Intermezzo – opening of the exhibition and promotion of books on the making of contemporary Croatian animated films
Date: Friday, October 23, 2026
Time: 18:00 – 21:00
Location: Šira Gallery, Zagreb
As part of the celebration of International Animation Day 2026, we invite you to the opening of the Intermezzo exhibition, which presents the works of Daniel Šuljić, Lucija Mrzljak and Morten Tšinakov, and to the promotion of books on the making of contemporary Croatian animated films.
The exhibition and promotion of publications open up a look into the creative processes that precede the creation of an animated film – from the first idea, sketch and storyboard to the realized film work. Visitors will have the opportunity to get to know the diverse artistic practices of the three authors and explore the links between animation and illustration, music and contemporary art production.
From the preface to the exhibition
An animated film rarely begins on the screen. Before the first image is launched, there is an idea, a sketch, a note, a script and a storyboard. A workspace in which the author is looking for rhythm, character and his own visual language. The exhibition and editions of the series The Book of Shooting of Contemporary Croatian Animated Films open up this space and show how a film work is created from the first idea.
In the third round of the ASIFA Croatia edition, we present Daniel Šuljić, Lucija Mrzljak and Morten Tšinakov. Their storyboards do not only bring materials about already made films, but also testify to the process: about searching, modifications, pauses and decisions that remain invisible to the viewer, and give shape to the film experience.
In addition to the publications Selection of Films by Daniel Šuljić and Eeva by Lucija Mrzljak and Morten Tšinakov, the exhibition also presents the wider work of three authors: earlier works, graphics, drawings, music, videos and projects that are still being created. In this way, we show not only the path from sketch to film, but also the richness of creative expression that meets in their work on the borders of animation, illustration, music and contemporary art production.
We have before us authors of different generations and sensibilities, whose works indicate that animation is not just a technique of moving an image, but a way of contemplating the world through humor and grotesque, silence and absurdity, drawing and sound.
The exhibition was prepared as part of the celebration of International Animation Day 2026, as an opportunity to bring the audience closer to the process of making animated film and the richness of contemporary Croatian auteur animation.
Iva Gašparović
Authors
Daniel Šuljić
Daniel Šuljić is an animated film director and musician. He was born in Zagreb and lived in Vienna from 1992 to 2011. Since 2011, he has been living and working in both cities. His films have been screened at more than 500 international and national film festivals and television stations across Europe, and have won 21 awards so far.
He has been a member of international competition juries, and his work has been presented through several solo retrospectives, including in Stuttgart, at the Monstra festival, and at the Supertoon and Trebon festivals. He is active in the fields of animation, music, illustration, sound design and DJing.
From 2011 to 2026, he was the artistic director of the World Festival of Animated Film in Zagreb, and is also employed as a professor at the Department of Animated Film at the Academy of Fine Arts, University of Zagreb. He is currently working on new films and creating music in the projects Stampedo, Roppongi Red and other musical collaborations.
Lucija Mrzljak
Lucija Mrzljak is a director and illustrator who studied animated film in Zagreb, Krakow, Prague and Tallinn. She has directed a number of award-winning films in collaboration with Eesti Joonisfilm and Adriatic Animation studios and Estonian director Morten Tšinakov.
Her film Eeva (2022), premiered at the Berlinale in 2023, was shortlisted for the Academy Award. She has been living between Zagreb and Tallinn for a number of years and teaches at the Estonian Academy of Arts. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Morten Tshinakov
Morten Tšinakov is an Estonian animation director, animator and screenwriter, born in 1992. He graduated in animation from the Estonian Academy of Arts in 2014 and in computer science from the Tallinn University of Technology in 2025.
He is the screenwriter of the films A Demonstration of Brilliance in Four Acts (2018), Stork (2020) and Eeva (2022), which he co-directed with Croatian director Lucija Mrzljak. He also composed original music for the films Stork and Eeva . He is currently working on his fourth film, Vacation.
His films have won awards at festivals in Annecy, Animafest Zagreb and Interfilm in Berlin.
International Animation Day 2026
Friday, October 23, 2026
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18:00 – 21:00 – Opening of the exhibition Intermezzo and promotion of the filming books
Saturday, October 24, 2026
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09:00 – 12:00 – Stop-motion workshop for children
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15:00 – 17:00 – Animaklik
We invite you to join us in celebrating International Animation Day and get to know the creative processes, ideas and artistic worlds that shape contemporary Croatian animation.