‘Pear Garden’ Scoops Grand Prix at 7th ANIMAFILM as International Animation Community Descend on Baku
After five intense days of screenings, workshops, markets and networking the 7th ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival concluded with its award ceremony and much love from the international guests – many of whom had visited the festival, and Baku, for the first time. In a rather fitting end to a festival where the theme was ‘LOVE’, jury member Aneta Ozorek roused the audience into chanting “biz sizi sevirik” (“we love you”) to the festival team and everyone who made the week possible – a sentiment echoed by everyone present.
Between 2-6 October, over 1,000 spectators watched more than 100 films from 26 countries, while enjoying the three main strands of the festival: Competition Programs, Out-of-Competition Programs and the Professional Programs. (The full festival catalogue can be downloaded here.)
ANIMAFILM 2024 awards, designed by Nazrin Aghamaliyeva
After viewing 48 films from 18 countries – 12 of which were Azerbaijani in origin – the international jury and audience selected the winning films for the competition categories; with the beautifully crafted ‘LOVE’ awards (designed by the festival Creative Director, Nazrin Aghamaliyeva), being awarded at the ‘Azerbaijan’ cinema in Baku on Sunday evening.
ANIMAFILM 2024 Award Winners
- Best Short Animated Film – GRAND PRIX: “Pear Garden”. Directed by Shadab Shayegan. Germany.
- Special Award for the Best Short Animatied Film – GRAND PRIX: “The Family Portrait”. Directed by Lea Vidakovic. Croatia.
- Best Short Animated Film for Children: “The Night Tunnel”. Directed by Annechien Strouven. Belgium.
- Special Award for the Best Short Animated Film for Children: “Baking With Boris”. Directed by Maša Avramović. France.
- Audience Award: “Inanna”. Directed by Rustam Bashirov. Azerbaijan.
- Best Short Azerbaijani Animated Film (Annecy Travel Award): “Overthinking”. Directed by Zakhrakhanim Guluzade. Azerbaijan.
- Special Award for the Best Short Azerbaijani Animated Film: “Chasing Time”. Directed by Ayla Qasimova, Si Yi Lee. Azerbaijan, USA.
- Special Award of the Azerbaijan Animation Association (Best Short Animated Film): “Wild Animal”. Directed by Tianyun Lyu. China.
- Special Award of the Azerbaijan Animation Association (Best Short Animated Film for Children): “Puddle”. Directed by Maria-May Backhaus Brown, Mads Theodor Bonde. Denmark.
‘Pear Garden’ (Shadab Shayegan), left, and ‘The Night Tunnel’ (Annechien Strouven), right
Out-of-Competition Programmes
One of the stand-out aspects of this edition of ANIMAFILM was how it brought so many international animation communities together, and celebrated their films and cultures. This was perfectly encapsulated during the With Love from Countries of the World programmes, where audiences watched animated films – some old, some new – from the Czech Republic, Portugal, Greece, and Georgia.
In a similar international vein, the recently formed Association of Turkic Animation (ATA), presented a collection of films from the Turkic countries (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Turkey). ATA: Selected Animated Films from the Turkic World was a chance to view a range of animated films which have rarely been seen outside of their country or region – with many subtitled for the first time in English for this international audience.
Aside from a number of classics which were screened (Shrek, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Paprika), the presentation of the animated horror anthology series Red Iron Road was a favourite of many audience members. Based on the works of famous European authors, and shown for the first time in Azerbaijan, the anthology utilises a range of techniques and styles across six episodes; all addressing different themes and tones. Jury member, Matthew Lyon, was an integral part of the project and directed episode 6: No.8 Reporting (check it out on Amazon Prime if you can!).
On the more practical side, a number of workshops were run throughout the week, including the masterclass by renowned Uzbek director Dante Rustav; character creation by Leyla Ali; a stop motion workshop by UK-based Azerbaijani director Ayan Novruz; and an incredible session by Matthew Lyon, whose talk transcended animation and story structure, and veered into self-improvement and how to take your career to the next level.
ANIMAFILM was one of those rare festival experiences that I have not encountered since pre-pandemic times – where jury, volunteers, filmmakers, members of the public and officials mingled, shared their love for animation and in the process, forged professional and personal bonds for life. All of this without mentioning the amazing food, history, culture and people of Baku. This edition will be difficult to beat, but if anyone can do it, Rashid, Nazrin and the ANIMAFILM team can – I look forward to the future of the festival and watching the Azerbaijan industry grow!
About ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival
The 7th ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival was held this year as part of the first-ever Baku Cinema Breeze (BCB) International Film Festival in Azerbaijan, organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Cinema Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan from October 2-8. The BCB Festival also organized “Omarket” (Cinema Market of Eastern Countries), held at the Heydar Aliyev Center, which showcased opportunities within the film industry. The Azerbaijan Animation Association presented its members’ audiovisual products through their booth at the market.
The partners of the 7th ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival included the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Azerbaijan, the Embassy of France in Azerbaijan, the French Institute in Azerbaijan, the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, CITIA, Fétiche, Dynamic Box, KYNO, The Manat, Tripsome, and program partners such as TURKSOY, the Association of Turkic Animation (ATA), TOFUZI International Animated Film Festival, MIFASI Studio, the Animation Development Fund (ADF), ANIMAFILM Studio, FilmFreeway, the Azerbaijanfilm Studio, the Azerbaijan State Film Fund, Lakeside Animation Studio, Sakura Ceramic, Maurfilm, Filmes do Gajo, the CINANIMA International Animated Film Festival of Espinho, Sardinha Em Lata, Ciclope, the Portuguese Short Film Agency, BAP Animation Studio, Cola Animation, ANIMASYROS International Animation Festival, and YUVA. The media partners were platforms such as Skwigly, KYNO, CityLife, and Huzoor.