French Films Triumph at Stop Motion Montreal

The 11th edition of Festival Stop Motion Montreal concluded with the enthusiastic unveiling of the 2019 laureates at the closing ceremony held September 22 at Concordia University’s J.A. De Sève Cinema. This year’s jury, composed of film industry professionals Mary Murphy, Philippe Tardif and Emily Paige, took the stage to reveal the films that stood out during the vibrant weekend event.

Here is the list of 2019 award winners:

YOUTH FILM: Coeur Fondant, Benoît Chieux, France
EMERGING TALENT: Love Me, Fear Me, Veronica Solomon, Germany
INDEPENDENT FILM: Entre Sombras, Alice Guimarães and Mónica Santos, Portugal/France
PROFESSIONAL FILM: Raymonde ou l’évasion verticale, Sarah Van Den Boom, France
PUBLIC CHOICE: Mémorable, Bruno Collet, France
NAD SCHOOL SPECIAL PRIZE: Disco Still Sucks, Alexanne Desrosiers, Montreal, Canada

This edition of the Festival, under the theme of “stop motion in the digital era,” kicked off with an industry cocktail that brought together 70 guests. In total, more than 2,000 entries were received. Three professional workshops, which sold out in full, provided a platform for 50 artists from Canada, the United States and Mexico to demonstrate their techniques. Festival-goers were also able to experiment with free video games and a virtual reality work made using stop-motion techniques, in keeping with the theme put forward this year.

In addition to the hundreds of films screened over the weekend, three international special guest speakers set the tone for the Festival. Philippe Tardif, a Quebec animator pursuing his passion in the United States at LAIKA, unearthed the many technological tools that influence his work in front of a packed house. Phil Tippett, legendary special effects artist, presented his recent series Mad God and gave a master class with Q&A, followed by an autograph signing (made possible thanks to the support of the Daniel Langlois Foundation for Art, Science and Technology). Johan Oettinger, founder of the Danish studio Wiredfly, spoke about the challenges of producing Vokabulantis, an independent video game mainly made using stop motion.

Local professionals also shared their knowledge with a captivated audience. Daniel Gies, co-founder of the Montreal-based company E*D Films, spoke about his latest production Hairy Hill, which combines different types of animation. Salman Sajun presented works from the studio established in Saint-Henri which bears his name. He revealed some behind the scenes exclusives of the short films and advertising projects made from his unique colorful and handmade style.

Several local and international filmmakers also enlivened the festival with their presence; Phil Tippett took part in the Canadian premiere of feature-length documentary Phil Tippett: Mad Dreams and Monsters, directed by Gilles Penso and Alexandre Poncet, and answered audience questions in a warm and intimate atmosphere. The new and special Hybrid and TNT (Terrifying, Naked and Twisted) screenings attracted novices and thrill-seekers to venture into uncharted festival territories, while several Quebecois productions (Mathieu Handfield’s Mouvement Deluxe, Claire Brognez’s La chambre des filles, Geneviève Guénette’s Et je tiens debout and Alexandre Roy’s Jim Zipper) allowed festival-goers to discover the top local talent.

For more highlights of the latest edition, visit: www.StopMotionMontreal.com.