Ireland – just mentioning the country conjures up images upon the inward eye. Zeitgeist Irland 24, which presents Irish art and culture in Germany in 2024, shows that the Emerald Isle has much more to offer than untouched nature, a rich folklore, and a lively pub culture.
In 2024, the Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS) will focus on Irish animated film and celebrate the richness and diversity of the booming Irish animation industry as part of Zeitgeist Ireland 24. Irish animation studios are developing a wide range of talent and have earned a worldwide reputation for their storytelling, visual artistry and new technology. We look with excitement at the young, progressive animation scene on the Emerald Isle, which is well connected internationally and constantly changing. After the stock market crash in 2008, many small, independent studios emerged in Dublin, which are primarily active in advertising, and Europe is looking with great interest to Kilkenny, where a colourful congress has established itself with “Kilkenny Animated”, which started as a showcase event for animated art and quickly became a networking party.
In Stuttgart, too, people like to look to Ireland and films such as Tomm Moore’s Oscar-nominated WOLFWALKERS, which was awarded the AniMovie feature length film prize at ITFS in 2021, continue to inspire and surprise German and global audiences. With Zeitgeist Ireland 24, we are looking forward to both the big hitters as well as a new generation of Irish artists who will find their place in the ITFS programme with short and feature-length films. The cinematic programme will be complemented by a wide-ranging supporting programme with artist talks, workshops, panels and much more. We look forward to fascinating insights, stimulating encounters and exchanges with Irish artists who have always been known for crossing borders.
Zeitgeist Irland 24 was launched by Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, and Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Micheál Martin for a season of Irish arts and culture in Germany.