I received some great news today that “Red Lion” is an Official Selection in the 7th Insomnia International Open-Air Animation Film Festival 2019 as part of the “Animated Dreams – Music of the Night” program. The festival takes place in the Russian countryside in a fantastic meadow surrounded by a forest, near the small river Ugra (200 km from Moscow) in the Kaluga region. Last year approximately 8,000 visitors attended the festival with brilliant animation from around the world.

Insomnia believes that for the correct perception of animation, an open sky and darkness, formed by the natural rotation of the Earth, are necessary. Only such darkness can bring us back to ourselves, tearing ourselves from the illusions and bustle of civilization. They also want to help animation lovers meet and spend time in a friendly atmosphere.

It looks like an amazing experience and the organizers are very welcoming.

The The International Insomnia Animation Film Festival is an independent animation festival which takes place in the Russian countryside. it is the first Russian festival to be held outdoors and outside the city limits under the stars and in nature. In 2019, the Insomnia Festival will be held in the Kaluga Region from July 18 to July 22. For four nights in a row on a big and nice meadow surrounded by the forest they screen the best short animated films from all over the world. During the day guests can enjoy other festival activities — lectures, live music concerts, performances, a craft market and art-installations. There is also a children playground with attractions and an its own animation program. Insomnia believes that for the correct perception of animation, an open sky and darkness, formed by the natural rotation of the Earth, are necessary. Only such darkness can bring us back to ourselves, tearing ourselves from the illusions and bustle of civilization. They also want to help animation lovers meet and spend time in a friendly atmosphere.

Insomnia Film Festival website
Insomnia Film Festival on Facebook
Insomnia Film Festival on Instagram
Insomnia Film Festival on VK

Insomnia also has a competition for children under 16 years old “Insomnia Kids” and a postcard competition.
Winners of the “Insomnia-2019” postcards competition, Lucy Sibirtseva, Polina Gromova, Belle Shaova and Polina Andreeva, Anna Yarotskaya made these awesome designs below.

If you can’t go into the wilderness in Moscow they will screen a few of the main films in the competition.

If you are in Moscow, you can by tickets here

The numinous Red Lion illuminates the road of the warrior goddess Metallia to restore the ever-present multidimensional vision long lost to humanity.

Red Lion has the inner Fire but only in potential. He eats matter when given his freedom and does the work of Nature. He inspires intelligence, imagination and life but he can not escape the prison of the Earth plane and can not free himself though his own power. A special key is necessary to dissolve the chains of the Earth.

Director/composer Olivia Hadjiioannou (aka Oh.) presents a consciousness-expanding visual and acoustic odyssey within a multidimensional psychedelic landscape.

Inspired by scenes from Federico Fellini’s, “8 1/2”, Lewis Carroll’s, “Alice in Wonderland”, Maurice Sendak’s, “Where the Wild Things Are”, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s, “The Little Prince” and ancient Greek myth.

“Red Lion” is the first in a six-part series of animated music videos by the multi-instrumentalist, Oh. for the progressive metal album “Metallia“.

“If you put Kate Bush, Auf Der Maur, Ayreon, Chiasmata, Igorrr, old White Zombie and Amogh Symphony in a blender with several metronomes running different time signatures, add a healthy dash of thrash riffs to the proggy mix and baked the resulting mixture for several hours you probably wouldn’t even come close to the sound.” – Lee Davidson – Prog Metal Madness