Developing the Short Animated Film — Finding Your Own Way
Workshop with Piotr Dumała, auteur animated film director, screenwriter, visual artist, and writer. His films have received numerous international awards and lifetime achievement honors at film festivals in Valencia and Krakow. An experienced international lecturer at Harvard University, Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, and Universidade Lusófona.
Short Description
Developing the Animated Film is an intensive masterclass dedicated to the development of original short animated film projects under the artistic supervision of Piotr Dumała.
Designed as a highly selective studio-based programme, the workshop focuses on the early creative stages of animated filmmaking: concept development, visual thinking, narrative structure, and directorial intention.
Participants will develop their projects through individual and group consultations, resulting in a professional development package including a screenplay or treatment, storyboard, visual concepts, and directorial statement.
Who is it for?
This one-week masterclass is intended for emerging animation filmmakers and visual storytellers interested in developing original short animated films within an auteur-driven creative environment.
Working under the guidance of Piotr Dumała, participants will refine the conceptual, narrative, and visual foundations of their projects through a process combining artistic mentorship, discussion, and independent creative work.
The workshop emphasizes the relationship between image, rhythm, atmosphere, and cinematic narration in animation, encouraging participants to develop a distinct artistic language and personal approach to filmmaking.
Due to the intensive mentoring format, the workshop is limited to a very small number of participants.
The workshop is intended for: animation students, emerging animation directors, visual artists and filmmakers developing animated projects
Outcomes
By the end of the masterclass, participants will develop:
- screenplay or project treatment
- storyboard
- visual development materials
- artistic concept materials
- directorial statement
The workshop is focused on the development phase of animated film production and aims to help participants establish a coherent artistic and cinematic vision for their projects.
Participants will receive a certificate of completion.
Workshop Info
Worskshop dates: 21/09/2026-25/09/2026
Registration deadline: 21/08/2026
Notification of acceptance: 23/08/2026
Fee: 800 €
Participants: 6-8
Language: English
Hours: 10-18
Place: Lodz Film School
Contact: workshops@filmschool.lodz.pl
Application Requirements
Applicants should submit:
- portfolio
- CV
- short project description / film concept
- maximum one page / 1800 characters
The workshop is intended for:
- animation students
- emerging animation directors
- visual artists and filmmakers developing animated projects
Selection is based on artistic potential and originality of the proposed project.
Workshop Structure
Programme Includes
- group consultations
- individual project consultations
- supervised project development
- independent creative work
Consultation Format
- individual consultations
- independent project development
About the Tutor
Piotr Dumała is one of the most original voices in European auteur animation — a director, writer and visual artist known for his deeply personal cinematic language and for creating an original animation technique using plaster plates, in which images are continuously transformed, erased and redrawn frame by frame. He also writes prose and poetry, and creates graphics, paintings, illustrations, comic books and poster art.
His award-winning films, including Gentle Spirit, Walls, Franz Kafka, Crime and Punishment, Hippos and Last Supper, have been presented and awarded at major international festivals such as Kraków, Ottawa, Zagreb, Espinho and Mannheim.
Alongside his animated work, he has directed acclaimed live-action feature films including The Forest, Ederly and Fin del Mundo.
He is Professor of Animation at the Lodz Film School and has lectured internationally, including at Harvard University, Konstfack University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, and Universidade Lusófona. His films have received more than one hundred international awards.
