The 16th edition of Fest Anča, an international festival of animated films (29 June-2 July) held in Žilina, Slovakia, has concluded by awarding its top honours to an eclectic mix of animated features from around the world. The main prize, the Anča Award for Best Short Animated Film, was claimed by the Swiss effort Armat. The film delves into director Elodie Dermange’s quest to unearth the Armenian origins of her family and unpack a harsh history spanning generations. “The jury emphasised that it is a universal story about solving family problems across several generations – generations which deep traumas prevent from showing ordinary love,” said festival PR manager Peter Barnáš.

The Anča Award for Best Slovak Animated Film was won by Doubt, directed by Adela Križovenská from Prague's FAMU. Described as a short film essay, it utilises the voices of four people from various artistic disciplines to illustrate the stages of the creative process. The jury commended it as an impressive blend of animation techniques that humorously depicts the daily struggle of an artist with creativity and self-awareness. Meanwhile, the Belgian film Balaclava was recognised as Best Student Short Animated Film. This lively picture tells an engaging tale of illegal sleepovers, clumsy burglaries, best friends and long nails. Its playful visuals and authentic dialogues were praised for reminding us to observe the world with rebellious eyes and appreciate rare human connections.

Fest Anča screened a diverse selection of domestic and foreign animated films under the banner of this year’s central topic of utopias. A pre-selection committee narrowed down the almost 1,400 submissions to 230 films. The programme featured a diverse range of animations, including the science-fiction classic Chronopolis, the award-winning Japanese film Dozens of Norths and the new Hungarian-Slovak flick White Plastic Sky [+lee también:
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ficha de la película]. The festival, in partnership with the French Institute in Slovakia, provided an immersive experience with a unique live performance accompanying the screening of Chronopolis, and offered visually attractive films for younger audiences in line with the aforementioned theme of utopias. The panel of judges included independent animated film creator Malte Stein, Taiwanese director Cheng-hsu Chung, and director, artist and animator Joanna Kozuch.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Best Animated Short
Armat - Elodie Dermange (Switzerland)
Special Mention
In the Big Yard Inside the Teeny-Weeny Pocket - Yoko Yuki (Japan)

Best Student Animated Short
Balaclava - Youri Orekhoff (Belgium)
Special Mention
Cufufu - Bruno Quast (Estonia)

Best Animated Music Video
No Lullaby – Ezequiel Torres (Argentina)
Special Mention
Mariupol. A Hundred Nights - Sofiia Melnyk (Ukraine)

Best Slovak Animated Short
Doubt - Adela Križovenská (Czech Republic)
Special Mention
My Name Is Edgar and I Have a Cow - Filip Diviak (Czech Republic/Slovakia)

Best Animated Short for Children
Pond - Lena Von Döhren, Eva Rust (Switzerland)