South Korea’s ‘Johnny Express,’ directed by James Woo, also wins an Audience Award and Jury Award at the 2015 New York International Children’s Film Festival.
New York, NY -- After presenting four weekends of international films for ages 3-18, New York International Children’s Film Festival concluded its 18th edition at its annual Closing Night Celebration Monday night at the DGA Theater. The celebration included the presentation of the 2015 Festival Awards and a screening of the best short films from this year’s lineup.
Determined by voting from audience members who are age 18 and younger, Grand Prize Awards were presented to one short film and one feature film. Johnny Express (South Korea), directed by James Woo, was awarded the Grand Prize for a short film. The film, which played in the Festival’s “Short Films Two” program, also took home the Audience Award (ages 3-6).
The Grand Prize Award for a feature film was presented to Belle and Sebastian (France), directed by Nicolas Vanier. Based on a 1965 French novel by Cécile Aubry, the story of a young boy and his dog in a small Alpine village in 1943 was so popular it inspired a live action TV series in France and an animated TV series in Japan before its big screen adaptation.
Winners of the Festival’s two juried prizes are eligible for Oscar consideration in the Best Live Action and Best Animated Short Film categories, and were chosen by the Festival’s board of jurors: John Canemaker, Geena Davis, Lynne McVeigh, Matthew Modine, Richard Peña, Bill Plympton, Dana Points, Susan Sarandon, Henry Selick, James Schamus, Christine Vachon, Gus Van Sant, Taika Waititi, and Jeffrey Wright.
The Jury Award for Best Animated Short was presented to Johnny Express, marking the film’s third win of the night.
The Jury Award for Best Live Action Short was presented to Marina’s Ocean (Brazil), and accepted by director Cássio Pereira Dos Santos. The short made its New York premiere in the Festival’s “Girls’ POV” short film program, which is supported by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Audience awards, presented to short films, were determined by the votes of audience members of four different age ranges. A complete list of recipients follows:
Audience Award, ages 3-6: Zebra (Germany), Animation, Julia Ocker; New York Premiere, “Shorts for Tots”
Audience Award, ages 5-10: 5.80 Meters (France), Animation, Nicolas Deveaux, “Short Films One”
Audience Award, ages 8-14: Johnny Express (South Korea), Animation, James Woo, “Short Films Two”
Audience Award, ages 12-18: Steadfast Stanley (Canada/USA), Animation, John cody Kim; East Coast Premiere, “Heebie Jeebies: Spooky, Freaky & Bizarre”
Parents Award (audience members ages 18+): Giovanni and the Water Ballet (Netherlands), Live Action Documentary, Astrid Bussnik, “Short Films Two”
New York International Children’s Film Festival ran from February 27 through March 22, 2015. The Festival’s 18th year included 16 feature films – including 2 screenings on both Opening Night and Closing Day, over 20 visiting international filmmakers, 2015 Oscar nominated films A Single Life (Best Animated Short) and Me and My Moulton (Best Animated Short) and over 25,000 attendees.
Source: New York International Children’s Film Festival
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.
