05/06/2018 - The German and Portuguese shorts have won awards in the Fiction & Documentary and Animation Avantgarde competitions; Canadian films have qualified for Oscar nominations

The 15th VIS Vienna Shorts (29 May-4 June) wrapped on Monday night with its awards ceremony, which saw Russian-German filmmaker Nikita Diakur's Ugly win the ASIFA Austria Award for Best Film in the Animation Avantgarde competition, worth €2,000, as well as the Jury Award - Animated Film, which means it is eligible for nominations for the Academy Awards. 

Diakur's 11-minute short, which combines a video-game interface with ugly aesthetics, has previously been awarded at Fantoche, Ottawa, Bristol Encounters and Zagreb Animafest.

In the same competition, Dutch filmmaker Maria Molina received the Award for Special Achievement for Digital Trauma (and the Crystal Image). The prize consists of a one-month artistic residence at Vienna's Q21/MuseumsQuartier, and €1,050.

In the Fiction & Documentary competition, the Portuguese film Mirage My Bros by Diogo Baldaia won the Vienna Short Film Award, worth €4,000. The 24-minute film, consisting of three episodes about children and young people, was previously crowned Best National Film at IndieLisboa and received a Special Mention at Glasgow.

In the same competition, Malaysian filmmaker Amanda Nell Eu received the Best Female Director Award for the Venice Orizzonti title It’s Easier to Raise Cattle. The €1,000 prize is provided by the Elfi Dassanowsky Foundation.

Two more films received the Jury Prize, thus qualifying them for Oscar nominations, both from Canada: Jeremy Comte's fiction Fauve and Ryan McKenna's documentary Voices of Kidnapping. 

Operation Jane Walk by Leonhard Müllner and Robin Klenger triumphed in the national competition, receiving €3,000 in cash and €2,000 in post-production services from VdFS vienaaFX & Blautone. 

In the first-ever VR competition at Vienna Shorts, Finland's Alla Kovgan received €1,050 and a Q21 one-month artistic residence for Devil's Lungs.

Finally, French director Benoît Grimalt's Back to Genoa City, winner of the Illy Award at Cannes in 2017, won the Audience Award for the most popular film of the festival. 

Here is the full list of award winners:

Fiction & Documentary

Vienna Short Film Award
Mirage My Bros - Diogo Baldaia (Portugal)

Best Female Director
It's Easier to Raise Cattle - Amanda Nell Eu (Malaysia)

Animation Avantgarde

ASIFA Austria Award
Ugly - Nikita Diakur (Germany)

Award for Special Achievement
Digital Trauma (and the Crystal Image) - Maria Molina (Netherlands)

Jury Prize

Jury Award — Live Action Film
Fauve - Jeremy Comte (Canada)

Jury Award — Documentary Short Subject
Voices of Kidnapping - Ryan McKenna (Canada)

Jury Award — Animated Film
Ugly

Screensessions/International Music Video Competition 

Best International Music Video
Pussy Money Weed - Tommy Cash (Estonia) 

Screensessions/National Music Video Competition

Best Austrian Music Video
Frizzle Frizz-KIDS N CATS - Patryk Senwicki (Austria)

VR The World/International Competition
Devil's Lungs - Alla Kovgan (Finland)

National Competition 

Best Austrian Film
Operation Jane Walk - Leonhard Müllner, Robin Klenger (Austria) 

Best Newcomer
Doppelgänger - Michaela Taschek (Austria) 

Keep It Short Award
Ingwer Gegen Alles - Stefan-Manuel Eggenweber, Stephan Lager (Austria) 

Audience Awards

VIS Audience Award 2018 - Most Popular Film of the Festival
Back to Genoa City - Benoît Grimalt (France) 

Prix Très Chic - Pour Le Film Le Plus Extraordinaire
Lolana-Rising - Puppie Krammer (Austria)

ORF.AT Audience Award - Most Popular Austrian Film Under 12 Minutes
Supernaked - Fabian Lang (Austria)

Special Award

VIS Art Scholars - European Forum Alpbach Stipend
Duncan Cowles, Ross Hogg (UK)