A virtual awards ceremony honored a multi-national list of films including ‘Fresh Breeze’ by Gabriella Coumau, Alyx Ecalle, Saliha Sittler and Constantin Rytz; ‘Love is Just a Death Away’ by Bára Anna Stejskalová; ‘Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman’s Apprentice’ by Zacharias Kunuk; and ‘Üks imeline mees’ (‘A Most Exquisite Man’) by Jonas Taul.
13th edition of Festival Stop Motion Montréal wrapped up September 19, with the winners of each short film category honored during a September 17 virtual awards ceremony and special awards announced during the September 19 closing ceremony. Both events were live streamed from the festival’s Facebook page. This year’s jury included filmmakers Birutė Sodeikaitė, Daniel Sterlin-Altman, and producer Melanie Jackson.
Here are the award-winning films:
BEST YOUTH FILM
- Fresh Breeze by Gabriella Coumau, Alyx Ecalle, Saliha Sittler and Constantin Rytz (France, 2021)
- Two special mentions were given to Le Secret de Monsieur Nostoc by Maxime Marion and Patrice Seiler (France, 2021) and to Tulip by Andrea Love and Phoebe Wahl (United States, 2020).
BEST EMERGING TALENT FILM
- Love is Just a Death Away by Bára Anna Stejskalová (Czech Republic, 2020)
- A special mention was given to O Black Hole! by Renee Zhan (United Kingdom, 2020)
BEST INDEPENDENT FILM
- Angakusajaujuq: The Shaman’s Apprentice by Zacharias Kunuk (Canada, 2021)
- A special mention was given to The Girl with the Rivet Gun by Danielle Ash, Anne De Mare and Kirsten Kelly (United States, 2020).
BEST PROFESSIONAL FILM
- Üks imeline mees (A Most Exquisite Man) by Jonas Taul (Estonia, 2021)
- A special mention was given to I, Barnabé by Jean-François Lévesque (Canada, 2020)
PUBLIC CHOICE AWARD
- Meow or Never by Neeraja Raj (United Kingdom, 2020)
NAD-UQAC SCHOOL SPECIAL PRIZE for a Canadian filmmaker
- Bistro Girls by Jenna Marks (Canada, 2021)
A total of 101 short films were presented during the 10 days of the festival. The organization’s very first free outdoor screening attracted more than 170 movie-goers. Three online networking sessions and three special events (round table, conference, Q&A) were offered to the public and to members of the industry. 82 filmmakers participated in this 13th edition, and 35 interviews were conducted with them by festival co-director Marie Valade, which are available for viewing on the Festival's Facebook page. There was a significant increase in audience participation for this second virtual edition, with 230 passes sold this year, nearly twice the amount compared to 2020.
Source: Festival Stop Motion Montreal
