Andrzej Janicki and Jacek Michalski. courtersy of the Międzynarodowy Festiwal Komiksu i Gier
The one-day festival is packed with ten intense hours of various activities, from live competitions, to presentations, talks and mini-workshops taking place at Budapest’s Millenium Theatre. Three special guests from Poland include artists Tomasz Tomaszewski and Robert Trojanowski, as well as Piotr Kasiński, who is the artisitic director of the Łódź International Festival of Comics and Games. Tomaszewski and Trojanowski present their work and reveal some secrets of their drawing and writing methods. Piotr Kasiński opens the festival with a presentation about his Łódź festival, which takes place in October each year.
The International Festival of Comics and Games in Łódź is the biggest event of its kind in Central-Eastern Europe, and it is attended by thousands of fans of the genre from Poland and abroad. Since its initial launch in 1991, the festival has been attracting a growing number of people. It gives audiences the chance to meet the most acclaimed cartoon artists, to shop at the comic book fair, partcipate in various workshops, and visit numerous exhibitions. Kasiński’s presentation seeks to promote the Polish festival among Hungarian audiences and facilitate an exchange between artists and cartoon-lovers from the two countries.
Tomasz Tomaszewski is a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts. He made his debut in 1986 in the Fantastyka magazine. He also published in Karuzela, Szpilki and Bestseller. His most famous creation is Popman, who is the character of a boy made of out crumpled up newspaper, who is a mute observer of reality. Popman’s silent adventures have stirred must interest outside of Poland, and the French released one of them as part of the major cartoon anthology Comix 2000, released by L'Association.
Robert Trojanowski debuted in 1989, with a no longer existing cult magazine entitled Świat Młodych (World of Youth). For twenty years, he worked as a journalist, cartoonist and a book and magazine illustrator. Trojanowski has also authored numerous radio shows and he is a blogger who is widely recognised for his black humour. A statement from his interview with komiks.gildia.pl is exemplary of his sense of irony:
An the beginning of the 21st century, I decided that I won't draw any more comics. I felt that the genre is a means of expression that is completely foreign to me. Since then, against my own decision, I began to draw more than ever before.
His works include The Bjuti and he has also contributed to major comic book anthologies, such as Manga po polsku (Manga in Polish), Kapitan Żbik: Wesoły finał (Captain Żbik: A Merry Final), Tytus – antologia (Tytus- an anthology), Wszystko co chcielibyście wiedzieć o piłce… (Everything You Would Like to Know about Football…), and Antologia Janusza Christy (Janusz Christa’s Anthology)
As part of the festival, the Polonia Nova Association hosts an exhibition devoted to Polish historical comics. The exhibition is launched with opening night on the 11th of May, at 6 pm, and it is on until the 30th of May.
The event is coorganised in cooperation with the "Contur" Creators Association, the Hungarian Comics Association, the Polish Institute in Budapest, the Polonia Nova Association, and the Bureau of the City of Łódź.
8th International Comics Festival in Budapest
12th of May, 2012
10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Millenáris Fogadó
Budapest, II. Kis Rokus u 16-20.
Polish Historical Comics
Exhibition hosted by the Polonia Nova Association
Budapest, VI. Jókai tér ½
Open Monday to Friday from 4 to 7 pm
Edtior: SRS
Source: polinst.hu