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Brain Zoo Wins Platinum Remi Award

Brain Zoo Studios wins the Platinum Remi Award at WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival for its CG short film “Pepe & Lucas.”

Van Nuys, CA -- Brain Zoo Studios won the top Platinum Remi Award for its first CG animated short, Pepe & Lucas at the 46th Annual WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival last Saturday evening. This 7 minute short was one of over 4,500 entries this year.

“We have been developing Pepe & Lucas for quite awhile now… a real labor of love and dedication for all of us at Brain Zoo.  It is a great honor to have it recognized with this award,” said Mo Davoudian, CEO and Creative Director of Brain Zoo Studios.

Pepe & Lucas is a cg animated romantic comedy short that depicts the conflict between two classic forms of street entertainers: clowns and mimes. The story begins in the colorful town of Starlight City, where Pepe the clown is being thrown out of a local tavern. Thirsty for attention, he stumbles out onto the streets in search of an audience. Instead, he comes across his nemesis Lucas the mime, a rising star that knows how to please a crowd. It's clear that this town isn't big enough for the two of them, and a battle of the street titans ensues. The story of Pepe & Lucas is told in the genre of depression era silent films where body language and facial expression, not words, are used to deliver the story to the audience.

"While we're paying homage to Charlie Chaplin and other films of that era, 3-D animation allows us to do things Mr. Chaplin could only dream of", adds Davoudian. “It's a whole new take on an old art form. The inspiration came from our recently-depressed economy, where doom and gloom were the orders of the day. I wanted to make a film that inspired hope and made people smile - the old fashioned way - but at the same time, using the latest techniques of animation to do it.”

“We are very proud of our short as we worked very hard to make it into the well animated, fast paced and ultimately romantic and uplifting tale it is, said Wim Bien, Co-Director and Animation Supervisor at Brain Zoo Studios. “We are so grateful to receive this prestigious award, and are honored to be recognized among the very talented past recipients.” 

WorldFest International Film Festival is the oldest independent film festival in the world and has been credited with discovering directors including Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Ang Lee, John Lee Hancock, Randall Kleiser, Ridley Scott, Robert Rodriguez, Robert Townsend, The Coen Brothers, Spike Lee, Oliver Stone and David Lynch.

Currently in development as a TV series and videogame, Pepe & Lucas is sure to bring a smile and a chuckle to the young and old all over the globe.

Source: Brain Zoo Studios

Jennifer Wolfe's picture

Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.

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