New Egyptian Animation Festival 'Animatex' Starts on November 11th

You could probably tell by now that we love our movies, we've been all about Egyptian cinema this whole week. But we're not picky about our appreciation for what Egyptians put on our screens. As an art form, animation tends to be buried under commercialized and recycled cartoons for children, which are fun in their own right, but why stop there? With the first edition of Animatex Festival, Cairo's newest animation expo and online portal, Egypt might finally have an internationally recognised destination for animation.

Funded by the European Union Delegation to Egypt, the festival programme will take place across multiple venues over its four day run, including the Institut Francais, the Italian Cultural Center, Goethe Institut, StartUp Haus, Moovart Studio and Jesuit Animation School.

The festival will offer movie screenings, competitions for best locally produced animated short or feature, and a series of workshops for those breaking into the industry. And speaking of the industry, those who are interested in learning how to thrive and survive there could attend the festivals many talks, which range from informative topics like 'How to make a portfolio' to more serious concerns like 'Women in the animation industry'.

Animatex starts from November 11th and runs until November 14th. You can find more information on their programmes at www.animatex.net.