School of Arts will once again be present at CINANIMA - Espinho International Animation Film Festival, which this year will take place from November 7 to 16, 2025.

Reinforcing an already established partnership, School of Arts will host a masterclass on November 14 (EBI Room -100, UCP), promoted in partnership with CINANIMA, which will be led by Kajsa Næss, a renowned and multi-award-winning Norwegian animated film director.

The session will focus on the theme “What happens when we turn real events into fiction?”

Synopsis:

Kajsa fell in love with the strange story of Titina, a mysterious polar traveler in an airship, and decided to use her as the main character and heroine of her story. By mixing real documentary images with animation, her goal was to tell a story about small feelings in a grand and empty landscape.

Titina is based on a true story, or as she likes to say, an “almost true story.” It is not always easy to decide. Is it possible to treat the story fairly in animation? Is it a goal or a privilege for the director to make their own interpretation?

Biographical note

For almost 30 years, Kajsa has been writing and directing animated short films, animated documentaries, music videos, and commissioned films for Mikrofilm. Her short films have been screened at prestigious festivals such as Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy, and Tribeca. Kajsa is known for exploring and experimenting with animation techniques and expanding genres. She often uses real-life events and stories as a starting point. She works mainly with classic animation and other 2D techniques. Her many works include It Was Mine (2015), It’s Up To You (2013), Deconstruction Workers (2008), Leonid Shower (2004), and Mother Said (1999). Her first animated feature film, Titina, was released in 2022. Kajsa founded the Oscar-winning studio Mikrofilm together with producer Lise Fearnley in 1996.