Witchfairy is an award-winning animated short about Rosemary, a young fairy who finds life in the fairytale castle unbearably dull. Fairies are expected to be sweet, wear pink dresses and behave perfectly, while Rosemary dreams of becoming a witch — flying on a broom, screaming as loudly as she likes and getting wonderfully messy.
When her mother refuses to accept this unusual ambition, Rosemary packs her belongings and runs away to the mysterious witch forest. Her journey brings her into a world that appears completely different from everything she knows, but gradually reveals that fairies and witches may have more in common than either community believes.
Told without dialogue and inspired by the children’s book by Brigitte Minne and Carll Cneut, Witchfairy combines humour, adventure and a distinctive painterly visual style. Through the relationship between Rosemary and her mother, the film explores identity, diversity and the importance of allowing children to choose their own path. At its heart, it is a warm story about overcoming expectations, accepting difference and bringing two seemingly opposing worlds together.
The 15-minute Belgian–Bulgarian co-production was directed by Cédric Igodt and David Van de Weyer and produced by CineVenture and Zographic Films, with support from the Flanders Audiovisual Fund and the Bulgarian National Film Center. The film was selected for the Tribeca Festival, Giffoni Film Festival, SEMINCI and numerous international children’s and animation festivals. Its awards include the Grand Jury Prize at No Coast Film Fest and Best Animation at Toronto Shorts International Film Festival.
