Isabel Peppard’s “Butterflies” wins the Jury Prize for Best Short Animated Film at Cinequest International Film Festival.
Butterflies, a new stop motion animation by Australian director Isabel Peppard, won the Jury Prize for Best Short Animated Film at Cinequest International Film Festival in San Jose. Cinequest is an A list Academy Accredited US festival. Winning the award for best short animation means that Butterflies is now eligible for Oscar nomination in the category of Best Animated Short.
Cinequest remains one of the last big festival bastions for the discovery of new and emerging film artists. Cinequest Film Festival (CQFF) presents a dynamic 13-day event of 200 international films with over 600+ film artists, technologists, and professionals from 44 countries in attendance. Over 10,000 artists have attended CQFF to date. CQFF has an attendance of 95,000 and receives over 2000 film submissions every year.
Isabel Peppard, the Director/Animator/Production Designer of Butterflies says “We are so honored to accept this accolade from Cinequest which is not only a prestigious A list festival but also fiercely independent and committed to supporting Maverick film makers and nurturing new talent”
Butterflies had its world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival on August 11th 2012 before being invited to Sitges International Film Festival in Spain, one of the worlds top horror and fantasy film festivals. Sitges programmers described the film as "A short destined to become an instant stop motion classic."
Butterflies tells the tale of a young artist (Claire, voiced by Rachel Griffiths) who struggles to make a living by selling drawings to passersby. A businessman (Dalton Hearst, voiced by Nicholas Hope) recognizes her talents and offers her a paying job. The prospect seems inviting but the reality threatens to kill her imagination.
Interweaving Claire’s childhood memories with her contemporary life and nightmares, Butterflies is a gothic fairytale presented in Peppard’s predominantly bleak but beautifully ornate handcrafted world.
After attending the world premiere at the Melbourne International Film Festival Rachel Griffiths expressed her support for the film, “I’m so proud to have been part of such an extraordinarily crafted and wondrous short film. No doubt it will be the first in a substantial career for Isabel Peppard.”
Source: Isabel Peppard
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.
