Spains foremost animation film festival, Animayo Gran Canaria, awarded Oscar-qualifying honors to animation shorts Our Uniform by Irans Yegane Moghaddam and Amarradas by Spains Carmen Crdoba as it reported a 29% jump in attendance, the biggest ever in its 18-year history.
Sixty animation shorts were in contention, selected out of 2,000 entries from more than 80 countries. Disney animation legend Andreas Deja (The Lion King, Aladdin), who presented the Spanish premiere of his 2D animation short, Mushka, presided over the international jury. He also held a Master Class on his 30 years at Disney, delivered a keynote address on the making of Mushka and led a three-hour drawing class on animated villains. The students made me feel like a rock star, he told Variety. What better thing to hear than that the films I worked on still impact many people to this day, he mused.
From the scores of animation shorts he watched as a juror, he observed a surprising trend away from computer generated projects and a return to 2D and stop-motion techniques.
The winning Our Uniform, about a young Iranian woman who remembers her school days through the wrinkles and seams of her old uniform, is a combination of both techniques, earning it an Animayo Best Mixed Media award as well.
Cordoba, singled out by Variety in 2021 as one of 10 Spanish Cineastes on the Rise, won the Spanish animation category, Animacin con , with Amarradas, an exploration of the bond between mothers and daughters. It also took home the Best 2D Award.
Pasajero by Argentinas Juan Pablo Zaramella won the awards for Best Art Direction from the International Jury and Best Stop Motion (ex aequo) with the French film Les Liaisons Foireuses by Chlo Alliez and Violette Delvoye.
Underscoring the festivals educational and vocational goals, Animayo Gran Canaria doled out 600,000 euros ($660,000) in talent scholarships, an additional 100,000 euros compared to the previous edition.
In its recruitment sessions, the festival scheduled over 400 interviews for 78 job offers in 30 categories to meet the demands of 13 recruiting companies.
The festivals impact on the Canary Islands is marked by the growing number of animation studios on the islands, also bolstered by generous incentives. There were few studios in the past, now there are more than 25 of them, Deja observed.
The official Animayo 2023 Awards will tour different cities and countries around the world, including Los Angeles, Madrid, Barcelona, Lanzarote, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Brussels, Chicago, Mumbai, Prague, Colombia, Belgrade and South Korea through its Animayo Itinerante program.
Our Uniform and Amarradas are eligible for consideration in the Academy Awards animated short film category.
Founded by its director Damian Perea, the Festival counts on the sponsorship of several institutions, led by the Cabildo de Gran Canaria, the Ayuntamiento de las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the Fundacin La Caja de Canarias.
The 18th Animayo was held in the city of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria from May 3 to 6.
International Jury Awards:
Grand Jury Prize. 3,000, pre-selection for the Oscars and trophy for Our Uniform by Yegane Moghaddam. Iran.Best Student Short Film to Swing to the Moon by Marie Bordessoule, Adriana Bouissie, Nadine de Boer, Elisa Drique, Chlo Luau, Vincent Levrero, and Solenne Moreau.Best Social Short Film to A coeur perdu by Sarah Saidan. France.Best 3D to Distance Act I: The peacock and the sphinx by Eddy Loukil. Canada.Best Art Direction to Pasajero by Juan Pablo Zaramella. Argentina.Best Mixed Technique to Our Uniform by Yegane Moghaddam. Iran.Best Stop Motion (ex aequo) to Les Liaisons Foireuses by Chlo Alliez and Violette Delvoye. France.Best Stop Motion (ex aequo) to Pasajero by Juan Pablo Zaramella. Argentina.Best Adult Comedy Short Film to Phonorama by Alex Rey. Spain.Best 2D to Amarradas by Carmen Crdoba. Spain.Best Screenplay to A Coeur Perdu by Sarah Saidan. France.Special Mention of the Animayo Festival to Tahlequah the Whale: a Dance of Grief by Daniel Kreizberg. United States, Lithuania.