Encounters Festival announces 2016 award winners

Press release

Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival has announced the winners of its 22nd edition with UK filmmaker Brady Hood taking the Brief Grand Prix for Sweet Maddie Stone and the Animated Grand Prix being awarded to Anete Melece from Switzerland for Analysis Paralysis.

Recent NFTS graduate Brady Hood took home The Brief Grand Prix for Sweet Maddie Stone, a story based on his sister with a character that enthralled the jury. They commented;

“This film presents one of the most captivating characters we have ever experienced on screen. This subject’s arc is deeply complicated but fully actualised. The story itself utilises humour and drama to tell of a young protagonist desperate for tenderness in a world which requires her to focus on survival alone. We are rooting for you SWEET MADDIE STONE!”

Written, animated and directed by Anete Melece, Analysis Paralysis is the story of Anton looking for a chess partner. Former Encounters alumni with The Kiosk, the jury described this film as ‘’colourful, bold and naïve. Its impressionistic approach to life left us charmed and moved at the same time. If we were the producers we wouldn’t change a thing.”

Special mentions went to Here There by Alexander Stewart from the USA and OS Love by Luc Gut of Switzerland.

New talent was rewarded at the festival with the Brief European New Talent Award 2016 going to Ukrainian Gigi Ben Artzi with E.W.A. the story of a teenage girl who is suffering from the condition of a constant nose bleed. The Animated European New Talent Award 2016 was awarded to Polish filmmaker Karolina Specht with Don’t Lose Your Head.

The Chris Collins Best of British Live Action Award 2016 was awarded to Three Women Wait For Death, directed by Isabelle Sieb, a film that was made with Funny Girls, the Creative England iShorts strand focussed on developing female comic talent.

The YellowDog Best of British Animation Award 2016 was awarded to Scotland’s leading light of the animation world and previous BAFTA winner Ainslie Henderson for his new short film Stems. The Cartoon d’Or Nominee for 2016 was selected as David Dell’Edera with Balcony.

The Music Video Award 2016 was awarded to This Idea of Us by Geej Ower, while the Children’s Award 2016, selected by a panel of young people aged 7 to 14 was awarded to Cats & Dogs by Jesús Peréz and Gerd Gockell. The Audience Award 2016, selected from 2500 votes cast during the festival was awarded to Red Light, directed by Toma Waszarow.

The European Film Awards (EFA) Nominee 2016 was announced as 9 Days From My Window In Aleppo, directed by Issa Touma, Thomas Vroege and Floor van der Meulen.

The festival’s Widening The Lens Pitching Competition culminated on the Saturday of the festival with 1st Prize being awarded to Marley Morrison for Baby Gravy, a short film about a lesbian couple waiting in a carpark for a sperm donor. She wins £1250 towards the film, a trip to Clermont Ferrand with the Encounters team and mentorship. Second Prize went to Candice Onyeama and third place went jointly to Ako Mitchell and Jen Nkiru.

For the first time Encounters teamed up with VRlet to present a series of awards selected from the inaugural 360 degree filmmaking competition held this summer with the winner of Best Visual Effects – VRlet Award announced as China’s Song Huayang for Four-Ye Fan.

Watershed’s DepicT! Award 2016, which showcases 90 second films from around the world was won by Petra Balekic with Impacts.

The festival, which saw 231 competition films screened across 3 days featured animated and live action short films from 35 countries. Over 150 nominated filmmakers attended the festival to see their films on the silver screen and take part in industry events and screenings.

The event continues with its two chances to see the award winning films in the cinema at Watershed Cinema in Bristol at 12pm and 5pm on Sunday.

ENDS

FULL AWARD WINNERS LIST 2016

Brief Grand Prix Award 2016: Sweet Maddie Stone, Dir: Brady Hood

Animated Grand Prix Award 2016: Analysis Paralysis, Anete Melece

Brief European New Talent Award 2016: E.W.A., Gigi Ben Artzi (Ukraine)

Animated European New Talent Award 2016: Don’t Lose your head, Karolina Specht

Chris Collins Best of British Live Action Award 2016: Three Women Wait For Death, Isabelle Sieb

YellowDog Best of British Animation Award 2016: Stems, Ainslie Henderson

Music Video Award 2016: This Idea of Us, Geej Ower

Children’s Award 2016: Cats & Dogs, Jesús Peréz & Gerd Gockell (Germany / Switzerland)

Audience Award 2016: Red light, Toma Waszarow (Bulgaria/Croatia)

EFA (European Film Awards) Nominee 2016: 9 days – From my window in Aleppo, Issa Touma, Thomas Vroege, Floor van der Meulen (Netherlands 2015)

Cartoon d’Or Nominee 2016: Balcony, David Dell’Edera (Hungary)

Encounters / Show Me the Animation Anijam Award 2016: Tiny Encounters, Dani Abram, Lauren Orme, Michael Ostrolenk, Christopher Wright, Cardiff Animation Nights

DepicT! AWARDS:

Main DepicT! 2016 Award: Impacts, Petra Balekic (Croatia)
DepicT! Royal Photographic Society Cinematography Award 2016: Living, Ben Mankin (UK)
DepicT! British Special Mention Award 2016, Pig Dream, Lee Charlish (UK)
DepicT! Random Acts Special Mention Award 2016: Impacts, Petra Balekic (Croatia)
DepicT! Shooting People Audience Award 2016, Run Boy, Meg Bagadion
Widening The Lens Pitching Award 2016

1st Prize: Marley Morisson
2nd Prize: Candice Onyeama
3rd Prize: Ako Mitchell and Jen Nkiru

VRlet AWARDS

VRlet Awards Grand Jury Prize 2016: Home | Aamir, Erfan Saadati, Toby Coffey, Rufus Norris
VRlet Awards Best Director 2016: Simon, James Louis Hedley
VRlet Awards Best Feature Film 2016: Detective, Dong Aihui
VRlet Awards Best Documentary 2016: Drift Miss Love, Cheng Yiyi
VRlet Awards Best Visual Effects 2016: Four-Ye Fan, Song Huayang