Cinda’s first dance at Animafest

The World Festival of Animated Film, Animafest Zagreb 2022, which celebrated a half-century of existence this year, was held from 6 to 11 June.

One of the most important programmes of this famous festival is the Children and Youth Programme, presenting the best animated films from around the world to the youngest audiences each year. This year, 41 international animated films were selected in their Children’s Film Competition category, including Cinda Real. The Croatian version of Cinda Real was co-produced with Croatian children and acclaimed actors Aleksandar Cvjetković and Kajo and Jasna Bilušić.

Creative, fun, and most important, educational, Cinda Real is a reimagined version of the Cinderella fairy tale. It offers a new take on the familiar tale for children, in a way that teaches empathy, love, and understanding. The protagonist of the tale, Cinda, is dealing with a physical handicap: she has only one leg and a great desire to dance when the big news arrives of the royal ball at the castle….

Cinda Real is the first of six Twisted Tales adapting well-known stories and characters to contemporary issues many people face today. By presenting a particular stigma within a familiar fairy tale narrative, it fosters conversation on the subject and teaches destigmatisation. In this instance, Cinda Real encourages children and parents to think about what it means to live with stigma and what are the challenges that people with physical disabilities face on a daily basis.

The two premiere screenings that took place in Zagreb’s Tuškanac Cinema, full of children who accompanied Cinda’s dancing by wiggling in their seats, singing, and clapping to the rhythm, have already justified every minute and every effort that has gone into the project. After all the positive feedback, our hearts are full and our motivation to develop the next story has never been higher. We’re already working at full steam, so stay tuned until the next time we dance together! ♡