Photo: Jovica Drobnjak

Borivoj Dovniković Bordo, born in 1930 in Osijek, is an author of animated films, caricaturist, illustrator, graphic designer and comic book author. After finishing high school (1949), he moved to Zagreb and enrolled to the Academy of Fine Arts where he started to work professionally in journalism as a caricaturist and illustrator. In 1950, he left his studies and became a member of the group of caricaturists of the humorous magazine Kerempuh. This group of illustrators started experimenting in film animation and after a year’s work produced the first animated art film in this region (Veliki miting).
During 1951 and 1952 in film, Bordo gathered and educated new authors of animation. Since that time he has been an active member of the famous Zagreb school of animated films. Beginning as a cartoonist and animator, since 1961 Bordo has been drawing, animating and directing his animated films mostly in film.

Awards:

In his fifty years of career, Bordo won many international and domestic awards and diplomas, such as those in Acapulco, London, Belgrade, Columbus, New York, London, Krakow, Leipzig, Berlin, Gabrovo, Baltimore, Trieste, Bilbao, Hollywood, Bogotá, Vienna, Annecy, Los Angeles, Manheim, Barcelona, Zagreb, Melbourne, Sidney, Lucca, Teheran, Chicago, Espinho, Varna, Tampere, Treviso, Bourg-en-Bresse...

For his achievements in film animation, Bordo won:

Honorary diploma, Incontri Internazionali del Cinema, Sorrento, 1975

Honorary diploma, Salone Internazionale dell’ Animazione, Lucca, 1978

Premio alla Carriera, Antennacinema Cartoon’95, Treviso, 1995 in honor of the 100th anniversary of world cinema

Life time achievement award, Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 2000

Life time achievement award, International film festival, Motovun, 2001 in honor of 50 years of his career

Life time achievement award in culture, Emblem of the town of Osijek, 2002

Life time achievement award “Vladimir Nazor” for film creation, Zagreb, 2003

Diploma for contribution to the development of animation, Balkanima 2004, Beograd

Yugoslav Cinematheque’s diploma for outstanding contribution to film art, Belgrade, 2004

Retrospectives from 1974 to 2005:
Paris, Ottawa, Lucca, Varna, Moscow, Yerevan, Barcelona, Prague, Bratislava, Tampere, SAD (15 towns), New York (Museum of Modern Art), Montreal (Cinematheque Quebecoise), KROK, Kecskemet, Birmingham, Ljubljana, Denver, Čačak, Madrid, Beograd, Eksjö, Göteborg, Genzano di Roma, Ancona, Isfahan.

Dovniković’s films, within retrospectives of the Zagreb School of Animated films, have been shown all over the world.

He was a member of selection committees and juries at nineteen international film festivals.

He published the book School of animated film in 1985, which has been translated and published also in Czech Republic and France.

For several years he was member of the Executive Committee and from 1994 to 2000 secretary of ASIFA, international association of animated film.

He has been active in managing the World Festival of Animated Films in Zagreb since its beginnings in 1972. He was the director of this festival from 1985 to 1992.

Bordo also worked as a caricaturist, illustrator, graphic designer and comic book author.