Cartoons on the Bay, the international television animation festival promoted by Rai Radiotelevisione italiana and organized by Rai Com, returns to Venice from April 16 – 18 for the 18th edition.
This is the second time that it has been held in the city of lagoons and, once again, the headquarters will be the splendid Palazzo Labia that has hosted the regional offices of Rai Veneto since 1964. It is a baroque palace featuring halls decorated with frescos by Giambattista Tiepolo, a location that is greatly admired by the Italian and foreign guests.
Israel is this edition’s guest of honor.
The country’s delegation will be led by Albert Hanan Kaminski, the great maestro of Israeli animation, the director of feature movies and TV series that include “Pettson and Findus” and animated films for the cult program “Sesame Street”, who will be receiving a career Pulcinella award.
Special Pulcinella Awards will go to Oscar winner Anthony La Molinara (for the special effects on “Spiderman”, on the jury along with Kaminski) and Sylvia Anderson, the creator of the legendary TV series “Space 1999” and “Thunderbirds” which, this year, celebrate 50 years from the first broadcast. To celebrate this event, the remake “Thunderbirds are Go!” will be launched, the international premiere of which will be presented by Giles Ridge and Estelle Hughes, executive producer of Britain’s ITV Studios, the International Studio of the Year Award winner along with DreamWorks Animation (Chloe van Den Berg, Head of International Television Distribution, will be in Venice).

Maurizio Forestieri’s Graphilm is the winner of the Italian studio of the year award and will present some of its latest works co- produced with Rai Fiction, such as “Buu-Bum”, the 26 x 26’ TV series set during the Second World War, “Waterloo” (5 x 11’), marking the bicentenary of the famous battle and “Nefertina”, an adventure series for small children set in Ancient Egypt (52 x 11’).