| Satiemania | |
|---|---|
 Cover | |
| Directed by | Zdenko Gašparović |
| Music by | Erik Satie |
Production company | |
Release date |
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Running time | 14 minutes |
| Country | SFR Yugoslavia |
| Language | none |
Satiemania is a 1978 short animated film by Zdenko Gašparović from Zagreb Film animation studio. The short was created to visualize the music of Erik Satie.[1]
Gašparović drew much of the movie on his kitchen table in ink, pastels and pencil. From a visual perspective, it is described as a impressionistic "metaphor for people drifting mindlessly down the stream of life", but Gašparović states that it was partially based on the stories he had heard as a young boy. It is a series of small animated segments set to six music pieces by Erik Satie (as performed by Aldo Ciccolini[2]).[3] One example of a whimsical approach to the creation of the short includes an issue of Christian Herald he bought at a junk store, which he subsequently included in the film as a waving flag. Other visual gags include a piano biting off the upper half of the pianist during mid-note.[4]
The short premiered on 23 June 1978 as part of the 3rd Animafest Zagreb, where it was awarded Grand-prix by June Foray in Vatroslav Lisinski Concert Hall. It went on becoming a hit on other world animation festivals.[5][6] It was eventually shortlisted for an Academy Award.[7] Due to its popularity and success, it was subsequently included in courses on animation in colleges and universities.[1] Peter Cowie described it as a "witty and irreverent portrait of the human species".[8]
The short influenced a number of other artists such as Michaela Pavlátová.[3]
