The second edition of the biennial Irish Animation Awards took place in Dingle over the weekend at a ceremony in The Skellig Hotel. The well-attended event included representatives from international companies Amazon Prime, Disney, the BBC and Netflix, and many local animation studios.
“It is fantastic to see so many in attendance at the awards which demonstrates the growth which the Irish animation industry has experienced. We Irish have a passion for storytelling and the arts – a culture which is ideally suited for the creativity of world-class animation studios and the quality of the award nominees shows this,” said Paul Young, Industry Chair for Animation Ireland.
The Best Irish Feature Film or Special prize went to Cartoon Saloon’s Song of the Sea, directed by Tomm Moore. Inspired by the Irish myths of the selkie, the film has previously been honored at the European Film Awards, Irish Film and Television Awards and international festivals as well as being nominated for the Oscar, multiple Annie Awards and the Cesar for best animated feature.
The 2017 Murakami award was presented to Aidan Hickey, one of the first animators to work in Ireland. Hickey graduated from NCAD with a degree in painting in 1966, and worked on an animation contract with RTE into the 1990s before pursuing his career in studios across Europe, the US and Asia. As an animator, scriptwriter, director and teacher, Hickey is one of the country’s most respected industry professionals.
The 2017 Irish Animation Awards were sponsored by RTÉjr, the Irish Film Board, Animation Skillnet and Philip Lee.
Irish Animation Awards winners:
Best Animated Preschool Series
Lily’s Driftwood Bay (Sixteen South Production Team)
Kid’s Choice Award for Best Animated Series
Roy (JAM Media Production Team)
Best Animated Short Film
Second to None (Vincent Gallagher)
Best Writer for Preschool Animation
Chris Nee & Kent Redeker, Doc McStuffins “Welcome to McStuffinsville”
Best Writer for an Animated Series
Mark Hodkinson, Roy “ROY 2.0”
Best VFX as Part of an Animated TV Series or Film
Go Jetters (Rob Fletcher, Mario Bortas & Rodrigo Rocha)
Best Design/Art Direction
Puffin Rock (Lily Bernard & Stefano Scapolan)
Best Director of an Animated TV Series
Alan Shannon, Little Roy
Best Animation
The Day Henry Met a Camera (Gilly, Susan Broe & Andrew Dawson)
Best Music/Sound Design
Danger Mouse (Dominic Lawrence, Sol O’Carroll & Andy Kirwan)
Best Irish Feature Film or Special
Song of the Sea (Tomm Moore)
