A memorable evening closes Anim’est 2010

An electrifying evening, with Alexander Bălănescu’s violin and Phil Mulloy’s animations shinning on the Patria Cinema stage in Bucharest. This was all dedicated to the Anim’est audience and guests attending the Anim’est Closing Gala who filled up the biggest cinema in Bucharest on Saturday evening to watch the award ceremony of the fifth edition of the most important animated film festival in Romania and to see the famous composer and violin player perform his extraordinary recital.

Alexander Bălănescu’s first appearance at the Gala happened during one of the evening’s special moments: together with Christine Bardsley, head of the London British Council Film Department, he handed out the Anim’est Lifetime Achievement Award, offered this year to Mr. Zeno Bogdănescu.

The Italian short film Big Bang Big Boom (dir. Blu, 2010) is this edition’s grand winner: Andrea Martignoni, the author of the soundtrack, came up on stage to receive the Anim’est 2010 Trophy, offered by the Romanian Cultural Institute, worth 2,500 Euros, handed by Irina Malcea, representing the Romanian Cultural Institute, and by film critic Mihai Chirilov, member of the Anim’est 2010 Jury. „ A film that is simple in concept, yet inventive and monumental in execution. The film manages to reinvent the dereliction of the city with strikingly powerful imagery and the pure pleasure of creation. It is a tour deforce”, was the Jury’s opinion.

This year, the award for Best Feature Film, offered by Groupama, worth 1,000 Euros and Toon Boom software goes to France: Eleanor's Secret (dir. Dominique Monféry, France-Italy, 2009), the jury’s favourite out of the five films in competition, “a film that will delight young children with its beautifully crafted imagery and its well told story of childhood wonder and imagination”. Phil Mulloy, Anim’est 2010 jury member and Vlad Ilicevici, Anim’est Executive Director, went on stage to hand out the trophy.

The South-Korean film directed by Yumi Jung, Dust Kid, is the winner of the Best Short Film Award, offered by Opel, worth 1,000 Euros and Toon Boom software, handed by Mălina Dragu, PR Manager for Opel Romania and by Regina Pessoa, the Portuguese director from the Anim’est 2010 jury, who declared that the film “sympathetically portrays the solitariness of city life. Its strong graphic style manages to create an atmosphere that is both mysterious and sad”, added” Regina Pessoa.

This year, the Jury’s Special Award, worth 500 Euros, offered by RADEF RomâniaFilm, goes to Germany: Bulgarian director Vessela Dantcheva – Anna Blume, Germany- Bulgaria, 2009, went on the Gala’s stage to receive the diploma and congratulations from Marcel Negruzzi, from RADEF RomâniaFilm, and from Phil Mulloy, who gave out the jury’s motivation. „Anna Blume is a  film that uses simple yet strong design in a playful and imaginative way to delight in the pleasures of the absurdities of language, unconcerned by meaning or interpretation.”

The same jury decided to offer Special Mentions for outstanding qualities to the following short films in competition: A Family Portrait (UK 2009, director Joseph Pierce) Ente, Tod und Tulpe (Germany 2010, director Matthias Bruhn), Amourette (Switzerland 2009, director Maja Gehrig), Afloat at Dawn (Canada 2009, director Elise Simard), Le concile lunatique (France-Belgium 2010, directors Christophe Gautry, Arnaud Demuynck), Je criais contre la vie. Ou pour elle (France 2009, director Vergine Keaton).

The Oscar nominated Hungarian director and Anim’est 2010 jury member, Géza M. Tóth, and Oana Râpeanu, from CoolBazaar.ro handed out the Award for Best Student Film, offered by CoolBazaar.ro, worth 500 Euros and Toon Boom software to the film Bottle (dir. Kirsten Lepore, USA, 2010) for originality and simplicity. “The film is a very well made metaphor that in the same time tells an emotional story. This film proves that a great short film can also be made with the most basic of elements.” This section’s jury decided to give three more Special Mentions for the films: Dog-Walking Ground (dir. Leonid Shmelkov, Russia, 2009), Loom (dir. Ilija Brunck, Jan Bitzer, Csaba Letay, Germany, 2010) and Swimming Pool (dir. Alexandra Hetmerova, Czech Republic, 2010).

Cecilia Felméri, the director of Mátyás, Mátyás, went on the Patria stage to receive the Award for Best Romanian Film, offered by CoolBazaar.ro, worth 500 Euros and Toon Boom software, handed by another Anim’est jury member, Dutch producer Michiel Snijders, and by Oana Râpeanu.

The Canadian-Bosnian production Once upon a many time (dir. Eva Cvijanovic, 2010) is the Trophy winner for the Balkanimation section, offered this year by Toon Boom, consisting of 2,000 dollars worth of software. Actress Ozana Oancea and Sorin Botoşeneanu, dean of the Film Faculty at UNATC, handed out the Award to director Eva Cvijanovic, appreciated for “its original way of telling a very personal story. Especially for its visual style which is influenced by children’s drawings and contemporary art.”

Ileana Cecanu, Marketing & Special Events Director for Anim'est, and well-known Dj Cristian Stanciu “Matze”, jury member for the Music Video & Advertising section handed out the Award for Best Music Video, offered by MTV to Out of the Forest by National ‘Slow Show’ (dir. Tobias Gundorff Boesen, Denmark, 2010). The three jury members declared that the award was given to Out of the Forest “because we believe in stories, especially the ones with a soul, an idea and a surprising way of bringing them together”.

Corina Bompa, senior copywriter for Ogilvy, and Cristian „Canu” Banu, the designer who created the popular Anim’est sheep – both, Music Video & Advertising jury members, went on the Patria stage to offer The Award for Best Advertising Spot, to Irina Dakeva and Clement Dozier, the creators of the French spot Scrabble Yoga. Corina Bompa stated that the Award went to France „because words really to transcribe into stories, and in this particular case, the story is powerful, memorable, and well told graphically.”

The two also gave out the Special Mention for two remarkable music videos: Massive Attack Splitting the Atom, directed by Edouard Salier, for “the excellent blending of feeling into an ample and bold performance”, and to Editors Eat Raw Meat = Blood Drool, directed by The Lennox Brothers and appreciated “because, sometimes it takes a graphic expression that truly stands-out to make us see ourselves for what we really are.”

For nine days, the Anim’est viewers got to vote for their favourite short films out of the Mosaic section. The most popular one- One Minute Fly (dir. Michael Reichert, Germany, 2008) – is the Audience Award winner, offered by Cinemagia.ro, in the form of an Acer Aspire notebook. Gloria Sauciuc, chief editor for Cinemagia.ro and the festival’s director, Mihai Mitrică, came on the Gala’s stage to offer the winners their award. „ We are so happy that Anim’est is offering an Audience Award, and it is an honour for us to hand it out” said Gloria Sauciuc.

A total of 22 awards were given at the Closing Gala, culminating with an entire audience clapping and cheering as the whole Anim’est 2010 team gathered on stage. The Anim’est winning films can be viewed during the last festival screening: a real marathon scheduled for Sunday, October 17th, from 8:30, at Patria Cinema.