16th ReA International Animation Films and Comics Art Festival of Yerevan

DATES

July – November, 2024

Clients

ReA Fest (ReA International Animation Films and Comics Art Festival of Yerevan)

Service

Strategic Communications, Full PR Support

Overview

For the second consecutive year, SPRING PR has been the trusted partner of ReA Fest (ReA International Animation and Comics Art Festival of Yerevan), held from October 20–26 in 2024. The 16th ReA Fest brought together the world-renowned directors, animation experts, four days of educational programs, and evenings packed with film screenings to Armenia, making another confident stride toward the “rejuvenation” of Armenian animation on both local and international levels.

ReA Fest was founded 16 years ago by Armenian political cartoonist, painter, and animator Kassouny. The fest consists of 3 key components: the screened films, MarAni Market of Animation, and ReA Comics Art.

More than 250 films from 45 countries were featured during ReA Fest 2024. The festival also welcomed legendary Disney animators and directors Kirk Wise and Aaron Blaise, who shared their expertise and innovative insights during special events. For the first time in Armenia, audiences experienced the magic of Disney through exclusive screenings of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, and the Oscar-nominated Beauty and the Beast, directed by Kirk Wise.

The MarAni Market of Animation, a key component of the festival, hosted forums, workshops, masterclasses, and the CoReAct co-production platform. More than 30 professionals from the U.S. and Europe discussed the integration of cutting-edge technologies like AI and VR in animation and celebrated the talent of Armenian creators. This year, CoReAct platform of ReA Fest 2024 hosted 17 Armenian projects once again offering an exceptional opportunity for local creatives to present their work to international producers.

For the second consecutive year, the third important component of ReA Fest, ReA Comics Art program took place, launching on October 23 at the Union of Artists with the opening of a comics exhibition. It featured the book “The Boxer: The True Story of Holocaust Survivor Harry Haft” (Der Boxer: Die Überlebensgeschichte des Hertzko Haft) by German artist Reinhard Kleist, translated for the festival, as well as the Armenian premiere of the French comic “Armine’s Three Lives” (“Les 3 vies d’Arminé”) by Aurel. Up until October 27, the Union of Artists also displayed comics by Maran Hrachyan’s “Patrick Dewaere,” Fermin Solis’s “Bunuel,” and Shamiram Khachatryan’s “Banche.” On the second floor, last year’s ReA Comics Art competition winning project, “David of Sassoon” was also on display.

In addition to the comics art exhibition, the ReA Comics Art program included a book-signing event and the “National Comics Project Competition,” with the winners announced during the evening. From 25 entries submitted this year, 14 were selected.

The festival’s competition section included 48 graduation, 59 short, and 8 feature films. Winners were announced during the closing ceremony on October 26 at the Cinema House.

The “Best Feature Film” award went to Memoir of a Snail by Adam Elliot, while the “Jury Special Mention” was awarded to Sultana’s Dream by Isabel Herguera. For Best Feature Animation Film Concept, the Valentin Podpomogov Award went to Flow by Gints Zilbalodis.

The 1st place award for short films went to Butterfly by Florence Miailhe (France), while the “Jury Special Mention” was awarded to Margarethe 89 by Lucas Malbrun (France).

In addition to the winner’s announcements, during the closing ceremony, famous feature animation director Kirk Wise received the Rob Sahakyants Prize from Kassouny. As in the past 15 years, the official closing ceremony of the 16th ReA International Animation Film & Comics Art Festival of Yerevan marked the beginning of the upcoming 17th ReA Animation and Comics Art Festival of Yerevan.

Strategy

SPRING PR implemented a meticulously crafted strategic communications plan for the 16th ReA International Animation and Comics Art Festival of Yerevan, ensuring seamless pre-event, event-time, and post-event visibility and engagement across diverse audiences.

The pre-event phase focused on generating anticipation and establishing meaningful connections with key stakeholders. To set the tone, a bilingual interview with the festival founder, Vrej Kassouny, spotlighted the festival’s mission and its growing importance. Building on this, an exclusive private screening of Flow by Gints Zilbalodis was organized for influencers, journalists, and government officials, creating an intimate platform to introduce the festival’s vision.

As part of its outreach efforts, SPRING PR coordinated a press conference at the Cinema House Yerevan, where festival organizers, key sponsors, and international partners gathered to present the expanded program and highlight new opportunities for Armenian animators. This event was supported by targeted media invitations, accreditation processes, and consistent follow-ups to ensure optimal engagement. In addition, an informational article delving into the competitive feature films, coupled with a series of short video interviews for social media featuring the founder and program coordinators, further heightened public awareness. These communications were complemented by a meticulously planned media timeline, which organized interview slots for international guests across TV platforms. This ensured that the guests’ schedules remained undisturbed while providing robust media exposure.

During the festival, SPRING PR managed on-site media relations with precision. The opening ceremony was a key highlight, supported by media invitations, accreditation, and speech guides prepared for the event’s host and founder. These efforts ensured consistent and impactful messaging throughout the festival. International guests’ interviews were carefully coordinated, with SPRING PR acting as a central liaison to ensure smooth communication and alignment with the festival’s schedule.

Post-event communications sustained the momentum, with press releases summarizing key achievements disseminated to leading local and international outlets. Government relations were handled with equal care, ensuring the approval of key materials and aligning the festival’s messaging to maintain consistency and integrity. Close collaboration with sponsors and partners further amplified the festival’s outreach and impact.

By delivering strategic communications and robust media relations at every stage, SPRING PR significantly contributed to the festival’s vision of fostering Armenian animation and comics art, while bridging connections between local talent and the global creative industry.

Outcomes

Totally 465 media publications among local, diaspora, and international media
182 publications among local and diaspora media, and 337 among international media. The latter included major Newswires, Search Engines & social media, such as Google News, AP News, Benzinga, France Newswire, Germany Newswire, Canada Newswire, United States Newswire, Google, Yahoo, Bing, Ask, and News Databases, such as Bloomberg Terminal, Much Rach, Moody’s Analytics, NewsEdge, Naviga, MENAFN, Crunchbase.
130 publications are in Armenian, 337 in English, and 19 in Russian
9 video publications
12 exclusive interviews, 4 morning programs, 1 radio interview, and 2 podcasts
12 press releases have been distributed, 10 among local and diaspora media and 2 among international media (the independent news publishers for the international media included AP News, Sci-Tech World Canada, Canadian Business Today, Canada Education News Wire, Canadian Times Journal, Benzinga, US Culture and & Style Today, US Daily Ledger, 50 States Today, Business Times Journal, Los Angeles NN, French Culture Watch, The France Journal, France Daily Times, among other top media outlets.
4 media invitations
1 informative article