Fredrikstad Animation FestivalFAFFAF

Sara Gunnarsdóttir (1982) is an Academy Award nominated director and artist who has created animation, music videos, and original artwork for film and television, including Marielle Heller’s celebrated debut feature “The Diary of a Teenage Girl,” and HBO’s Emmy-nominated “The Case Against Adnan Sayed.”

Sara was born and raised in Reykjavik, Iceland, where she received her BFA from the Icelandic Academy of the Arts, while creating and performing with the electro punk band Donna Mess. She received her MFA in Experimental Animation from CalArts, and her thesis animated documentary short, “The Pirate of Love,” was nominated for “Best Alternative” in The Academy’s Student Academy Awards.

Sara directed the animated comedy “My Year of Dicks,” created by Pamela Ribon (Moana, Nimona), for FX Network. The film won Special Jury Awards at SXSW for Unique Vision in Writing and Directing and earned Sara a nomination for an Oscar in 2023.

Her work has been showcased at New Directors / New Films, AFI Fest, SXSW, Annecy and the Telluride Film Festival.

Sara currently lives and works in Reykjavík, Iceland with her husband, Ethan Clarke, and daughter Gréta.

Øyvind Tangseth, born in 1968, is an independent filmmaker with a B.A. in animation from Volda University College. He has had a long career in the Norwegian animation industry, contributing to various studios. Tangseth's expertise includes 3D animation, stop motion, layout, design, and serving as an animation supervisor for children's TV series. Since 2013, he has focused primarily on 2D animation, animation design, and direction at Råsalt Studio, a company he co-founded with Trine Vallevik Håbjørg. At Råsalt, they produce animated shorts and commissioned projects, with a primary emphasis on independent artistic work.

Joni Männistö (b. 1981) is a Finnish filmmaker and animator. He studied animation in Turku Arts Academy and he's a member of several animation collectives that work on commercial and artistic projects. Männistö's films such as The Trap (2008), Swarming (2011) and Electric Soul (2013) have been screened and awarded at numerous international festivals. Apart from filmmaking Männistö occasionally works as a teacher and since 2016 he has been running Turku Animated Film Festival as the artistic director. Männistö currently lives and works in Tallinn, Estonia, developing his next animated shorts.

Edmunds Jansons is an animator, director, and illustrator, as well as the founder of the animation film studio Atom Art. He studied TV directing at the Latvian Academy of Culture and earned an M.A. in animation at the Estonian Academy of Art in the masterclass by Priit Pärn in 2012. In 2024, he completed professional doctoral studies at the Art Academy of Latvia. His filmography notably includes the animated documentary "Little Bird's Diary" (2007) and animated shorts such as "Choir Tour" (2012), "The Isle of Seals" (2014), "Guard of Honour" (2021), and "Freeride in C" (2024). He also created the pre-school series "Shammies" and the 25-minute Christmas story "Pigtail and Mr. Sleeplessness." His first feature film, "Jacob, Mimmi and the Talking Dogs" (2019), showcased his skill in feature-length storytelling, and he is currently working on his next feature, "Bom in the Jungle." Besides his animation work, Jansons is a beloved children's book illustrator.

Kajsa Næss is a director and animator.

She has been writing and directing animated short films, documentaries, music videos and commissioned films for Mikrofilm for almost 30 years. Her short films have been shown at prestigious festivals such as Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy, Fredrikstad and Tribeca. Kajsa is known for exploring and experimenting with animation techniques and stretching genres. She often uses real-life events and stories as a starting point and has made several animated documentaries. She works mainly with classical animation and other 2D techniques.

In addition to her many film awards, Næss has been granted the Norwegian Ministry of Culture’s Human Rights Award. Her dozen credits include It Was Mine (2015), It’s Up To You (2013), Deconstruction Workers (2008), Leonid Shower (2004) and Mother Said (1999). Kajsa founded the Oscar winning studio Mikrofilm together with producer Lise Fearnley in 199 and works in close collaboration with Tonje Skaar Reiersen.

Her first animated feature film, 'Titina', was released in 2022.

Jean-Michel Boesch is a french animation film director, art director and storyboard artist living in Helsinki, Finland. Since his graduation from Gobelins animation school in 2008, he has been working for european studios such as JeSuisBienContent (France), Lighthouse Studios (Ireland), Gigglebug entertainment (Finland), Caribara (France) or Rovio (Finland) for clients such as Disney, Netflix, Prime Video, Nickelodeon or Warner Animation.

Among the many projects Jean-Michel worked on are:

- a few TV shows: “Angry Birds Toon” (Production Designer), “F Is for Family” (Storyboard), ”Best Bugs Forever” (Production designer), “The Unstoppable Yellow Yeti” (Storyboard Supervisor and Episodic Director), “Bug Diaries” (Art Director), “Bat Family” (Layout and BG supervisor) or “Belzebubs” (Art Director),

- a handful of Feature films: “The Day of the Crows” (Layout), “My Father's Secrets” (Storyboard), “Merry little Batman” (Layout),

- or short films: “Angry Birds: Year of the Dragon” (Director), “Christmas comes to the Moominvalley” (Director)

On the side, Jean-Michel has developed a teaching curriculum, tutoring students from Gobelins, The Animation Workshop, Aalto university or Turku Art Akademy.

Ole Christoffer Haga is an animator, filmmaker, and lecturer whose work spans feature films, TV series, and short films. He teaches animation at the University of Inland Norway and is pursuing a PhD at NTNU on how animation can engage with reality. He is currently on leave from academia to work as a Senior Animator on an animated feature.

Lillian Løvseth (b.1989) is a producer of creative documentaries, live-action, and animated projects with a strong social profile. Through her Lillehammer-based company LØV Film, she develops and produce visually distinctive and emotionally resonant works with an international focus. Her films have been nominated and awarded at international festivals, and she continues to build bold, artistically driven productions through strong creative collaborations.