CEE Animation Masterclass 2025: How to Create Captivating Content for Young Audience? Volume II.

Join us for the 8th annual CEE Animation Masterclass

How to create Captivating Content for Young Audiences? Volume II.

The event will take place on March 19th and 20th, 2025, at the Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava.

Michaela Sabolčáková’s Masterclass

• Children’s Programs Today: International Supply, Demand, and Market Mechanisms

On Wednesday, March 19th, Michaela Sabolčáková will deliver a lecture focusing on current trends in children’s content creation, analyzing target audience preferences, and various distribution platforms, from traditional television to streaming services. She will discuss license acquisitions, content selection criteria, and the importance of building strong IP (Intellectual Property) brands in the children’s segment.

Ádám Felszeghy’s Masterclass

• Making of Pelikan Blue

On Thursday, March 20th, Hungarian producer Ádám Felszeghy will present a behind-the-scenes look at the animated documentary Pelikan Blue, exploring its origins, challenges, and production process. He will share insights on the creative and technical solutions used, from animatics to final animation, showcase exclusive materials and early visual style explorations, revealing how the film evolved from concept to completion.

Admission to the event is free. Details about the program and speakers can be found below or on our website: (insert website).

PROGRAM

WEDNESDAY – MARCH 19th – KINO KLAP

• 15:15 – 16:15 Michaela Sabolčáková’s Masterclass – Children’s Programs Today: International Supply, Demand, and Market Mechanisms (in Slovak)
• 16:30 – 18:00 Screening of Pelikan Blue (80 min., 2023, directed by László Csáki). The film will be introduced personally by producer Ádám Felszeghy.

THURSDAY – MARCH 20th – KINO KLAP

• 10:00 – 11:30 Ádám Felszeghy’s Masterclass – The Making of Pelikan Blue (in English)

PRESENTERS

Michaela Sabolčáková

She works as an acquisitions program editor at Slovak Television and Radio (STVR). She is responsible for selecting and acquiring foreign live-action television series and programs for children and youth. She participates in planning weekend and daily broadcast blocks for children on the Jednotka and Dvojka channels.

Previously, she worked as an acquisitions manager for TV Markíza & Nova Group, where she handled acquisitions for all program channels of Nova in the Czech Republic and Markíza in Slovakia, and their video-on-demand platforms Voyo.sk and Voyo.cz (now Oneplay).

Prior to that, she worked for the international distribution company Intersonic, where she selected and acquired films for theatrical release in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, as well as for distribution on local TV stations and DVD. She started her career at Slovak Television in the organizing team of the Prix Danube International Television Festival of Programs for Children and Youth. She has also served as a member of international juries for the International Emmy Awards and the CEE Animation Forum.

Ádám Felszeghy

Ádám Felszeghy is a Hungarian film producer working across different genres. He is focusing on cutting edge storytelling and innovative hybrid forms of narratives with authentic personal voices. He produced the feature-length animated documentary ‘Pelikan Blue’ (2023), directed by László Csáki, which explores the international train ticket forgery phenomenon in the 1990s and was shortlisted for the European Film Awards. His filmography also includes the fiction features ‘All About the Levkoviches’ (2024) and ‘The First Two’ (2023) among several shorts. Felszeghy studied Film and American Studies at Eötvös Loránd University between 2006 and 2011. He is a member of the Hungarian Film Academy and the Hungarian Documentary Association (MADOKE). 

Organizers and Partners

The event is organized by the Association of Animated Film Producers (APAF).

Co-organizers include CEE Animation, Visegrad Film Forum, and the Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts (VŠMU).

The event is supported by the Audiovisual Fund and MEDIA Creative Europe through support for CEE Animation activities.