POLISH ANIMATORS AWARDED IN CHINA
The turn of October and November brought brand new awards to young Polish animators. Polish films were awarded in China two times over the past week.
It was at the end of October when a student of Polish National Film School in Łódź – Anita Kwiatkowska-Naqvi screened her clay “Ab ovo” in the international competition of 6Th edition of Xiamen International Animation Festival. Animation, that was screened in China for the very first time immediately got appreciated by the jury that announced “Ab ovo” the winner of the Silver Medal in the international cathegory. 22 films produced all over the world competed for the festival’s Grand Prix – a statuette of the Golden Dolphin. Festival was held under the patronage of Chineese ASIFA and took place in the region of Xiamen that is known for its flourishing animation industry that gathers nearly 40 animation studios dealing with shorts, Tv series and CGI.“Ab ovo” – the winner of the Best Graduation Film award at Annecy was so far screened at 13 foreign festivals. The film by Kwiatkowska-Naqvi shows a new life waking up and the anxiety that accompanies the transformation of a female body which loses its former shape responding to the internal force affecting it. “Ab Ovo” is an extremely visual animation that illustrates the power of fertility lying dormant in every woman.
The second laureate was Tomek Popakul – the author of numerously awarded “Ziegenort”. The film received the invitation to take part in the competition of 4th Xian China International Folk Video, that took place between October 28th and November 3rd in the city of Xi’an – the capital of the Shaanxi province. This year 30 films were nominated to screen in the festival’s final programme. The jury consisting of 7 members judged the films in twelve categories. One of the awards for the producers went to Polish “Ziegenort” in recognition of the technology that the film applies. With no doubt “Ziegenort” became the most frequently screened and popular Polish animation of this year. This is the tenth award that the film scores at the foreign festival. The film was produced by the Krakow based NoLabel studio while its international sales is handled by the New Europe Film Sales.
In a small seaside village a busy father tries to train his teenage son for a fisherman’s job. The introvert boy-fish will have to face the first serious competition. The world discovered by the boy is full of alarming signs and fascinating observations that often terrify him. Popakul’s intriguing graphic animation is at attempt at describing the anxiety of a teenager coming off age.
More on both festivals can be found at the official websites of Xiamen International Animation Film Festival and Xian China International Folk Video