Romanian filmmaker Anca Damian, guest of honor at Animation First Festival in New York

Award-winning Romanian filmmaker Anca Damian is guest of honor at the Animation First Festival in New York, the only festival in the US dedicated to francophone animation, the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) in New York announced. The festival, presented by the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), runs from January 27 through January 29.

Anca Damian will premiere her most recent film, the mixed media animated feature The Island, at the Animation First Festival in New York on Sunday, January 29. A Q&A will follow the screening.

Moreover, the Romanian filmmaker will present the augmented reality exhibition In Search of Paradise at the FIAF Tinker Auditorium on January 28-29.

The Island is Anca Damian's seventh feature film, while In Search of Paradise marks her first new media project.

The project is dedicated to the celebration of 30 years since Romania became a full member of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, ICR New York said.

The Animation First Festival presents six feature-length animated films and six short film clips totaling 65 productions, alongside conversations with directors and filmmakers, but also new media exhibitions, lectures and masterclasses held at various universities in New York. Further details are available here.

(Photo source: ICR New York)