The 16th Fest Anča International Animation Festival 2023 has come to a close in Slovakia, with the distribution of the Anča Awards for short films on July 1 at the historic Žilina Town Theatre.
The overall winner, receiving the Anča Award for Best Animated Short Film, was the Swiss film Armat by Elodie Dermange. The film tells the story of Elodie, who tries to find out more about her family’s Armenian origins and discovers the harsh history of her ancestors by talking to her father, uncle and great-aunt.
The jury — composed of Cheng-Hsu Chung, Joanna Kozuch and last year’s Anča Award winner for Best Animated Short Film, Malte Stein — pointed out, “it’s a universal story about solving multi-generational family problems, where deep traumas hold back expressing ordinary love.”
An honorable mention went to In the Big Yard Inside the Teeny-Weeny Pocket by Japanese director Yoko Yuki — a charming animated rhyme based on observation, recording and experimentation. The jury praised its “subtle depiction of the beautiful little things of everyday life, even though its visuals are more reminiscent of a horror film.”
The Anča Award for Best Student Animated Short Film was awarded by the same main jury to the Belgian film Balaclava, which tells the story of an illegal sleepover, a clumsy burglary, a pair of best friends and long fingernails. The jury noted, “this is a film whose playful visuals and authentic dialog remind us to look at the world through rebellious eyes and to cherish precious interpersonal connections.”
Special mention in the student film category went to the experimental Estonian film Cufufu by Bruno Quast. The jury especially praised the film’s sound: “it shows the importance of a subtle connection between visuals and unique sound design.”
The Anča Award for the Best Slovak Animated Short Film went to Doubt, directed by Adela Križovenská from FAMU in Prague. This project is a short film essay about the creative process, told through the voices of four authors from different artistic fields.
The jury — composed of internationally recognized animation filmmakers Daniel Šuljic and Diana Cam Van Nguyen alongside well-known animation studies expert Olga Bobrowska — described the film as “an impressive combination of animation techniques that playfully depicts the artist’s everyday struggle with creativity and the need to take care of oneself.”
In the same category, the jury awarded a special mention to Filip Diviak’s My Name Is Edgar and I Have a Cow. The jury praised its “simple and relaxed humor combined with great animation.” Diviak also received the same special mention in the same category a year ago for Sounds Between the Crowns.
Jakub Spevák, Fest Anča’s program director, remarked on this year’s student competition: “Young Slovak animators are willing to experiment with animation techniques, and showcase storytelling brilliance, original humor and a laid-back approach.”
Juried by Luce Grosjean, Marta Pajek and Marek Menke, the Anča Award for Best Animated Music Video went to Argentinian director Ezequiel Torres for “No Lullaby.” The jury highlighted “its cinematic eloquence, music and the important message of support and care for our loved ones even when they’re only fighting imaginary demons.”
The music video jury also awarded a special mention to Mariupol. A Hundred Nights by Sofiia Melnyk (Ukraine), set to music by Volodymyr Rudenko. Jurors were impressed by “its inspiration in these turbulent times from the drawings of a four-year-old girl from Mariupol [in Russian-occupied Ukraine], uniquely combining animation with powerful music.”
The Anča Award for the Best Animated Film for Children was decided by a special children’s jury, with Pond by the women directors duo of Lena von Döhren and Eva Rust (Switzerland) awarded as best film.
The Fest Anča International Animation Festival is the only Slovak multimedia festival that focuses on adult-targeted animated film. The event is held in Žilina at the New Synagogue, Stanica Žilina-Záriečie cultural centre, City Theatre, Rosenfeld Palace and Artforum. The festival annually includes an international competition of contemporary animated short films and music
videos, as well as thematic and specially focused film sections and retrospectives, days of lectures, screenings for children and numerous accompanying events.
The International Animation Festival Fest Anča 2023 is financially supported by the Audiovisual Fund. The festival was financially supported by the LITA Fund. The Fest Anča Student Forum received a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA and Norway Grants.
Working together towards a green, competitive and inclusive Europe, the event is funded by the Student Forum Fest Anča project supported by the EEA and Norway Grants 2014-2021 and the State Budget of the Slovak Republic, with project number CLT02018. This edition was realized thanks to the financial support of the SPP Foundation.
