The School for Animated Film (SAF) from Cakovec (Croatia) has been active since 1975. Although one could associate the word "school" with an institution, the issue is not institutional education, but an after-school gathering of young people, aged from 7 to 18, who spend their free time at SAF meaningfully and creatively.

Because of the dedication of Edo Lukman, the founder of SAF, it has become a recognizable young people’s cinema club nurturing animated film, popularizing professional animated film by engaging the world’s leading animators as their guests, organizing international animated film workshops in Cakovec, taking part in ASIFA’s projects, participating in prestigious world animated film festivals...

An average annual production by young people in SAF is 3 to 4 films with an overall duration of 8 to 10 minutes, so that so far, more than 120 films have been made.

The recognizability of SAF’s films is based on gags of different types, around which the children build the film and produce very rich animation in each frame.

The children’s drawings are not changed or polished up, hence there is a great deal of variety, in which we can find some examples of children’s awkwardness, but, nevertheless, some extraordinary artistic solutions as well.

SAF’s leaders Edo Lukman and Jasminka Bijelic Ljubic carefully take the ideas of young people into consideration and they are guiding them in their creative work pedagogically and tactfully without restraining their creativity.

SAF is not a school where young people are being trained for their profession, but a place where they receive complete aesthetic training and education in harmony with their interests and abilities.

Mr. Lukman will be holding a conference presenting his work at SAF. For more details, click here.