‘A Year or Birds’ / ‘Over and Out’ / ‘Uka Uka’ Take Top Prizes at ANIMARKT Stop Motion Forum 2023
Animarkt 2023 Award Winners – UKA UKA (left), A year of birds (top right), The Vanderberg Sisters (bottom right)
More than 200 representatives of animation industry – creators, producers and distributors – from Norway, Mexico, Japan and Nigeria. Discussions about the industry’s challenges: equality, ecological ways to produce puppets and education systems. And, most importantly, projects competing for awards that bring creators closer to realisation their touching, amusing, often socially engaged animations. The Award ceremony is one of the last program points of this year’s edition of ANIMARKT Stop Motion Forum.
This year in the competition section of the forum we placed socially engaged projects at the centre; concerned with the hardships of motherhood, war trauma or social relationships. There was also no shortage of wonderful tales of friendship and search for adventure. During the pitching sessions we had a chance to learn about true moving stories that were inspirations for the films.
Agnieszka Kowalewska-Skowron, head of ANIMARKT Stop Motion Forum
This year for a second time submissions for ANIMARKT Pitching took two forms: short projects in development and feature, TV series or TV specials projects.
The prizes offered to winning projects
10 short projects competed for 40 000 PLN and 20 000 PLN in the form of in-kind coproduction contribution funded by Audiovisual Technology Center in Wrocław, industry accreditation for MIFA 2024 fair in Annecy, residency in Argentinian Cordoba funded by APA Lab, industry consultations with Animond and Dragonframe 5 software. CEE Animation Forum guarantees participating in pitchings in non-competitive section. Radiator IP Sales Distribution is going to provide consulting in the field of international distribution for the selected project. Animator Festival is going to provide accreditation for the director and the producer. And thanks to the Visegrad Fund financing, one of the projects is going to receive 3 000 EUR to use in studios in the countries belonging to Visegrad Group.
“Over and Out” picked up 3 awards at the forum pitching
When it comes to the best features and TV series that competed during ANIMARKT Stop Motion Forum for a second time, they could count on qualification for Young Industry Horizons 2024, industry accreditation for MIFA 2024 in Annecy and publication in the latest investment catalogue by Animond. Apart from that, Dragonframe 5 software, postproduction provided by ORKA Studio, prize funded by Animator Festival and participation in pitching in non-competitive category from CEE Animation.
Awards bring creators closer to realization of their ideas. Selection of this year’s winners was not the easiest; not only because the quality of pitching projects competing for awards was incredibly high, but also because of social engagement that was present in the films’ subjects. We’re going to follow further path of this year’s winners with joy.
Agnieszka Kowalewska-Skowron
“A Year of Birds” scooped 3 awards in the TV Series/Features category
List of winning short projects
- 40 000 PLN – in the form of in-kind coproduction contribution sponsored by Audiovisual Technology Center – UKA UKA
- 20 000 PLN – in the form of in-kind coproduction contribution sponsored by Audiovisual Technology Center – OVER AND OUT
- Industry accreditation for MIFA 2024 in Annecy – Endless Hole
- APA Lab award – OVER AND OUT
- Animond award – Ovary-Acting
- Dragonframe 5 software – Winter in March
- Visegrad award – OVER AND OUT
- CEE Animation Forum award – A whale a submarine and the sound in between
- Radiator IP Sales distribution award – JOY
- Animator Festival award – Winter in March
List of winning features and TV series:
- Young Horizons Industry award – Welcome to Vegetown
- Industry accreditation for MIFA 2024 in Annecy – The Vanderberg Sisters
- Animond award – A year of birds
- Dragonframe 5 software – A year of birds
- ORKA Studio award – Bea and the isle of spells
- Animator Festival award – A year of birds
The top prize of 40,000 PLN (approx. £7.5k) went to UKA UKA
Organised for the eighth time this year ANIMARKT Stop Motion Forum is the only industry event in the world that integrates community of stop motion film. Forum is the place where business relations are initiated, international corporations started and young creators have a unordinary chance to present their projects in front of their masters. This is the place where their beginnings have films appreciated by the critics and the audience.
ANIMARKT Stop Motion Forum is co-funded by International Visegrad Fund and Polish Film Institute. Event’s partner is Creative Europe Desk Poland. Main partners of ANIMARKT Stop Motion Forum 2023 are EC1 Łódź – City of culture, Łódź Film Commission, Direccion General de Promocion de Exportaciones Chile, Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual I.P. / ICA,, Centre for the Development of Creative Industries and LOOM Hotel.
The event is organised by MOMAKIN, company combining the world of animation filmmaking with international production, distribution and promotion, specializing in stop motion projects. It supports animation projects at every stage of their development: from planning and financing through production to distribution. It is also involved in education and professionalization of the film industry.