AWARDS
In Dreams
Wrapped in bandages, a burn victim is tended to by a futuristic hospice service.
Josh SHAFFNER
Josh SHAFFNER is a film maker, visual artist originally from Missoula, MT. He received a BFA in Painting and Drawing from The University of Montana in 2005 and an MFA in Experimental Animation from CalArts in 2015. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California working as an animator and teacher.
- Jury Statement
- Psychedelic experience referring aesthetically and thematically to the best traditions of science fiction, taking viewers' minds into a journey passing through different planets, virtual realities, microcosmos and macrocosmos. Past, future and alternative presents, depths of human and inhuman memories, dreams, consciousness and unconsciousness. It's a trip where you never know what's behind the corner, bending visible dimensions, expanding your mind to think in terms of light years, thoughts as tiny as subatomic particles and as humongous as galaxies. Film that tries to contact something truly alien and unknown. Film that goes above and beyond.
Vision
Eyes are magical spheres that make up dreams and retain memories. In our eyes, the visions of the within and of the beyond overlap. New worlds come to be when our gazes meet.
Çağıl HARMANDAR
Çağıl HARMANDAR (b.1992) is an artist from Istanbul, Turkey. After finishing SMFA at Tufts University for her BFA, she graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts Animation Department in 2023. She is currently a Phd Candidate at the same institute, based in Yokohama, Japan.
- Jury Statement
- What the "eye" sees travels through the nerves and forms an image of the world in the brain-- it was as if the process of perceiving the external world was portrayed with the pleasure of line animation. The impression was further complemented by the sensation of hands, like pushing sheets, trying to touch what's on the other side. Vividly traversing between afterimages and memories, consciousness and the subconscious, and the boundaries of self and other, the film reminded me that the world doesn't inherently exist but rather takes form through the perception of the observer. It's a work that conveys a fresh perspective that can be shared with many through sophisticated expression.
Our Uniform
An Iranian girl unfolds her school memories through the wrinkles and fabrics of her old uniform. She admits that she’s nothing but a “female” and explores the roots of this idea in her school years.
Yegane MOGHADDAM
Yegane MOGHADDAM is an Iranian animator and illustrator with a strong passion for nature, culture, and the reality she lives in.
- Jury Statement
- This work takes a heavy theme that could feel distant and portrays it in a relatable narrative style. It unfolds with a lively pace, and in each scene, there are ideas that can only be expressed through animation. It's a very high-quality piece where personal private experiences could be conveyed sensually, transcending age, nationality, and ideology.
Ardent Other
A stunned crowd faces a fire. The threat has no name, a diffuse anguish spreads. Fear needs to be conjured, fire must be turned into a sign.
Alice BRYGO
Born in 1996 in Montpellier, France, Alice BRYGO is graduated from ENSAD Paris and Le Fresnoy. Her artistic practice is situated at the borders between documentary, fantasy cinema and art installation. Her short film “Soum” premiered in Berlinale Shorts competition and was awarded Best Student Film in GoShort, Lichter Art award, and Grand Prize at Brive international cinema festival.
- Jury Statement
- Film in its minimalistic and raw approach using at the same time technologically advanced and rich in detailed imagery, touches on the topics of large group dynamics, consciousness of the crowd and individual at the same time. Questions our perception of shared social and historical events, shows how media and cultural narrations are leading our attention and compassion. During current world events it asks us questions : do we put our empathy and focus in the right places and directions? Can the building feel pain?
The Family Portrait
As Austro-Hungary teeters on collapse, Andras and his daughter are taken aback by the visit from Andras’ brother, Zoltan, who comes accompanied by his large family.
Lea VIDAKOVIC
Lea VIDAKOVIC is an artist and animation film director who works with animated installations, expanded media practices and puppet animation. She showed her works in numerous exhibitions, 200+ animation festivals, attended animation festivals as a selector and jury member. She teaches animation at Lusofona University, Lisbon.
- Jury Statement
- It condenses the unsettling historical backdrop into a brief moment in the life of one family. From the character development to the dynamics between the characters and the treatment of materials, it achieves a remarkably high level of quality. It masterfully encapsulates a subtle sense of fear within a simple storyline.
Architect A
“Architect A” is an architect who builds a house in a very special way. He builds a house that resembles the way that person has lived by collecting materials from the client’s life. However, he gives up on architecture after an unexpected accident. One day, an elderly woman comes to his house and shows out a fish-shaped wind chime, which A and his wife sculpted a long time ago, requesting A to build her own house.
LEE Jonghoon
In 2007, I entered the K-ARTS animation department and learned in-depth about the animation process. I participated in the establishment of VCRWORS in 2015 and have been actively producing animation until now.
- Jury Statement
- The reason for the award of this work, is never because it broke my tear glands, but lies in its thorough utopian depiction. It goes beyond scenes of coexistence with animals and plants, and portrays the process of overcoming ultimate losses such as disasters and death to find one's own value in life. It does so with rich colors, movement, and episodes, delivering an unforgettable viewing experience. In the current world, facing division and climate change, it has the potential to function as a powerful message. In this sense, it is a work that we hope will be seen by a wider audience, regardless of region or age.
Chicken for Linda!
Paulette feels guilty after unjustly punishing her daughter Linda and would do anything to make it up to her. She would even make chicken with peppers, even though she doesn't know how to cook. But where will she find a chicken on the day the whole country is on strike?
©2023 Dolce Vita Films, Miyu Productions, Palosanto Films, France 3 Cinéma
Chiara MALTA, Sébastien LAUDENBACH
- Jury Statement
- This overwhelming story touched the inner child inside us through the bare emotions in a pure and honest way, transcending human and family conflicts with a sharp sense of absurdity and satire. For a masterpiece full of surprises and joy, where the community comes together at the right time in the right place.
Tender Metalheads
Juanjo is an asthmatic boy who has lived protected by his family to the point of drowning him. And Miquel grows up in a family with an absent father. His mother tries to get ahead by herself, but she does not always succeed. Heavies Tendres is about the relationship between Juanjo and Miquel, two teenage boys from Barcelona in 1991 who will take in their friendship and heavy music refuge from the gray world they live in.
Joan TOMÀS
Screenwriter and director. He began writing scripts and making short films at a young age and became a professional when he studied audiovisual communication at FCC Blanquerna as well as a Master’s in film directing at ESCAC, where his short films were selected at important festivals such as the Elche festival or the Sitges festival, reaching to win one of them like the KURTS Arenas. At the dawn of YouTube, he created a humor and sketches channel called ”xox xox xox” in which he writes, directs and edits, which quickly grows in subscribers and some have more than 100,000 visits. Currently, as director of the production company, he is preparing an animated feature film and his first fiction feature film.
- Jury Statement
- This film successfully transposes to an emotional state of mind that reminds us of our teenage period, using a minimal and ingenious graphic design and animation.
Above the Clouds
The main character starts to feel deeper emotions for a guy, but she is afraid of falling in love again because of her past with her first love. So she runs off, rushing memories take her to an imaginary journey and forcing her to untangle her confused mind and heart.
Vivien HÁRSHEGYI
My name is Vivien HÁRSHEGYI, I was born and raised in Budapest, where I still live. After graduating high school I thought that I want to do illustrations and graphic design, but not much later I found out that animating “illustrations” are more fun for me, so I applied to Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design Budapest where I got my BA and also my MA degree in animation.
- Jury Statement
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"Wrinkles, strange displacements, unsteadiness and distortion. It makes the heavens ride on it and brings it down to earth.
One love begins, the despair of those who are madly in love with each other leaves, and the next snarling dance begins again. What is wrong with being madly in love?
For a work that made the heart dance with a strange displacement and comfort."
SWIM!
In a typical day at swim practice our protagonist is bombarded by the whistling of her eccentric coach, the burden of God’s watchful eye, the majesty of the older swimmers, and naughty recordings on her teammate’s cellphone. Not to mention the horror of getting her period. Crushes, tampons, and granola bars are the only things getting her through. All the while, our protagonist comes to understand herself and her body.
Isabel SANTOS
Isabel SANTOS is animator and illustrator from Queens, New York. She earned her BFA in animation from the Rhode Island School of Design and is currently earning her MFA in experimental animation from the California Institute for the Arts. She works independently, creating and directing her own animated shorts, and commercially as a freelance animator and designer.
- Jury Statement
- This quirky, ironic film, with a simple style, perfectly evokes the awkwardness of being an adolescent in a constantly changing body with all its embarrassing moments and peer pressures. It makes us want to look for these characters next time we are at a public pool.
Given Again
A painter’s obsession with a pattern in nature disrupts her sense of what is real. The more she fixates on this pattern, the more reality falls apart. Can she face the truth of what lies beneath the surface?
Jake OLESON
Jake OLESON is a film director and electronic musician. His passion for making things was cultivated by two loving designers who believed in the immense power of creativity and fun. His creative practices currently center on celebrating the resilience of the human spirit through film and music.
Pebble Hill
A small family of shrews lives on the edge of a stream. But one day, heavy rains fall sweep away the village. Luckily, the family escapes the worst, but their house is destroyed. The little family then sets out to find a new place before winter.
Marjolaine PERRETEN
Marjolaine studied multimedia design at ERACOM in Lausanne (Switzerland) from 2009 to 2012, and then learned animation through internships. She is currently working at Nadasdy Film as a director of animation films.
HIDARI
Stories have been told of a legendary craftsman during the Edo-era, by the name of Jingoro Hidari. Today, sculptures accredited to Jingoro can be found throughout Japan, but his very existence is yet to be confirmed. Having lost his foster parent and right arm to the betrayal of his senior apprentices, Jingoro is on a journey of revenge with a mechanical prosthetic arm and his sidekick, “Sleeping Cat.” People soon came to call him Jingoro “Hidari” because of his ability to artfully use his carpentry tools with only his left arm (“hidari” means “left” in Japanese). Finally, Jingoro faces one of his adversaries ”Inumaru” and the curtains rise on a fight to the death.
KAWAMURA Masashi, OGAWA Iku
KAWAMURA Masashi [Original concept / Screenwriter / Director]
Masashi is the Chief Creative Officer of Whatever Co. He founded PARTY in 2011, and after serving as the head of its New York and Taipei studios, he moved on to start Whatever Co. in 2018. He earned more than 100 awards around the world, including Cannes Lions, and has been chosen as one of the Creativity magazine’s “Creative 50,” Fast Company’s “100 most creative people in business,” and AERA magazine’s “100 people breaking out of Japan.”
OGAWA Iku [Character designer / Co-director]
Iku began stop motion animation while a graduate student at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and joined Dwarf after graduation. While working on his own as a director of original characters and short projects, he participated in the first Netflix Rilakkuma series “Rilakkuma and Kaoru” as an assistant director, and worked on the second season “Rilakkuma’s Theme Park Adventure” as overall assistant and episode director. NHK’s “Tuna in an Empty Can” is his completely original short series.
Currently working on a new project as a series director.
HIDARI
Stories have been told of a legendary craftsman during the Edo-era, by the name of Jingoro Hidari. Today, sculptures accredited to Jingoro can be found throughout Japan, but his very existence is yet to be confirmed. Having lost his foster parent and right arm to the betrayal of his senior apprentices, Jingoro is on a journey of revenge with a mechanical prosthetic arm and his sidekick, “Sleeping Cat.” People soon came to call him Jingoro “Hidari” because of his ability to artfully use his carpentry tools with only his left arm (“hidari” means “left” in Japanese). Finally, Jingoro faces one of his adversaries ”Inumaru” and the curtains rise on a fight to the death.
KAWAMURA Masashi, OGAWA Iku
KAWAMURA Masashi [Original concept / Screenwriter / Director]
Masashi is the Chief Creative Officer of Whatever Co. He founded PARTY in 2011, and after serving as the head of its New York and Taipei studios, he moved on to start Whatever Co. in 2018. He earned more than 100 awards around the world, including Cannes Lions, and has been chosen as one of the Creativity magazine’s “Creative 50,” Fast Company’s “100 most creative people in business,” and AERA magazine’s “100 people breaking out of Japan.”
OGAWA Iku [Character designer / Co-director]
Iku began stop motion animation while a graduate student at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and joined Dwarf after graduation. While working on his own as a director of original characters and short projects, he participated in the first Netflix Rilakkuma series “Rilakkuma and Kaoru” as an assistant director, and worked on the second season “Rilakkuma’s Theme Park Adventure” as overall assistant and episode director. NHK’s “Tuna in an Empty Can” is his completely original short series.
Currently working on a new project as a series director.
- Jury Statement
- Impressive technical prowess in stop-motion animation, the use of materials for sculpting and theatrical combat, and a 'classic' narrative. It's truly surprising to be so captivated by familiar materials. We look forward to a feature-length version that paves new possibilities for period dramas that animation can depict.
Nun or Never!
A nun digs a man up from the ground and loses her grip on everyday life. Can secrets and harmony coexist?
Heta JÄÄLINOJA
Heta JÄÄLINOJA is an internationally acclaimed young animation director. Her films combine vivid drawings with rich imagination, identifiable everyday comic themes and minimal yet powerful storytelling. Her previous animation “Penelope” (Estonian Arts Academy, 2016) has been shown at more than 100 festivals and has won more than 12 awards.
- Jury Statement
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*"Minister for Foreign Affairs Award" is given to an allegorical work of excellence that reflects the state of modern society among the works selected for the International Competition.
We were captivated by the unexpected storytelling of a conservative and seemingly anti-freedom homogeneous groups who are actually all shrewdly fulfilling their desires. It's not only a charming comedy but also an ambitious work that carries a contemporary social message.
Architect A
“Architect A” is an architect who builds a house in a very special way. He builds a house that resembles the way that person has lived by collecting materials from the client’s life. However, he gives up on architecture after an unexpected accident. One day, an elderly woman comes to his house and shows out a fish-shaped wind chime, which A and his wife sculpted a long time ago, requesting A to build her own house.
LEE Jonghoon
In 2007, I entered the K-ARTS animation department and learned in-depth about the animation process. I participated in the establishment of VCRWORS in 2015 and have been actively producing animation until now.
- Jury Statement
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*Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Award"" is given to a work selected for the International Competition that is aimed at a wide range of audience, including young children, and which shows a sense of modernity that shines through in its universal expression.
Revealing little about the likely complex backgrounds of the characters and why their hearts were moved, this work captivated us with its stunning, almost breathtaking beauty as a picture in every aspect. It drew us in exhilaratingly, and an unparalleled resonance was evoked.
MY SCHOOL
This film is a documentary produced as part of an art project set in an elementary school in Sapporo from November 2022 to February 2023. The collection of one-frame traces selected by the children themselves from the footage recording their daily school life overlaps with the observational viewpoint of the artist who entered the elementary school.
OSHIMA Keitaro
Born in Kushiro, Japan. Living in Sapporo, Japan. Active as a scholar in the field of visual media and as an artist whose focus mainly on the theme of dissecting and reconstructing the composition of moving image. Views visual media tools of personal expression and is involved in local activities such as screening and workshops. fellowship Academy of Media Arts Cologne, Germany, 2012
- Jury Statement
- We hear the voices before we see the real figures. The animation, emotionally wrapped in individuality, dances. With a skillful composition that reveals the hands of humans involved in the production process, it stands out as a musical piece as well. The sparkle of the snow reflecting light leaves a happy afterglow.
To the Moon and Back
Since I was born, the moon has circled the Earth 9,125 times. We all grew older with each orbit, but the moon never seems to age. A story about my grandma, her death, and my childhood.
Shuqin LI
Born in Chongqing, China in 1996. Graduated from the Animation Department of Tsinghua University in 2018. Received master’s degree from the Department of Animation at Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media in 2023.
- Jury Statement
- We were impressed by the creative use of accumulating afterimages like tree rings, portraying the memories of parting with a cherished family member. It's a work that evokes a sense of melancholy and positivity at the same time.
Esashi Oiwake (Hokkaido Folk Song)
This is an animation that visualizes the Hokkaido folk song “Esashi Oiwake.” This folk song does not have a concept of rhythm and relies on various kobushi (fluctuations in the pitch of the voice) called “noshi” and “momi,” among others, to sing with extended breaths. Although there are unique scores for learning, they do not accurately represent volume, pitch, and duration like Western sheet music. In this animation, we aimed to faithfully visualize the kobushi of the singer, creating a video that allows viewers to sing along while watching. Additionally, we represented the frequency of the shakuhachi, which accompanies the song, with waves, and depicted the lyrics that sing about the lonely sentiment of sailing across the Sea of Japan towards Esashi.
ONISHI Keita
A video artist based in Tokyo and Kanagawa, Japan. Onishi produces video installation works and music videos using animation methods to express the structure of music and the texture of sound. He is also involved in advertising, such as commercials, concept movies and motion CIs.
- Jury Statement
- The distinctive melody and lyricism of this folk song are beautifully expressed through simple patterns and typography alone. The essence of animation is encapsulated in this design stripped down to its very core.
Our Uniform
An Iranian girl unfolds her school memories through the wrinkles and fabrics of her old uniform. She admits that she’s nothing but a “female” and explores the roots of this idea in her school years.
Yegane MOGHADDAM
Yegane MOGHADDAM is an Iranian animator and illustrator with a strong passion for nature, culture, and the reality she lives in.
- Jury Statement
- We were impressed by the choice of materials and techniques that couldn't be more suitable for the subject matter. While dealing with a serious theme, the storytelling is remarkably light-hearted, emphasizing that what's portrayed in the film is simply a part of everyday life.
Wanna be Reborn as a Mole on the Back of the Unicorn’s Neck
The dissolve live’s eve, three strangers are being locked in the elevator of a hotel. During waiting for the help, they tried to talk something about unicorn to loosen up. But at that moment their phone noticed.
Yuchen LIU
Graduated in 2019 from Communication University of China, majoring in Animation Arts. Master’s degree candidate in the Department of Animation, Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media, expected graduation in March 2023.
- Jury Statement
- This work goes beyond sharp satire of the show business and includes keen insights into the contradictory affection. The exquisite balance and strong insight of the author were evident in the unique distance maintained toward the subject matter.
