Best Dramatic Feature
Beluga by Mahdi Jafari (Iran)
Jury’s Comment:
This film asks, what is more important: feeding your family or protecting the environment? Another question is whether catching rare sturgeon brings fortune or disaster. In a troubled country such as Iran, such choices are all the more difficult. This film will certainly make the audience appreciate their own living environment.
Best Dramatic Short
Sing by Kristóf Deák (Hungary)
Jury’s Comment:
This short film tackles the relationship between authority, the social system, and children: How much room do children have to negotiate with authority, and how do they deal with this problem that faces everybody? Every adult was once a child and still has an inner child hidden within. In this short film, children work together to fight against external authority. The question of what it means to be number 1 certainly warrants reflection by both adults and children. This short film takes a mature perspective on complex issues in a way children can understand.
Best Animated Feature
Ballerina by Éric Summer, Éric Warin (Canada, France)
Jury’s Comment:
The narrative is engrossing, with expert execution and high production qualities. The film’s characters, set design, and animation are all exceptional.
Best Animated Short
Revolting Rhymes by Jakob Schuh, Jan Lachauer (United Kingdom)
Jury’s Comment:
Adapted from a work by renowned children’s author Roald Dahl, this short film takes three classic fairy tales and turns them on their heads: Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, and The Three Little Pigs. This retelling of three well-known fairy tales is a story full of drama. The animated characters and visual style are unparalleled, and the short film gives young audiences an opportunity to look at familiar stories from a new perspective.
Best TV/Web Program
The Marble Brothers’ Great Adventure! by Masahiko Sato, Masumi Uchino, Masaya Ishikawa (Japan)
Jury’s Comment:
This program turns objects from a child’s daily life—drinks cans, pencils, sticky tape, plastic balls, tape measures, and cartons—into a fun and ingenious adventure story. The jury was especially impressed by how the program is infused with physics (e.g. gravitational acceleration). Inspiring, educational, and entertaining, this program stands out among children’s TV/web programs.
Taiwan Award
Slant the Sapling by GUO Jun-Ming (Taiwan)
Jury’s Comment:
A refreshing animation, this short film tells the story of how a sapling grows diagonally in order to protect small forest animals. The inspiring story has a profound message, and the art design and story-telling are both superb.
Special Jury Award
The Wind in the Reeds by Nicolas Liguori, Arnaud Demuynck (France, Belgiumm, Switzerland)
Jury’s Comment:
The sound design is creative and ingenious, and the music is presented artistically in a way that takes into account both its metaphysical significance and its physical expression. The visual style is original and artistic, the animation refined and poetic, and the story contains a profound message. This short film is an eye-opening work.
