Anibar in Peja heads towards new edition with animations and youth workshops

PEJA — The animation festival Anibar, based in Peja, has confirmed it is working on the programme for its new edition. Organisers have announced that the call for animations is open and that meetings with local and international partners are under way.

Anibar has over the years become one of the regional benchmarks for animation festivals, attracting authors from Eastern Europe, the Balkans and further afield. The festival’s programme combines short film screenings with debates, illustration exhibitions and workshops for children.

Most events take place in the centre of Peja, while the “Jusuf Gërvalla” cinema is transformed for several days into a central space for authors and audiences. The city’s squares and cafés are also used for open-air screenings.

Young people at the heart of the programme

One of Anibar’s main pillars has always been work with young people. Workshops teaching the basics of animation, illustration and visual storytelling have given hundreds of children and Peja’s secondary-school pupils the chance to meet this art form for the first time.

Organisers stressed that they have continued working with schools and youth groups during the year, and that this will be reflected in the new programme. Some of the screenings are expected to be free and dedicated to families with children.

Anibar’s leaders said the festival’s mission is to bring animation closer to the Peja community, viewing it not only as an event for professionals but as a space in which the city rebuilds its relationship with art.

The exact dates and the full film list will be published in the coming weeks. Anibar has also announced that a special section dedicated to young authors from Kosovo and Albania is being prepared.

Source: Telegrafi (Culture) and the festival’s public communications, with editorial adaptation by DPT.