Festival Updates: Shortsfest, Kaboom, BAFTA Games winners; YMA candidates and more

The winners of the 31st Aspen Shortsfest (aspenfilm.org) were announced on Sunday, qualifying the best films in six jury categories, including animation. In addition, the festival awarded Student Short, Youth Jury, Ellen Jury, Audience Award and Vimeo Staff Pick Award. On Tuesday, April 12 at 19pm, these award-winning films will be featured in a program at The Arts Campus at Willets (TACAW; www.tacaw.org). Winners, who receive cash prizes of $ 00 or $ 1.250, include:

• Animation Winner: Freedom Swimmer by Olivia Martin-Mcguire (Australia / France) - “Strong and timely history of political unrest and generational handover of the struggle against oppression. An elegant combination of animation and live action. " (OSCAR QUALIFICATIONS)
  • Winner also of the Ellen's jury - “Looking to the past to offer a vision of the present, this poetically animated documentary weaves hand-drawn animations with historical archival footage. In this escape story, a grandfather recounts his perilous swim from China to Hong Kong as he encourages his granddaughter in her quest for freedom in a dangerous historical moment ”.
• Special mention on animation: The Shaman's Apprentice by Zacharias Kunuk (Canada) - “For his mastery of stop-motion animation and the importance of sharing Inuit stories with the world”.
• Special mention on animation: A brief history of us by Etgar Keret (Poland) - “For taking us on a compelling journey through life, from new love humor to middle-aged darkness. Powerful but apparently artistic simplicity ".

• Winner of the short film: Stranger Than Rotterdam with Sara Driver by Lewie Kloster, Noah Kloster (USA) - “This is a great storyteller who tells a great story, where limited and eccentric animation helps to raise an absurd and eccentric story”.
• Student Short Special Mention: Charlotte by Zach Dorn (USA) - “For his impressive art, the ingenious approach of the fake documentary and the moving story about dedication to one's artistic ambitions against all odds”.
• Special mention for the student's short film: Soft Animals by Renee Zhan (UK / US) - “For its hilarious juxtaposition of hand-drawn hallucinatory animation and self-aware voiceover of truth, resulting in an evocative statement about the things we don't tell each Other. "

Even the animation festival Kaboom 2022 (kaboomfestival.nl) in Amsterdam recently concluded, announcing the winners in 13 categories judged and voted on by the public. The winners are:

• Best VR Award: Swarm by Maarten Isaäk de Heer (Germany)
• Best Dutch Short Film Award: Viewed by Kim de Ruyter (Netherlands)
• Best Music Video Award: Kai - “A Little Too Much"By Martina Scarpelli (US)
• Nancy Award: Camouflage by Jantiene de Kroon and Remco Polman (Netherlands)
• Award for the best documentary: Scum mutation by OV
• Award for the best short film for students: A Film About a Pudding by Roel van Beek (UK)
• Jamie Bolio Award: Green by Karolina Kajetanowicz

• Award for the best short film: Navozande, the musician by Reza Riahi (France)
• Audience Award for Best Short Film: Pig by Jorn Leeuwerink (Netherlands)
• Audience Award for Best Feature Film: Bob Spit - We don't like people by Cesar Cabral (Brazil)
• Best Experimental Audience Award: Abandoned village by Mariam Kapanadze (Georgia)
• Best Children's Audience Award: Battery Daddy by Seung-bae Jeon (South Korea)
• Award for the best commissioned audience: Save ralph - A short film with Taika Waititi by Spencer Susser (UK)

The Youth Media Alliance (YMA) has announced the nominees for their French-language Awards of Excellence, with the winners to be revealed during the gala on May 24 at Radio-Canada's Salle Jean Despréz in Montreal. The jury member selects candidates based on the YMA Quality Statement. Animated contenders this year include:

• TV / Web - Stimulation of imagination and creativity: Les mimistoires "Le donjon des fantômes" - produced by Maki Média, broadcast by TV5 / Unis.tv and TFO
• TV / Web - Commitment, openness and respect (short, less than 20 minutes): Dounia "Alep, Syrie" - produced by Tobo, broadcast by Télé-Québec
• TV / Web - Commitment, openness and respect (long form, 20 minutes and over): Canot Cocasse "Les bons conseils de Louis" - produced by Manito Média Inc, broadcast by UnisTV, Radio-Canada and APTN
• Interactive - Acquisition of knowledge and critical thinking skills: Math Makers - Application produced by ULULAB
• Interactive - Stimulation of imagination and creativity / Commitment, openness and respect: Tom Sawyer: La patrouille de Tom / La grande course - Website / Mobile application produced by PVP Média Inc.

The winners of the 2022 BAFTA Games Awards were announced last week, narrowing down the titles worth adding to your Steam library to get through the last gloomy days of spring. Returnal (Housemarque / Sony Interactive Entertainment) won Best Game, as well as Audio and Music Awards; Forza Horizon 5 (Playground Games / Xbox Game Studios) was named best British game; and Unpacking (Witch Beam / Humble Games) won the audience vote for EE Game of the Year.

Other notable triumphs include Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart (Insomniac Games / SIE), which won Animation and Technical Achievement awards; The Artful Escape (Beethoven & Dinosaur / Annapurna Interactive) won for artistic achievement; Toem (Something We Made) won the debut game; and It Takes Two (Hazelight Studios / EA), which is getting a film adaptation, won for Original Property. See all the winners and find out more about bafta.org/games/awards.

Other dates and details:

• Cartoon Movie has released the final report for 2022. The next edition is set for 7-9 March 2023.
• On April 14, Gallery Nucleus presents a virtual / in-person panel and book signature for The Art of The Bad Guys, with director Pierre Perifel, author Aaron Blabey, production designer Luc Desmarchelier, head of special effects Matt Baer and the art director Floriane Marchix.
• Animation Nights New York will host its virtual screening # 70 on April 24th.
• E3 organizers canceled the 2022 event to "focus resources" on unveiling "a reinvigorated showcase" in 2023.
• BIAF invites you to participate in the 2022 animated film festival in Bucheon, South Korea (21-25 October). Deadlines: June 30 (short film, diploma, TV and commissioned film) / July 31 (feature film, VR).
• Exhibitor registrations and reservations are now open for SIGGRAPH Asia 2022 in Daegu, South Korea (December 6-9).
• The Palm Springs Int'l Film Festival has been rescheduled from January 5-16, 2023. The Palm Springs ShortFest is still set for June 21-27, 2022.