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On October 19, Yerevan opened the 17th International Festival of Animated Films and Visual Arts ReA, the region’s premier forum dedicated to creativity, technology, and imagination. The opening night featured two short films by legendary Soviet directors Lev Atamanov and Robert Saakyan, followed by the Franco-Belgian film The Glorious Life of Marcel Pagnol by Sylvain Chomet—a tender, nostalgic story exploring time, memory, and childhood perception.

Year after year, ReA has become a hub for professional dialogue. Festival founder Vrej Kassuni emphasized the growing role of MarAni, the festival’s creative platform: “One of the most important aspects is MarAni. Beyond film screenings, we foster creative activities in animation, technology, and visual arts. Our goal is to strengthen professional collaboration.”

MarAni serves as the heart of ReA, bringing together animators, directors, producers, and industry representatives. From October 22–24, an international forum will host lectures and panel discussions led by leading experts. Among the honored guests are members of the creative team behind Netflix’s legendary series Arcane: Pascal Charu, Cécile Ergo-Essem, and Aurélien Ressauncourt.

“We’ll have a short studio presentation, and I’ll talk about my work in animation special effects. I have my own tool for this,” said Pascal Charu, co-founder of Fortiche Production and two-time Annie Award winner. Charu, visiting Armenia for the first time, noted: “I’ve only spent a few hours here so far, and everything seems very interesting. To form a full impression, I need a bit more time.”

A special highlight of the festival is the visit of Madeleine Sharafian, a director at Pixar who worked on the film Elemental. She will make her Armenian debut, speak at the MarAni forum, conduct a masterclass at TUMO, and present Elemental during a special screening.

Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport of Armenia, Daniel Danielyan, highlighted ReA’s cultural significance: “This is one of our most important festivals. The ministry continues to support it because animation is a space for ideas, technology, and experimentation—it shapes new realities. Animation knows no boundaries. Dreams, imagination, hidden inspiration—they have no limits. That’s why animation is special and unique.”

Among the festival guests is French artist and writer Charles Barberian, visiting Armenia for the first time. “I just arrived and I’m thrilled to be here. I’ve seen the program—there will be many excellent films, and I’m excited to meet Armenian animators,” he said. Barberian presented his book Une éducation orientale (Eastern Education), recently published in Armenian. “I’m incredibly honored and delighted that it has been translated,” he added.

Barberian described his book as a return to his childhood in pre-war Beirut: “It was a kind of catharsis—I relived a lot and confronted old fears.” The book is dedicated to his four-year-old grandson: “I didn’t want to repeat the mistake of my grandparents, who never shared their story with me.”

Reflecting on his Armenian heritage, he joked, “What was the first Armenian in me? My nose. But when I first came to Armenia, I felt like I was meeting countless cousins.” On the future of animation, he expressed cautious optimism: “Artificial intelligence is a tool. When used by artists, it’s exciting. When used by investors just to pay less, it becomes uninteresting. I’m confident artists will find the right path.”

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