Izmir International Puppet Days 2014

Izmir International Puppet Days  takes place between March and April in the Turkish city of Izmir. It is regarded as one of the biggest puppet festivals in the world. Last year it brought together 41 puppet theatres from 20 countries which performed 45 different shows during more than 200 sessions, for both children and adults. Countries like  Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, England, France, Germany, Greece, Iran, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Peru, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the United States were represented at the festival, which also featured exhibitions, symposiums, conferences and workshops.

The organisation has applied for a mobility grant under the PICE run by Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) for 2014 in order to invite the Valencian company El Teatre de l´Home Dibuixat to show its piece Piedra a piedra (Stone to Stone).

This show, directed by Rosa Díaz, is a creative story with and about stones that speaks of friendship, intolerance and creativity. The work has won numerous awards, prominent among which are the Prize for the Best Show at the International Puppet Festival organised by the  UNIMA; the Prize for the Best Small-Format Show ’08 at FETEN; the Prize for the Best Performer and Puppeteer at the 24th Mostra Internacional de Titelles in Vall d’Albaida; the Spectators’ Prize for the Best Children’s Show ’09 at the 20^th Fira de Teatre de Titelles in Lleida; the Prize for the Best Show of ’10 at the 23^rd International Theatre Festival Valise in Lomza (Poland); and the Special Prize awarded by the Jury to Originality and Fantasy ’12 at the 19^th International Festival of Children’s Theatre of Subotica (Serbia).