The 11th International Animators Film Festival ended with great excitement. The Animators Jury consisting of Merve Çaydere (Turkey), Mbuotidem ‘MBY’ Johnson (Nigeria) and Mohamed Ghazala (Egypt) determined the winners of 4 awards, while the SİYAD (Cinema Writers Association) Jury consisting of Selin Gürel, Gözde Hatunoğlu and Umur Çağın Taş gave 1 award. Among the films that stood out at the festival were “Crab Day”, which won the best student film award, “The Wolf’s Box”, which won the best Turkish film award, and “Câline/Cuddle”, which won both the best first film and best film awards. In addition, the film “Le Bar de Maurice”, selected by the SİYAD jury, was also highly acclaimed. The festival was enlivened by a series of workshops, conferences, panels and film screenings, offering opportunities for animation lovers and artists to exchange and share ideas.
The 11th International Canlandıranlar Film Festival ended on Saturday 28 October with the presentation of the 5 awards given in the competition. The Animators Jury consisting of Merve Çaydere (Turkey), Mbuotidem ‘MBY’ Johnson (Nigeria) and Mohamed Ghazala (Egypt) awarded 4 prizes and SİYAD (Cinema Writers Association) consisting of Selin Gürel, Gözde Hatunoğlu and Umur Çağın Taş awarded 1 prize.
Ross Stringer’s “Crab Day” won the best student film award. This sensitive, cleanly drawn film tells the story of a young boy in a fishing community who must kill his first crab in an annual ritual to become a man and win the approval of his father and the community. In its judgement of the film, the jury said: “This student film is truly remarkable. It deals with a simple central idea, but it is effectively executed and highly relevant. The film uses repetitive movements effectively and skilfully. The simplicity of its art enhances the narrative beautifully. Moreover, the sound design and music are simply outstanding.”
The award for the best Turkish film went to Uğur Savaş’s 20-minute stop-motion work “The Wolf’s Box”. In their judgement, the jury expressed their appreciation with the following words: “The director of the Turkish short film shows a clear vision and uses creative techniques to create an outstanding cinematography. The film stands out for its clever use of metaphors, cinematic dialogues and realistic depiction of relationships. Despite the surreal elements, it deals with social prejudices in a marvellous way.”
This year the Best First Film and Best Film awards went to the same short film, “Câline/Cuddle” by Margot Reumont (Belgium). The film deals with family relationships and incest between siblings. The jury had this to say about the film: “A real gem of cinema, this film has a great story structure and a beautiful visual language. It packs an emotional punch towards the end and tackles an important theme that deserves more attention. Kudos to the artist for handling this theme in such an elegant way.”
“With its quiet intensity and unspoken truths, the film resonates emotionally. The simplicity of both the narrative and the art style is reminiscent of the elegance of old paintings. “Câline/Cuddle” marks an incredibly brave beginning in filmmaking. Its storytelling prowess beautifully complements its mesmerising visuals, and the seamless transitions between scenes guide us smoothly through this engaging narrative. The film deftly explores the enigmatic world of family secrets cocooned in the comforting arms of nostalgia.”
The CIA jury selected Le Bar de Maurice by Tzor Edery, Tom Prezman (FR), which tells the dramatic story of Maurice/Moise, the owner and second queer bar in Paris in the 1940s. The jury explained its decision with the following words: “This film, which narrates the hidden queer history of 1900s Paris with elegant and inventive tricks, promises an unexpected journey through time. With its attention to detail and frames inspired by cinema classics, we witness a living character finding his essence in the animated genre. For its mature unconventionality and playful contradiction, we have unanimously awarded this film the SİYAD Best Film award.”
The International Animators Film Festival was once again a great opportunity for animation lovers and artists to exchange and share ideas. The festival completed 6 workshops at the Café de l’Animation, temporarily set up at the Institut Français and at the Museum Gazhane, 5 conferences/panels/discussions aimed at expanding the field of thinking on animation, 4 feature films, 3 of which premiered in Turkey, and 78 selected short films.
You can access the videos of the conferences and meetings on our website. Once again, we would like to thank our volunteers, sponsors and of course the animation lovers who participated in the festival activities.