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July 30, 2009
More guests have confirmed their presence at our festival. Apart
from the previously announced artists (Zbigniew Kasprzak, Grażyna
Fołtyn-Kasprzak, Jean Dufaux, Philippe Delaby, Andre-Paul Duchateau,
Mythic, Marvano and Hendrik Dorgathen) the festival’s audience
will also have a chance to meet Aleksandar Zograf, author of ‘Greetings
from Serbia’ and Igor Baranko from Ukraine, artists in the series
‘Exterminateur 17’.
July 27, 2009
We remind everyone that the deadline for submitting the works for
the short comics competition is only a month away (August 31).
What’s important – apart from the prizes mentioned in the official
rules, this year we’ll have an additional one. The ‘Przekrój’ magazine
will choose their favourite comics story and publish it in one
of its issues.
July 25, 2009
We present the official poster of the festival’s 20th edition, created
by Tomasz Leśniak and the new logo improved by Jakub Matys, winner
of the last year’s festival.
July 20, 2009
From this year on, the festival starts cooperation with Cybersport.pl,
organizer of computer games leagues, in order to include computer
games in the festival’s frames. Respectfully, we change our name
into International Festival of Comics and Games. In Łódź, a two
day finale will take place, on a few hundred computers, with competitions
for the public as well (in 2008 the finale had a 15 thousand audience
and 24 thousand people observed the games via the Internet). Official
partner of this part of the festival is 36.6 – a mobile phone operator
8 April 2009
The international comics project ‘City Stories’ was nominated
for the prize in the Zlote Formaty (Golden Formats) competition,
where awards go to best promotion projects of cities and regions
in 2008. The contest is organized by the Ströer Group as part
of The Festival of Promotion of the Cities and Regions. The ‘City
Stories’ was nominated in the ‘promotion publication’ category.
‘City Stories’ is an international comics project, which was coined
by Adam Radon in 2006. The main goal is to create comics stories
that take place in Lodz or are about Lodz. Each time Polish authors
cooperate with authors from another country. The effect of their
collaboration is later published in a bilingual album. The first
edition featured Russian authors, second album was created with
the British, the third one – with the French.. In 2009 the City
Stories will feature artists from Italy. The project is organized
by the Association of Artists ‘Contur’, Lodz Community Center,
City of Lodz Office, Lodz Special Economic Zone and the Art Zone.
5 April 2009
We are sorry to announce that Kazimiera Rosinska, wife of Grzegorz
Rosinski – the acknowledged comics creator, passed away on April
4, 2009, after long illness. In a few days it would have been her
65th birthday. Kazimiera and Grzegorz were married since 1966,
they met in 1961 when Grzegorz started his studies at the Art Academy
in Warsaw. Kasia (that was how her close ones always called her)
has graduated from the gardening faculty at the SGGW (University
of Agriculture). She has always been the first and the most constructive
critic of Rosinski’s works – as Grzegorz himself says. Through
the years she spent in Belgium and in Switzerland, she has learned
about the francophone comics market like no other. She was highly
respected by the publishers and artists, managing her husband’s
career and all his ‘comics’ duties and arrangements. She spent
her free time gardening. Together with Grzegorz they had 3 children
and 4 grandchildren. She passed away peacefully in her home in
Switzerland, with all her family by her side.
15 March 2009
During the 9th Warsaw Comics Meetings, organizers of the International
Festival of Comics and Games in Lodz were awarded the prize for
‘extraordinary input in the development of comics in Poland’. Furthermore,
the festival came in second in the category ‘Best magazine or event
promoting comics in 2008’ of the competition Komiksowe Nasty organized
by the website ‘Aleja Komiksu”.
14 March 2009
We introduce first guests of this year’s International Festival of Comics and Games in Lodz: It is very probable that Lodz will be visited by Zbigniew ‘Kas’ Kasprzak, Grazyna ‘Graza’ Kasprzak, Jean Dufaux, Philippe Delaby, Andre-Paul Duchateau, Mythic, Marzena Sowa and Sylvain Savoia, Jelena Woronowicz, Andrij Tkalenko and Hendrik Dorgathen. What is more, the Cybersport finals of the computer games league will take place during the festival. We will also present the exhibition of the ‘Contur’ members.
15 February 2009
We invite all the youngest comics fans to take part in the competition organized by the European Fable Center in Pacanow, entitled ‘Journeys of Koziolek Matolek’. The rules and application form are available on www.matolek.pl
25 January 2009
We present the new rules of the competition for a short comics story. We dropped the division ‘professionals – amateurs’. All the participants will have the chance to win the Grand Prix, three special prizes and three special mentions. We invite you to take part in our competition.
15 December 2008
The dates of the 20th International Festival of Comics and Games
in Lodz are October 2 – 4, 2009. Main locations, where it will
take place are: Lodz Community Center, Textilipmex building, Central
Museum of textiles, Manufaktura. For the first time, the festival
will also include the computer games segment.
15 November
2008
We
are sorry to inform that Janusz Christa, a Polish comics creator,
author of the famous 'Kajko i Kokosz' has passed away. He was born
on July 19, 1934 in Vilnius. Since 1945 he had been living in Sopot,
Poland. He made his debut in 1957. He published numerous works in
newspapers before creating his most famous characters in 1972 - two
slavian worriors: Kajko and Kokosz. He published over 30 albums,
with more than 7 million copies sold. In the beginning of the 90's
his health would not allow him to draw anymore. In 2000 he once visited
the International Festival of Comics in Lodz. On may 31, 2007 he
was awarded with the Gloria Artis medal.
The International Festival of Comics in Łódź
I NEWS I ABOUT FESTIVAL I RULES I
The International Festival of Comics in Lodz is regularly held in October, in Lodz Cultural Center (ŁDK). Each year the festival gathers a few thousand comics fans from all over Europe. Here in Lodz, in the center of Poland, they can meet their favourite artists face-to-face and take part in workshops conducted by them, see various comics exhibitions, buy new comics from publishers and old ones from collectors or simply enjoy many additional events like music concerts and movie screenings. The festival is one of the most well-known comics event in Central and Eastern Europe.
Each year the organizers invite famous comics artists to meet their Polish fans in the city of Lodz. Among our guests were Stan Sakai, Marvano, Grzegorz Rosiński, Dany, Yves Sente, Jean-Louis Mourier, Zbigniew Kas Kasprzak, Pat Mills, Clint Langley, Max Andersson, Giuseppe Barbati, Marco Soldi, Maurizio di Vincenzo, Karel Saudek, Gilles Lepore, Gianluca Panniello, Elisabetta Melaranci, Marzena Sowa and Sylvain Savoia. Beside the foreign comics celebrities, one can also meet many popular Polish artists, whose careers were often started at the International Festival of Comics in Lodz itself.
The main event of the festival is the annual short comics competition. Every year the organizers receive about a hundred submissions from amateur artists as well as experienced ones. That is why the competition is divided into two categories – amateurs and professionals. In each category there are three prizes to be taken by the best comics, however, only one work from either the amateur or professional category is chosen by the jury as the Grand Prix of the International Festival of Comics in Lodz. There is no given theme of the competition, but the stories cannot be longer than eight pages. The works are exhibited in the festival’s headquarters and the best ones are published in the annual festival catalogue. Comics artists from abroad are more than welcome to run in the competition, there have been submissions from Austria, Ireland, The Czech Republic, Japan, Israel, Russia, Germany or Brazil.
October is still the month of majority of comics premieres, most of which are especially prepared for the festival. At the festival fair the visitors can buy very old comics as well as the latest novelties from all over the world.
The festival is also the time of numerous exhibitions. The exhibition presenting comics submitted for the competition is obviously of the greatest significance. But other fringe exhibitions are worth mentioning as well. So far the organizers have presented Russian, French, German, Swiss and English comics. The audience can also admire works of Polish artists, both well-known and debutants. There are also numerous theme exhibitions that can be seen not only in ŁDK but also in Piotrkowska Street, clubs, galleries and shopping centers all around the city of Lodz.
The festival would not be complete without all
the accompanying events that take place in Lodz: the annual Miss Comics Pageant
is perhaps the most interesting one. During the pageant, the candidates for
the title are drawn ‘live’ by various artists and rated by the cheering crowd.
In 2007 it was Dany’s nude beauty, created in a few smooth moves, who smashed
the competition and won the title. There are also parties organized for the
participants of the International Festival of Comics and celebrations of various
comics’ anniversaries (in 2007 it was Thorgal’s spectacular 30th birthday party
with Grzegorz Rosiński cutting the Viking Ship cake).
COMPETITION RULES Download
I NEWS I ABOUT FESTIVAL I RULES I
Rules of the competition for a short comics at the 20th International Festival of Comics and Games in Lodz
The competition is open for the public, there is no given theme of the competition. Participants can use different techniques such as drawing, painting, computer graphics or photography. Only works that has never been published before will be accepted.
One participant can submit one comics up to 8 pages. The pages should be in a vertical A4 (210 x 297 mm) or A3 (297 x 420 mm) format. On the back of each page there should be: page number, title of the work, name and surname of the author/s, their functions: (drawer / scenarist etc.), home address, e-mail and phone number. Those data should be written on the back of the page only. When sending original pages, copies or prints you should enclose a CD or DVD with the digital version of the work (.tiff, CMYK, A4 - 300 DPI). Works without the CD/DVD version cannot be included in the catalogue (if they are to be chosen for the publication). The works should be securely packed in a stiff, cardboard folder, which should be signed, enabling the organizers to send it back to the owner by post (copies and prints will not be sent back).
The works should be sent to the following address: Lodzki Dom Kultury, ul. Traugutta 18, 90-113 Lodz, Poland with a signature ‘KOMIKS 2009’. The deadline for this year is 31 August 2009 (date on a post stamp will decide). The registration fee is 30 PLN for Polish citizens and 10 Euro for foreigners. The fee should be paid to the following account:
IBAN: PL 44 1020 3352 0000 1002 0014 2562
BIC / SWIFT: BPKOPLPW
Bank: PKO BP O/Lodz
Account owner: Lodzki Dom Kultury, ul. Traugutta 18, 90-113 Lodz
The print of the transfer should be enclosed with the works as confirmation.
Only works complying with the requirements will take part in the competition. The works will be shown at the exhibition of competition works housed in LDK during the International Festival of Comics and Games. The organizers exercise the right to verify the participants’ works. All competitors will be allowed free entry to all festival events. What is more, all competitors whose works will be published in the catalogue will get a free copy.
The works will be evaluated by a jury appointed by the organizers. The jury, after examining all the submitted works, will choose the Grand Prix of the festival, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize and three special awards. All the winners will obtain financial gratification. Moreover, the Grand Prix winner will get a special prize, funded by the Embassy of France in Poland, and will go on a trip to Angouleme, France to see the biggest comics festival in Europe. The award ceremony will take place on October 3, 2009, during the International Festival of Comics and Games in Lodz. The winners will be informed about the results before the festival and invited to participate in the ceremony – travel expenses will be reimbursed by the festival.
The exhibition of competition works can be presented in other cities and events after the festival. The grand prix winner will have the honor to design the next festival’s visual elements (for the International Festival of Comics and Games in 2010) and present the project to the organizers by the end of the year 2009. The organizers will have the right to abandon the project if it does not meet their expectations and therefore they have the right to ask another artists, chosen by them, to design the visual elements.
The organizers will have the right to publish chosen works in the catalogue of the festival, in special extra publications, press releases and in the Internet as a form of promotion of the authors themselves and the festival. Furthermore, the organizers will have the right to publish the works, with no extra authorization, in the festival’s jubilee publications in the future. They also will have the right to entitle a sponsor of the festival to a single publication of a given work (in print or in the Internet). Submitting the works to the competition, the participants accept the fact that their personal data might be given to any publisher who is interested in their work unless a suitable, signed document that says otherwise is enclosed with the works.
After the exhibitions are over, the works are available to their owners at the festival’s office or shall be returned by post within three months.
Organizers: Lodzki Dom Kultury (Lodz Cultural Center) and the Association of Artists CONTUR.
