Eagleman Stag, Searching for Sam Win at Sydney Int'l Animation Fest

files/pictures/picture-35.jpgPress Release from UTS: Sydney International Animation Festival

At the close of the third UTS: Sydney International Animation Festival the winners of the Blue Egg and Teen Choice were announced.

Winning the Blue Egg – the best of the festival as voted by the audience – for 2011 is The Eagleman Stag, from the UK’s Mikey Please.

The Eagleman Stag is a darkly comic tale about a man's attempts to counter the quickening perception of time as we age. It won a BAFTA for Best Short Animation this year, and recently won Best in Show at the Animation Block Party.

Winner of the 2011 Teen Choice Award is David Davoll, UTS Master of Animation student, for his film Searching for Sam.

Searching for Sam tells the story a disillusioned young man who is inspired one night while walking in the city to pursue life as an artist. As he ages, he finds not only much success in this field, but also discovers love.

The Teen Choice Award is selected by the high school students who participated in the Teen Jury Animation Workshop from the UTS films that were screened on Saturday.

At the closing event, which also saw the launch of LeeWhitmore’s new DVD, Chek Tien Tan, member of the UTS: SIAF Board, noted that it had been a truly inspiring and enjoyable weekend.

“It has been a great honour to hear from Rango sound designer Peter Miller, and independent animator Jonathan Nix about their craft.

“We have also experienced some fantastic presentations and discussions about all forms of animation, about whether 2D is better than 3D, about what can be done with code, and about hand-drawn film making,” he said.

In a unique blend of engagement and entertainment, UTS: Sydney International Animation Festival ran 23 – 26 September 2011 at the University of Technology, Sydney, and was developed around the concept of ‘educate, engage, entertain’.