French short film A Very Twisted Tale wins Animest.19 Trophy

Fracti, by Lavinia Petrache, wins the Romanian Competition.

Both films are eligible for Oscars selection

This year’s Animest edition, celebrating urban stories, brought together close to 16,000 viewers and creators of animated stories, through screenings, special events, and creator meet-ups over the festival’s ten days.

A Very Twisted Tale, Catherine Buffat and Jean-Luc Gréco’s short film, a French production, won the Animest Trophy announced at the 19th edition’s awards ceremony at the Elvire Popesco Cinema. The prize comes with EUR 2,500 offered by the Romanian Cultural Institute and automatic qualification for Academy Award preselection. Animest is the only Oscar-qualifying film festival in Romania, starting in 2017.

The jury – famed animator Jonathan Hodgson (UK) and producers Claudia Cazzato (Italy) and Clara Marquardt (France) – said “this uniquely bizarre film” left them “lost for words,” describing A Very Twisted Tale as “a rare and curious object, like nothing we have ever seen before.” Beautiful Men, Nicolas Keppens’s Belgium-France-Netherlands co-production, won a Special Mention: “a magnificent portrait of masculinity and vulnerability. An introspective and poetic take on delicate topics, masterfully told.”

The same jurors selected the winner of the Student Film Competition: Bunnyhood (directed by Mansi Maheshwari), because it reminded them of their “worst adolescent nightmares: a freewheeling chaotic and visceral ride, packed with horror, humour and tenderness” and awarded a Special Mention to German short Carrotica (directed by Daniel Sterlin-Altman), also screened during the Erotica – The Night of Erotic Animation special event: “a superbly well-crafted, tender yet powerful tale of teenage sexual awakening that captivates the audience through strong acting and musical vibes.”

Percebes, by Alexandra Ramires and Laura Gonçalves, won the Anidoc Award for “starting from a little detail” and growing to “encapsulate an entire region and its inhabitants through a fluid and vibrant journey.” Thus, sunny, urban Algarve and the titular goose barnacle won the prize for best animated documentary, while student short Clarkii (by Leticia Van Neerven) received a Special Mention: “a concise nugget of smart and humorous ideas” about bureaucracy.

Huge news! Starting this year, another Animest winner is Oscars-eligible, apart from the winning short film: the winner of the Romanian Competition, which was Lavinia Petrache’s Fracti. The film also won EUR 1,000 offered by the Romanian Cultural Institute. The story of an apocalypse set in an ethereal village floating in the sky won over the jury – director Pierre-Luc Granjon (France), producer Orsolya Sipos (Hungary) and artist and sound designer Andrea Martignoni (Italy) – who enjoyed “the peculiar style and the nice rhythm using loops, leading to beautiful abstract parts.” The Romanian Competition offered two Special Mentions, to Count to Ten (directed by Andreia Dobrotă), “a funny and surprising way to be zen,” and Dirty Paradise / Paradis murdar (directed by Alina Gheorghe) for its “outstanding, strong and intense visuals.” The latter was developed through the SYAA and Pitch, Please! Programs, both part of Animest’s training programs for animators.

The same three jurors selected the winner of the Feature Film Competition: Hungarian film Pelikan Blue, directed by László Csáki, the chronicle of less than legal travel in Western Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain, “for the originality of the topic, the astonishing visuals, and the amazing character design.”

Animest.19 special guest Máté Horesnyi, Pelikan Blue character designer, accepted the award, while Spanish producer Mariano Barratech received the Special Mention for feature film Sultana’s Dream (directed by Isabel Herguera), “a compelling movie with multiple layers in the narration and different animation techniques to obtain an exceptional artistic visual style.” Pelikan Blue also charmed the Teen Jury – Ilinca Popa, Alesia Iancău and Marta Crețu – who described it as “rooted in real life experiences” and said it felt “like home in a way that other local narratives don’t, while portraying a fresh perspective on a transformational period.”

Koji Morimoto, Japanese director and co-founder of the STUDIO4°C animation studio, Romanian singer-songwriter MidoriStars (Izabella Alda) and Omu Gnom (Daniel Secătureanu) - MC activist and Radio Guerrilla rep, awarded the Animusic Award to the animated music video for Late Nights (directed by Charles Bigeast), “a detailed, excellent illustration of the song’s vibe. Strong, tough, heart-breaking” and Special Mentions to Rabbits Have Red Eyes (directed by Lee Yonsun and Choi Jiwon) from South Korea and Ye kou si kuo (directed by Lola Lefèvre) from France.

The jury dedicated to Virtual Reality projects – experts Dilmana Yordanova, Marius Hodea and Alexandru Cioacă – offered the VR Award to The Imaginary Friend (directed by Steye Hallema), “an interactive storytelling experience with a powerful emotional impact […] combining fantasy and reality to create a compelling and thought-provoking narrative” through “the use of real actors captured through volumetric video, along with direct viewer involvement through vocal and movement interactions.” French-German co-production Emperor (directed by Marion Burger and Ilan J. Cohen) was awarded a Special Mention: an “exploration of power and psychological complexity, along with impressive aesthetics.”

Following Animest tradition, the prize for the best kids’ short was offered by an all-kids jury: Iulia Maria Drăgan, Rareș Rustin and Andrada-Gabriela Gheorghe. Our youngest experts chose French short film Noodles au Naturel, directed by Matteo Salanave Piazza, as winner of the Minimest Award, offered this year by Banda ASAP, sharing that they “were inspired by the main character’s choice to tell the truth. The story is original and educational.” The young jury also awarded a Special Mention to British short film Mog’s Christmas, directed by Robin Shaw.

The Pitch, Please! program, which supports animation newcomers and their in-development projects, awarded five prizes this year: Animation Festivals Network Prize – The Refuge (directed by Ioana Nicoară); Rise & Shine Award – I Was Born Under This Tree (directed by Mihaela Mîndru), Sound Post-production Award offered by Raza Studio – Garden and a Void (directed by Ana Iuteș); Black Sea Workshop Award – As I Look Out The Window (directed by Agata Tabacu) and On the Balcony of a House (directed by Anna Florea). The three experts who reviewed participants’ pitches were Ornela Čop (Croatia), Sebastian Zsemlye (Romania) and Clara Marquardt (France).

The first edition of the Toon Scripts animation screenwriting contest organized by Animest in collaboration with PRO TV also benefited from an international jury: Ivana Sujová (Slovakia, screenwriter and Fest Anča International Animation Film Festival director), Claudia Cazzato (Italy, VOID Animation Film Festival programmer) and Gabriela Iacob (Romania, Head of Scripted Content Development at PRO TV, Cinema Pendent L'Alternativa Barcelona selection committee member). They praised all the finalists for “presenting diverse stories with heart and honesty, which is an act of bravery”. The grand winner, to receive a contract to develop a pilot episode and show bible with guidance from experienced TV and animation producers, is Filip Columbeanu’s SAMCA, which “promises a vibrant world populated by colorful characters and represents local culture while possessing an uncontestable universal charm.”

The Animest.19 Trophy was specially created by artist Cristina Milea using coffee leather, an eco-friendly material from coffee grounds, oil, water, vegetable glycerine, and seaweed. “This trophy illustrates the harmony between nature and the urban lifestyle. Designed specifically for the Animest festival’s urban edition, the trophy reflects the city’s dynamic energy as well as animation’s modern spirit. With its designs inspired by urban sights and contemporary aesthetics, the award celebrates the fusion between technology, sustainability and the festival’s vibrant atmosphere,” said Cristina Milea.

Animest.19 – Urban Frames reunited some 16,000 viewers in six locations, with fully sold-out special events (Trippy Animation Night, Erotica, Animusic Night, and Creepy Animation Night), over 350 short and feature films from around the world grouped into 90 screenings, and over 150 guests representing both the Romanian and international animation industry during Q&A sessions after screenings, masterclasses, and meet-the-authors sessions. Japanese director Koji Morimoto, French director Pierre-Luc Granjon and Adult Swim rep Mark Taynton facilitated some of the best-attended masterclasses.

Mark your calendars for Animest.20: October 3-12, 2025!

***

The Animest Festival is a project of the Animest Association, co-financed by the MEDIA Program of the European Union and AFCN–the Administration of the National Cultural Fund.

Institutional Partners: the Romanian Cultural Institute, The French Institute and the Embassy of France in Romania, Instituto Cervantes, the Italian Cultural Institute, The Austrian Cultural Forum, Liszt Institute – The Hungarian Cultural Center, The Czech Center, UNATC – The “I.L. Caragiale” National University of Theater and Film, the Animation Festival Network (AFN), IZANAGI – Japanese Film Festival

Partners: Groupama, Mini, Aqua Carpatica, Sâmburești, Alai, Ana Pan, MyAirBridge, Kafune, Ogilvy

Main Media Partners: VOYO, PRO TV

As Heard On: Radio Guerrilla

Media Partners: Radio România Cultural, Adevărul de Weekend, Zile și Nopți, Observator Cultural, Revista BIZ, Haute Culture, IQAds, Scena9, AGERPRES, Ziarul Metropolis, Revista FILM, Mindcraft Stories, LiterNet, Movie News, CineFAN, HAPP.ro, MunteanuRecomandă, AndreeaVerde, SuntPărinte.ro

Monitoring Partner: mediaTRUST