! Poems. Animation. Music” will be the Russian animator, teacher, director of the studio “Pilot” Sergey Merinov.

The project consists of successive stages. Poems by Russian children’s poets selected by the Organizing Committee “I myself!” will be written down by young readers, finalists of the “Live Classics” recitation contest. Then music is added to poetry – it will be written by the winners of the Score competition for young composers and performed by the musicians of the Governor’s Chamber Orchestra of the Kursk Region under the baton of conductor Sergei Proskurin. Combine all the parts of the constructor “I AM!” through visual images, too, children – students of children’s animation schools from different regions of Russia. Under the guidance of experienced teachers, they will create animated films.

The final cycle of 30 cartoons will be presented to the public at the end of 2023. He expects festival and special screenings in different parts of the country. The collection will be placed on the MultAnima platform and other platforms, which will make viewing available to the widest range of viewers.