The Anim'est Trophy is heading off to The Netherlands!

A room filled with people eager to find out the award winners for the fourth edition of the most important animation film festival in Romania- it all happened Saturday night at Patria Cinema in Bucharest, where Anim'est announced its winners. No less than 16 distinctions, trophies, awards and special mentions were given at the most ambitious edition of the Bucharest festival so far.

The Anim'est Trophy, awarded yet another year to a film out of the festival's short film competition, is now taking the road to The Netherlands, country which produced Eric van Schaaik's film, The Phantom of The Cinema. The jury members, Swiss director Georges Schwizgebel, French producer Guilaine Bergeret and Romanian film critic Alex Leo Serban appreciated the Dutch production "for the homage it pays to cinema, in a burlesque, surprising and innovative manner".

The Best Feature Film award, granted by Animax, went to the Japanese film Piano no mori (dir. Masayuki Kojima, Japan, 2007), the jury's absolute favorite, who saw it as a "moment of emotion, surprise, amazement".

Luminiţa Cazacu and Matei Branea were the protagonists of a touching moment, animator Luminiţa Cazacu being awarded a lifetime achievement trophy passed on right from the hands of one of the coolest Romanian animators of the moment, Matei Branea. Obviously touched and surprised, the director to which Anim'est has dedicated a special section this year, Luminiţa Cazacu thanked the festival's organizers "for not allowing Romanian animation to die and for bringing this celebration to life every year."

Gregor Dashuber, the German director of Never drive a car when you're dead (Germany, 2009), was the most exuberant of the evening's winners, shocking the Patria Cinema's audience with a spectacular leap on stage as a manifestation of his joy at winning this edition's Anim'est trophy for best School film, described by Luminiţa Cazacu, as spokesperson for the section's jury, in which Anne Brotot and Francoise Cathala were also members, as a film with " a good progression, good rhythm control, graphic maturity and humor".

Vali Chincişan, the director of The urban tree, was the evening's grand winner out of the Romanian competition, his short film being given the Award for best Romanian film of this Anim'est edition, offered by The European Cultural Center in Sector 6.

After last year being the festival's, twice Oscar winner, American Bill Plympton has entered the honors list of the 2009 edition with Mexican Standoff (Falling into you), winner of Best music video award according to the decision of the jury consisting in Ogilvy creative director Dani Macarie, alternative rock lead singer, Doru Trăscău and DJ Gojira, who rewarded him "for the technical excellence, the organic bond between the visual and audio speeches making both of them extremely memorable".

The Bulgarian-German film Three Sisters and Andrey (dir. Boris Despodov, Andrey Paounov, 2009) is the first winner of the Balkanimation section trophy, the premiere to the fourth edition's competition program. Clearly moved, composer Ivo Paounov, brother of director Andrey Paounov, thanked the Anim'est jurors for the award and Mihai Mitrică, who made the selections, for his presence in the festival's competition.

The Audience Award, presented by executive director Vlad Ilicevici, went to the audience's favorite out of the Mosaic-short film section, the Dutch short film Post! (dir. Matthias Bruhn, Christian Asmussen, Germany, 2008).  On stage, Ilicevici read a message from director Matthias Bruhn, who couldn't be present in Bucharest. "I would have been very happy to receive an award from a jury, but I am even happier to receive one from the Anim'est audience. This proves our message went through; I am thrilled that you have enjoyed the story of the mailman and grew fond of him."By the e

The festival's Making of, by Luiza Pârvu, Adi Tudose and Alex Lungu, showing the guests, team and audience members share the big screen with the Anim'est sheep and characters from the selected films, were a delight for everyone in the screening room, giving it rounds of applauds minutes on, just as they did for the animations done by the students from the Zorobabel workshop in the five intensive workshop days in the Carturesti bookshop basement.

At the end of the Gala, the stage at Patria Cinema became overcrowded, when the team members, guests, volunteers and friends of Anim'est all went up in a loud round of applause from the audience they were facing.

All 16 films awarded at the fourth edition of the Anim'est International Animation Film Festival will be ready for viewing on the last festival day, on Sunday, October 11, from 20:30, during the closing screening for Anim'est 2009 at Patria Cinema.