Yegane Moghaddam’s film, Our Uniform, took the Grand Jury Prize at Animayo 2023 – Palmarés Internacional Animayo 2023. The film was one of over 2,000 in competition from over 80 countries.
The animation festival is a qualifying event as designated by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, with the festival winners of the Grand Jury Award and Best Spanish Short Film receiving preselection consideration for the Academy Awards “Best Animated Short Film” category. In addition, the winners of this year’s awards will travel to different cities and countries around the world, such as Los Angeles; Madrid; Barcelona; Lanzarote; Portugal; the Czech Republic; Brussels; Chicago; Mumbai; Prague; Colombia; Belgrade; and Korea as part of the “Animayo Itinerante” program.
The International Jury:
Andreas Deja (Disney animator, director, and producer. Poland, United States) presided; jury members included Jan Bubenicek, (director, animator, and writer, Prague, Czech Republic); Denisa Grimmova, (stop-motion, 2D and 3D director, art director, and animator, Prague, Czech Republic); Albert Barba, (animation director, Madrid, Spain), and Laura MacMahon, (senior 3D animator, Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom).
The winners selected by the International Jury:
- Grand Jury Prize: Our Uniform by Yegane Moghaddam (Iran) – A young Iranian woman reminisces about her school days through the wrinkles and seams of her old uniform.
- Best Student Short Film: Swing to the Moon by Marie Bordessoule, Adriana Bouissie, Nadine de Boer, Elisa Drique, Chloé Luau, Vincent Levrero, and Solenne Moreau – ESMA School (France).
- Best Social Short Film: A coeur perdu by Sarah Saidan (France).
- Best 3D: Distance – Act I: The Peacock and the Sphinx by Eddy Loukil (Canada).
- Best Art Direction: Pasajero by Juan Pablo Zaramella (Argentina).
- Best Mixed Technique: Our Uniforms by Yegane Moghaddam (Iran).
- Best Stop Motion (tie): Les Liaisons Foireuses by Chloé Alliez and Violette Delvoye (France).
- Best Stop Motion (tie): Pasajero by Juan Pablo Zaramella (Argentina).
- Best Adult Comedy Short Film: Phonorama by Alex Rey (Spain).
- Best 2D: Amarradas by Carmen Córdoba (Spain).
- Best Screenplay: A Coeur Perdu by Sarah Saidan (France).
- Special Mention of the Animayo Festival: Tahlequah the Whale: a Dance of Grief by Daniel Kreizberg (United States, Lithuania).
The International Jury for The Best Short Film in Spanish:
Members of this Jury included Clara López Pérez (production manager, Madrid, Spain); Carolina Jiménez (Layout TD for VFX in film, CG artist, Scanline VFX, Spain); Edgard Garcia-Blas (co-founder and CEO of Virtual Voyagers, Madrid, Spain); Albert Barba (animation director, Madrid, Spain); and Sandra Lasso (Talent Acquisition Director, Madrid, Spain).
Best Short Film in Spanish:
- Winner: Amarradas by Carmen Córdoba (Spain)
- Special Mention for Best Social Awareness: Cadê Heleny? by Esther Vital García (Spain – Brazil)
- Special Mention by the Spanish Jury for Best Art Direction: Pasajero by Juan Pablo Zaramella (Argentina).
The Jury for Cinematic, Commissioned and Music Videos:
Members included Bobby Chiu (concept artist and character design, co-founder of Imaginisim Studios, Philippines, Canada); Kei Acedera (illustrator and graphic artist, co-founder of Imaginisim Studios and Schoolism, Philippines, Canada); Clara López (production manager, Madrid, Spain); Edgard Garcia-Blas (co-founder and CEO of Virtual Voyagers, Madrid, Spain); and Carolina Jiménez, (Layout TD for VFX, CG artist, Scanline VFX, Spain).
The winners in Cinematic, Commissioned and Music Videos:
- Best Video Game Cinematics: Lords of the Fallen by Digic Pictures (Hungary).
- Best Music Video: Arlo Parks – Weightless (DC) by Marc Oller (Canada, United Kingdom).
- Best Advertising / Commissioned: Lil’Sugar Master of Disguise by Paulo García (Brazil).
- Special Mention by the Jury for Cinematics for Best Social Awareness: Hidden Heroes” by Anna Levinson (Germany).
- Special Mention by the Jury for Cinematics for Best Art: Miles Davies – What’s love got to do with it?” by Irina Rubina (Germany).
- Special Mention by the Jury for Cinematics for Best Art Direction: Travel Oregon – Extraordinary is Ordinary by Gerson Aguerri (Spain).
Visit Palmarés Internacional Animayo 2023 here to see the winners.
Source: Palmarés Internacional Animayo 2023
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
