Public broadcasters have taken center stage at this year’s Cartoon Forum, which runs Sept. 16–19 in Toulouse. With the European animation industry still facing a market crunch linked to substantially reduced streaming investment – and as producers now grapple with tough headwinds and reduced opportunities – industry eyes have turned to state funds.
Indeed, public stations make up all four nominees for Cartoon Forum’s Broadcaster of the Year tribute – among them Arte (France/Germany), RTS (Switzerland), RTV (Slovenia), and 3Cat (Spain) – while for the second consecutive edition 15 members of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) have joined forces for a co-development initiative to collectively finance two chosen projects.
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This 35th edition of Cartoon Forum will also host a meeting between 10 additional broadcasters from Central and Eastern Europe meant to promote further collaborations and to create a more agile domino market, where if one broadcaster acquires a title, others might quickly follow suit.
“We take this as a very strong signal from our broadcaster partners toward animation,” says Cartoon Media director Annick Maes. “We can see that they support us, that they want to unite us, and that they want to make this industry stronger.”
“This also ties into the very foundation of Cartoon Forum,” says Maes. “Because 35 years ago broadcasters and producers had a more adversarial relationship and we came along to bring them together. So this kind of work is very important to us – it goes right back to our origins.”
Of course, the market contraction has led to a commensurate shift in format. As producers hew a more cautious line, Maes has noticed a greater amount of specials and one-offs that could double as pilot projects, citing the Franco-Belgian special “A Lamb’s Stew” from La Cabane Productions and Thuristar as one illustrative example.
This particular model also promises greater agility. “When everything goes well, the special can be ready within 15 months,” Maes notes. “Then, producers can use their sales figures to launch a series.”
For greater sunshine and a burst of unqualified good news, one need only glance this year’s inclusion score, which sees a near parity between male and female attendees, while the selected projects reflect a rising trend in female protagonists and perspectives – signaling more female-led teams in both productive and creative positions.
With a touch more than 25% of this year’s selection coming from first-time participants, Maes sees a clear connection between an influx of new blood and a surge of young adult and adult-oriented titles. “This new generation uses animation to express inner emotions and to tell personal stories,” she says.
“Since 2019, we’ve seen a substantial increase in projects aimed at adult audiences, and now that number has nearly tripled this year.”
Public outfits like France Television, Arte, and Belgium’s VRT and RTBF, alongside streaming services like Crunchyroll and ADN, have all helped underwrite this boom, while equivalent broadcasters in Scandinavia have been slower to warm to older-skewing fare.
And so, with older-skewing titles like “Marie Curie’s Great War,” “Mechozaurs: The Voice from Afar,” “Queerstory,” The Broos,” “Tilt,” and “Ultra” all on display, the Cartoon Forum organizers cannot wait to see how the event goes. “We are all so very curious to know what the rooms be filled,” says Maes. “Who might attend, and what might the results yield in three months time?”
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