Soyuzmultfilm announced several deals during TIFF Industry film market at the national virtual stand, organized by Roskino and supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.

French-based KMBO SRL has picked up Warm Star, an animated short selected for the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2020 as part of Young Audiences Short Films in Competition. This title, also awarded at Hiroshima International Animation Festival this year, will be theatrically released in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland. KMBO SRL also brings Snow Bunnies, Night Fairy and Mitten shorts to these territories.

The Sled, awarded at the international cartoon forum in Girona, will go to Austria for limited theatrical release, distributed by Verein wienXtra. Taiwan company Da-win will show Two Trams and Vivat, Musketeers at the Taiwan International Children's Film Festival and get non-exclusive TV & VOD rights for the territory.

"Russian animation is a unique case, as it was born and developed out of the market back at the Soviet times, which allowed a huge number of authors, styles and schools to evolve. Today Soyuzmultfilm reinvents itself and its original animation. We merge tradition, new technologies and great talents to create titles that receive national and international recognition and make a splash at global festivals, like “Warm star” by Anna Kuzina, for example. This is an important trend that national authors’ animation conquers a wider audience abroad," said Yuliana Slashcheva, Chairman of the Board of the Soyuzmultfilm Studio.

«Supporting Russian filmmakers at global markets, we see that not only major commercial projects stir global interest, but independent art animation and films as well. It is important that Soyuzmultfilm’s talented and inspirational projects don’t stop at festival awards and forum pitches, but find their way to international audiences”, adds Evgeniya Markova, CEO of Roskino.