The 2019 Brussels International Animation Film Festival dedicated its closing ceremony to the innovative Dutch filmmaker, writer and musician, who passed away on March 7.
Dutch filmmaker, writer and musician Rosto’s ‘Reruns’ was given the Grand Prix award at the 2019 Anima Festival.
The curtain came down on the 38th ANIMA, the Brussels International Animation Film Festival, in ultra-festive style Sunday evening, opening with a delightful cinematic performance of Winsor McCay’s famous 1914 animated short film, Gertie the Dinosaur. The evening continued with the announcement of the winning films, followed by the premiere of The Agricultural Fair, the latest from duo Patar and Aubier featuring more crazy adventures with Cowboy and Indian.
This year’s 38th edition had 46,000 festivalgoers in attendance, including 32,000 from Brussels, marking an increase of 1,000 attendees over last year. The Festival welcomed 763 badge-holders this year, along with over 60 international guests coming from 20 different countries including the U.S., Japan and Egypt, who were visiting to present their films or take part in the Futuranima professional conferences.
The jury for the international competition -- made up of Maureen Furniss (US), Hisko Hulsing (NL) and Jakob Schuh (DE) -- decided to reward Rosto’s final short film Reruns, an explosive cocktail of live pictures reworked in 3D, and an invitation into the artist’s mind and especially his childhood memories... The Dutch filmmaker, writer and musician sadly passed away on March 7, while preparing his first feature. The Festival dedicated its closing ceremony to this great artist whose career had accompanied the Festival with his innovative and original works. The Anima 2019 Grand Prix comes with a grant of 2,500 Euros offered by the Région de Bruxelles-Capitale.
The jury awarded their special prize to Osman Cerfon’s I’m Going Out for Cigarettes, while the prize for the best student film went to Bloem? by Jorn Leeuwerink. Finally, the junior jury, made up of representatives from webtv Ceci n’est pas un Buzz and Ouftivi, rewarded the Academy Award-nominated One Small Step, by Andrew Chesworth and Bobby Pontillas, with their prize for the best short film for a young audience.
The jury for the national competition -- comprised of Anders Narverud Moen (NO), Julia Ocker (DE) and Ron Dyens (Fr) -- awarded the prize for the best Belgian short film from the SABAM to Lia Bertels’ Nuit Cherie. The Grand Prix for best short film from the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles went to Sous le Cartilage des Côtes by Bruno Tondeur.
Anima’s audience chose to award Denis Do’s Funan as the best feature for adults, while the votes for the prize for best short film went to Mind My Mind by Floor Adams. The Animated Night spectators awarded their prize for best short to Bloody Fairy Tales.
Finally, the Festival hosted a VR competition for the first time this year. The jury of experts, François Fripiat, Marine Haverland and Ioana Matei, chose Gloomy Eyes by Fernando Maldonado and Jorge Tereso, to win this first award for best VR film.
It should be noted that the European films awarded at the Anima Festival are eligible for the Emilie Awards, and the Anima 2019 Grand Prix is eligible for the Oscar for best animated short film.
Next year’s Anima is set to take place in Brussels from Friday, February 21 through Sunday, March 1, 2020.
The full list of winners at the Anima 2019 Awards is shown below:
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Jury Awards
Grand Prix Anima 2019 for Best International Short Film,
provided by the Brussels-Capital Region (2.500€)
RERUNS, Rosto (France/Netherlands/Belgium)
Creative Revelation Award (2.500 € provided by the Korean Cultural Centre)
GRAND BASSIN, Héloïse Courtois, Victori Jalabert,
Chloé Plat, Adèle Raigneau (France)
Special Jury Award
JE SORS ACHETER DES CIGARETTES, Osman Cerfon (France)
Award for Best Student Short Film
BLOEM ?, Jorn Leeuwerink (Netherlands)
Special mention
SISTER, Siqi Song (China)
Youth jury (Ceci n’est pas un Buzz and Ouftivi)
Award for Best Short Film for Children
ONE SMALL STEP, Andrew Chesworth, Bobby Pontillas (United States/China)
Special mention
ROBOTEN OCH VALEN, Jonas Forsman (Sweden)
Audience Awards
Audience Award for Best Animated Feature
FUNAN, Denis Do (France/Belgium/Luxemburg/Cambodia)
Audience Award for Best Animated Feature for Children
STUBBY, Richard Lanni (France/Canada/United States/Ireland)
Audience Award for Best Short Film
MIND MY MIND, Floor Adams (Netherlands/Belgium)
Audience Award for Short Film for Children
ONE SMALL STEP, Andrew Chesworth, Bobby Pontillas (United States/China)
Animation Night Audience Award for Best Short Film
BLOODY FAIRY TALES, Tereza Kovandová (Czech Republic)
Partner Awards
BeTV Award for Best Animated Feature
of the official selection (acquisition of broadcasting rights)
RUBEN BRANDT, A GYUJTO (RUBEN BRANDT, COLLECTOR),
Milorad Krstić (Hungary)
Press Award for Best Short Film (UPCB and UCC)
IMPOSSIBLE FIGURES AND OTHER STORIES III, Marta Pajek (Poland)
NATIONAL COMPETITION
Jury Awards
Award for Best Belgian Short Film, provided by Sabam (2.500€)
NUIT CHERIE, Lia Bertels (Belgium)
Grand Prix for Best Short of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles,
provided by the Fédération Wallonie -Bruxelles (2.500€)
SOUS LE CARTILAGE DES CÔTES, Bruno Tondeur (Belgium)
Author Award provided by SACD (2.500€)
ROBO, Leo Becker (Belgium)
Partner Awards
BeTV Award (acquisition of broadcasting rights)
SOUS LE CARTILAGE DES CÔTES, Bruno Tondeur (Belgium)
RTBF – La Trois Award (acquisition of broadcasting rights)
FROM THE SNOW-COVERED HILL,
Matty Jorissen & Wijnand Driessen (Belgium/Netherlands)
Cinergie Award (Electronic Press Kit)
ROBO, Leo Becker (Belgium)
VR COMPETITION
Best VR Short Film Award
GLOOMY EYES, Fernando Maldonado & Jorge Tereso (France/Argentina)
Audience Award for Best VR Short Film
LE CRI, Sandra Paugam & Charles Ayats (France)
Source: Brussels International Animation 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.
