The 9th edition of the Holland Animation Film Festival (HAFF) concluded on November 17, 2002 and festival organizers announced that attendance for the five-day festival rose to 11,500 admissions, up 10% from the 2000 edition of the festival. The bi-annual festival takes place in Utrecht, Holland, and presents a unique international competition for applied animation (in the categories commercials or promotional films, educational or information films, music videos, station calls or television leaders and campaigns) and a competition for short animated films (in the categories narrative and non-narrative film). The festival also presents the AnyZone competition for independent animated shorts. Winners of the AnyZone competition are screened in thirty cinemas throughout the Netherlands over the next two years. Susie Templeton's DOG (UK) won the festival's narrative Grand Prix, while BARCODE by the Netherlands' Adriaan Lokman won in the non-narrative category. The winner of the Grand Prix in the competition for applied animation films is CHANNEL (V) "Theatre of the Hands" by Pete Bishop and Michel Schlingman (UK). In addition to the Grand Prix competition, the Joop Geesink Award for Applied Animation was awarded in the following categories: Best Commercial -- Ikea "Heads" directed by Steve Angel (Canada); Best Leader - "British Animation Awards 2002" directed by Ben Clark (UK); Best Music Video -- Coldplay "Trouble" directed by Tim Hope (UK); Best Educational Film -- NSPCC: "Cartoon" directed by Russell Brooke (UK); and for Best Campaign -- "Dipi" directed by Andreas Hykade (Germany). In the competition for student films from the Netherlands and Belgium the winner was Belgium's Niels Rawoens for his film FLUEX. Niels will receive a grant of 13.600 from the Dutch Film Fund. The second prize went to WINTERSLEEPER by David Geertsema (Belgium), and the third prize was awarded to JASMINE by Tao Pu of the Netherlands. The AnyZone Awards went to: DOG (Suzie Templeton, UK); DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE (Paul Bush, UK); (THE RISE AND FALL OF THE LEGENDARY) ANGLOBILLY FEVERSON (Rosto, the Netherlands); HOME ROAD MOVIES (Robert Bradbrook, UK); MONT BLANC (Priit Tender, Estonia); and ERA MÈLA MÈLA (Daniel Wiroth, France). To read the jury's comments about the award winners and to find out more information about HAFF, visit the Website at:http://www.awn.com/haff.
