The tenth edition of the CEE Animation Forum, the largest pitching and networking event in Central and Eastern Europe, has wrapped with an awards ceremony. A total of 33 animated projects (see the news) were presented by directors and producers in the four main competitions. The juries decided to honour 14 works with prizes. “Most of all, it was amazing to observe the student teams that presented their work to audiences with great courage. Proof of the public’s support is that the Audience Award was given to a project from the Rising Stars section,” said Marta Jallageas, managing director of the CEE Animation Forum. The works that were presented demonstrated that animation will be female-dominated for the time being, as women filmmakers had a greater presence than their male counterparts, with a ratio of 36 women to 27 men.

The feature-length Polish project The Helpers, written by Weronika Stencel and Betina Bożek, about a frustrated clerk seeking an escape from his domineering father, won the Award for Best Feature Film. The jury, consisting of Lubica Orechovská (Pubres), Richard Lutterbeck (TrickStudio Lutterbeck) and Valentin Rebondy (Cinema Public Films), stated that they found the project “very courageous and challenging in terms of telling the story by selecting different visual styles and genres”. Denis Do’s project Sorya, a depiction of Cambodian youth caught between tradition and a desire for emancipation, left the gala with a Special Mention, with the jury commending the work for its “precious and authentic connection between its core topic, its story, its location and its director”.

Bug City came out on top in the episodic category. The first “Nordic insect noir”, directed by Jøran Wærdahl, a satirical comedy with puppets, received the award for the unique style and tone of the project, plus its combination of drama and dark humour that, according to the jury, should prove to be highly entertaining. Lemon and Berry, Ilenia Cotardo’s series about the titular hummingbird siblings who use new inventions to solve conundrums, received a Special Mention for its “relatable characters, rich visuals and being well suited for the target audience”.

The Ciclic Award of €35,000 went to the short film Funfair by Éva Darabos, about a young woman who decides to escape from adult life to a hidden universe full of surreal creatures. In addition, Darabos received a Special Mention in the short-film category for the work. Nina Chubinishvili’s short I’ll Be There When You Wake Up, pitched in the Rising Stars category and hinging on loss, netted the Audience Award.

Here is the full list of award winners:

Feature-film category

Winner
The Helpers - Betina Bożek (Poland)
Special Mention
Sorya - Denis Do (France)

Series/TV Specials category

Winner
Bug City - Jøran Wærdahl (Norway)
Special Mention
Lemon and Berry - Ilenia Cotardo, Piotr Ficner (Poland)

Short-film category

Winner
Supersilly - Veronica Martiradonna (France)
Special Mention
Funfair - Éva Darabos (Hungary)

Rising Stars category

Winners
The Spell - Dora Pejić Bach (Slovenia)
The Chicken's Calling - Rebecca Osterberg (Germany)

CEE Animation Workshop Award
The Girl With Occupied Eyes - André Carrilho (Portugal)

Ciclic Award
Funfair - Éva Darabos

TV Paint Award
M-0 - Vivien Csigó (Hungary)

Cartoon Forum Award
9 Million Colors - Bára Anna Stejskalová (Czech Republic)

Animarkt Stop Motion Forum Award
Bug City - Jøran Wærdahl
Bruno - Danas Bereznickas (Lithuania)

Kids Kino Industry Award
Billy & the Boingo Band - Shabnam Rezaei (Austria)

Audience Award
I'll Be There When You Wake Up - Nina Chubinishvili (Netherlands)