Projects from Cinesite, MPC, and Framestore are among animation and VFX studios to receive multiple honors at the annual Australian celebration of visual effects, animation, games, and immersive technology.
Now in its 20th year, Animation & Effects Awards & Festival (AEAF) is a celebration of VFX, animation games and Immersive media that takes place in Australia. It includes an international competition and screening event, with awards given for creative and technical excellence in the use of visual effects and animation in the creation of screened work. The judging criteria include the technical skill, artistry and quality of the visual effects and animation, their appropriateness within the project, and their contribution to storytelling.
This year, Cinesite was honored with two awards in the competitive feature film category recognizing their dual capabilities across both its visual effects and feature animation divisions. Their animated feature film, The Addams Family received The Best Feature Film Award; the Silver Award in the TV series category was awarded to The Witcher, for the fantasy series produced for Netflix.
Other studios receiving recognition in multiple categories include MPC, which was awarded gold and silver in the feature film category for The Lion King and Godzilla: King of the Monsters, respectively. Also recognized was MPC’s The New Kid (DICK's Sporting Goods) winning silver for the commercial animation category. VFX house, Framestore, won multiple awards; in the TV series category they won Gold for His Dark Materials and in the commercial VFX category they were awarded silver for Shortcut (Toyota).
The awards recognized a wide range of categories from feature films, music videos, titles/openers to interactive, VR Experience, augmented reality. The following is the list of winners.
Feature Films:
- The Lion King - MPC Film - GOLD
- Godzilla: King of the Monsters - MPC Film – SILVER
- Jumanji: The Next Level - Weta Digital – BRONZE
- The Addams Family - Cinesite - BEST FEATURE FILM – ANIMATION
- Jumanji: The Next Level - Method Studios - BEST SEQUENCE
- Ford V Ferrari - Rising Sun Pictures - SPECIAL MERIT
- Lady and the Tramp - Weta Digital - SPECIAL MERIT
TV Series:
- His Dark Materials - Framestore – GOLD
- The Witcher - Cinesite – SILVER
- Stranger Things - Season 3 - Rodeo FX – BRONZE
Commercial Animation:
- The Time Shop - Psyop – GOLD
- DICK's Sporting Goods - The New Kid - MPC – SILVER
- Magic the Gathering - Throne of Eldraine - Axis Studios - BRONZE
Commercial VFX
- EasyJet - Hide and Seek - MPC - GOLD
- Toyota - Shortcut - Framestore - SILVER
- Asus - Zenbook - Fin Design and Effects - BRONZE
- RMA - The Search - Collider - SPECIAL MERIT
TV Series - Children
- Raising Dion Season 1 - Rodeo FX - GOLD
- Lego City Adventures - Season 1 - Passion Pictures - SILVER
- Alphabet Street - Paper Moose - BRONZE
- Are You Tougher Than Your Ancestors? - Sticky Pictures & Flying Kite Pictures SPECIAL MERIT
Live Event Installations & Projections:
- “Enlighten Canberra Architectural Projections” - The Electric Canvas – GOLD
- “Victoria” - Animism Studios – SILVER
- “Act V of the Exhibition Thierry Mugler: Couturissime” - Rodeo FX - BRONZE
- “Yabarra - Dreaming in Light” (2020 Adelaide Fringe) - Monkeystack - SPECIAL MERIT
Web/Viral
- Sealy Haynes - MISTER - GOLD
- Latitude - Let's - Heckler – SILVER
- Zotac - MiniPCs - Jumbla – BRONZE
Education & Infographics
- “Art Gallery of NSW Japan Supernatural Exhibition Educational Primer” - Hank Mango – GOLD
- “Sydney Living Museums: Surveillance” - Collider – SILVER
- “Kids Helpline - Covid-19 and Isolating” - Motion Lab - BRONZE
Music Video
- The Rest of My Days - Passion Paris Productions – GOLD
- Khruangbin - Pelota - Glassworks – SILVER
- Slipknot - Unsainted - Rodeo FX – BRONZE
Indents & Stings
- Australian Chamber Orchestra 2020 Season Launch Campaign - Substance – GOLD
- Foxtel UHD Foxsports - VANDAL – SILVER
- Spotify - Spotify - Passion Pictures - BRONZE
Studio Promo
- Aliens - Revolution – GOLD
- PlusOne Manifesto - PlusOne – SILVER
- Stella - Passion Pictures - BRONZE
Titles/Openers
- Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered - Framestore – GOLD
- World in Motion - Triada Studio – SILVER
- The Unlisted - Kinetika – BRONZE
- Standing Up For Sunny - Substance - BEST FEATURE FILM TITLE
Interactive, VR Experience, Augmented Reality
- City of Melbourne - Christmas Compass - Traffik and Red Cartel – GOLD
- Mermaid - The Mysterious Pearl - Untitled Studios – SILVER
- Subaqua - UTS Animal Logic Academy - BRONZE
Short Film
- Bounty Hunter - UTS Animal Logic Academy – GOLD
- Kino Ratten - Media Design School – SILVER
- Tomorrow’s On Fire - Passion Pictures – BRONZE
Game Trailers
- Magic: Legends - Plastic Wax – GOLD
- Apex Legends - Crypto - Passion Pictures – SILVER
- Boomerang Fu - David Smith Animation - BRONZE
Corporate Video
- DOLBY Vision - See The Unseen With Alexander Semenov - Juice – GOLD
- YDT - Underwater Autonomous Mapping - Jumbla – SILVER
- ANT Concept Vehicle - Cadre Pictures – BRONZE
Student
- The Beauty - Pascal Schelbli - Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg – GOLD
- Any Instant Whatever - Michelle Brand - Royal College of Art – SILVER
- Chocolate Man - Murat E Gönültas - Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg - BRONZE
For additional information regarding the AEAF, visit their website.
