17/05/2023 - The Czech animation film festival hosted an extensive focus on Japanese animation, curated by film critic and producer Nobuaki Doi, who’s also the director of the revived Hiroshima Festival

Jean-Christophe Roger, co-director of Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia, accepting the Award for Best Feature Film for Children from the jury - © René Volfík for Anifilm

The Czech animation film festival Anifilm, based in Liberec, wrapped last weekend with an awards ceremony for short and feature-length films, VR works and computer games, all selected in international competitions. The top prizes went to the feature films My Love Affair with Marriage [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Signe Baumane
film profile] (Best Feature Films for Grown Ups) by Latvian animator Signe Baumane, in what has been a victorious festival run since its world premiere last year at the New York Tribeca festival, and Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which won in the category of children’s films.

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My Love Affair with Marriage by Signe Baumane

My Love Affair with Marriage mixes 2D animation and paper drawings, almost all created by Baumane herself, to tell a story about the mythologizing of love and marriage, and the expectations society places on (young) girls, culminating in a liberating tale of female rebellion. Ernest and Celestine is the third feature film to come out of an empowering 2D series of French origin about the adventures of a bear and a mouse which is popular among young audiences. The main jury for the feature film competition consisted of director John Stevenson (UK), Annecy programmer Sébastien Sperer (France) and writer/journalist Veronika Bednářová (Czech Republic).

Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia by Julien Chheng, Jean-Christophe Roger

In total, 10 features, 36 shorts, 23 abstract and non-narrative films 22 video clips, 12 VR films, 15 computer games and 35 student films competed in the festival’s international selections. Anifilm also hosted an extensive focus on Japanese animation, curated by film critic and producer Nobuaki Doi who’s also the director of the revived Hiroshima Festival.

Silver Cave by Caibei Cai

The main prize in the Shorts Competition went to Ice Merchants by director João Gonzalez, who offered up a compelling 2D computer animation about the relationship between a father and his son, dealing with the hardships of job loss and global warming. In the section for abstract and non-narrative shorts, the 2019 Anifilm winner Caibei Cai returned with her mixed media animation Sliver Cave, which evoked a variety of associations around the fossilization of time in (animated) film and the role of the spectator.

From the Main Square by Pedro Harres

Strong VR and game showcases culminated in prizes for the interactive VR work From the Main Square by Pedro Harres and Andre Correa, and for the adventure game Pentiment, which takes players back to the 16^th century. From the Main Square premiered last year in Venice and offers viewers the experience of being lost in a divided society through a multitude of stories evoking Brazil’s present history.

The adventure game Pentiment

The full list of Anifilm winners is as follows:

Best International Feature Film for Adults
My Love Affair with Marriage - Signe Baumane (Latvia, United States, Luxembourg, 2022)

Best International Feature Film for Children
Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia (Ernest et Célestine: Le voyage en Charabie) - Jean-Christophe Roger, Julien Chheng (France, 2022)

Best International Short Film

Main Prize
Ice Merchants - João Gonzalez (Portugal, France, United Kingdom, 2022)

Special Jury Mention
Dog-appartement - Priit Tender (Estonia, 2022)

Best International Student Film

Main Prize
The House of Loss (상실의 집) - Jinkyu Jeon (Republic of Korea, Japan, 2022)

Special Jury Mention
Soaked In - Shiyu Tang (China, 2022)

Best International Abstract and Non-Narrative Animation
Sliver Cave (Yin Mu) - Caibei Cai (China, 2022)

Best International Music Video
Lenka Dusilová: Białe konie - Miloslav Frič (Czech Republic, 2022)

Best International VR Film

Main Prize
From the Main Square - Pedro Harres, Andre Correa (Germany, 2022)

Special Jury Mention
Walzer - Frieda Gustavs, Leo Erken (Netherlands, 2022)

Best International Computer Game

Excellence in Arts Prize
Pentiment - Obsidian Entertainment (USA, 2022)

Kid Game Prize
Lost in Play - Happy Juice Games (Israel, 2022)

The Liberec Region Audience Award
Four Souls of Coyote (Kojot négy lelke) - Áron Gauder (Hungary, 2023)