The Academy of Motion PIcture Arts and Sciences today announced the finalists for this year’s Student Academy Awards across four categories, including Animation. Now combined into a single worldwide competition instead of being split into U.S. and International subcategories, the slots are once again dominated by students from French animation schools with four out of seven, two of which are occupied by MoPA. The competition also includes one film each from young filmmakers at schools in the U.K., Japan and the U.S.
Medalist winners of the SAAs are eligible for consideration in their relevant Oscars categories. Past Student Academy Award winners (whose ranks include Pete Docter and Robert Zemeckis) have gone on to win 15 Oscars and receive 67 Oscar nominations.
Finalists for Alternative/Experimental, Documentary and Narrative were also announced. See the full list of SAA nominees at oscars.org.
Animation Finalists
Après Papi (After Papi) — MoPA (France)
Juliette Michel, Swann Valenza & Axel Sence
Haunted by the terrifying ghost of his Grandpa, Loup, a little boy obsessed with insects, will have to outcome his fear to discover why it came back.
Au Revoir Mon Monde (Goodbye My World) — MoPA (France)
Florian Maurice, Maxime Foltzer & Estelle Bonnardel
As the world nears its end, a man stuck in a fish costume races against the clock towards a mysterious tower.
Coquille (Shell) — ESMA (France)
Loic Girault, Grégoire Callies & Anna Danton
In a small French cove, Bernard, a self-centered hermit crab, loses his shell. With the help of his peculiar friend Maurice, they both must confront the dangers of the beach to find a new one. They are gearing up to embark on an adventure that will alter their lives forever.
Dragfox — NFTS (U.K.)
Lisa Ott
Sam’s search for identity gets interrupted by a mysterious neighborhood fox. Together they embark on a magical journey to the attic to discover the surprising things they might have in common, and how to celebrate the ways in which they differ. Featuring the voices of Ian McKellan and Divina De Campo.
El Ombligo de la Luna (The Navel of the Moon) — Gobelins (France)
Julia Grupińska, Tian Westraad & Ezequiel Garibay
Chava, a Mexican mechanic, is about to have his precious car repossessed when he receives the unexpected visit from Nacho, his long-abandoned son. Nacho, carrying his late mother’s ashes, asks him to take them to the moon in order to fulfill her last wish. They take an old, red VW beetle and embark on an adventure to find the navel of the Moon.
Origami — Digital Hollywood University (Japan)
Kei Kanamori
Director Statement: Origami is a Japanese traditional 3D sculpture created by folding a piece of paper. It does not involve cutting or gluing; any origami can return to its original state once unfolded. This concept resembles life rising from dirt and returning to the Earth at the end of its cycle. The representation of origami in existing films and other visual media has been lacking realistic elements. Previously artists visually tricked the audience by, for example, swapping the shapes before and after folding to make it look like it was folded. In this film, I focused on accurately producing the shape of origami and animating its transformation. Everything that appears in this film is based on skills and techniques used in actual origami art. (HollyShorts Film Festival)
Student Accomplice — Brigham Young University (U.S.)
Spencer Baird
A driving test goes terrible wrong when a nervous teenage girl and her elderly driving examiner are hijacked by a bank robber, who compels the amateur wheeler to serve as getaway driver and outrun the police. Meanwhile, the unruffled examiner continues to assess her skills.
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