Following its most successful event in its 22-year history, VIEW Conference 2021 has revealed the winners of its annual awards for animated film. Italy’s premiere animation, VFX and computer graphics conference took place Oct. 17-22 as a hybrid event presenting 160 sessions online and at Torino’s state-of-the-art venue OGR, attracting a record 210,000 virtual visitors and about 300 on site.
“I am so proud to announce the 2021 VIEW AWARD winners this year and to recognize the incredible students and professionals who created these outstanding films,” said VIEW Conference Director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “In addition to being works of art, four of our award winners send strong messages: An intimate look at autism, a reminder of the horrifying result of a street protest, an imaginative antidote to war, and a call to action from a child. The fifth winner is pure animation joy. Congratulations to all.”
The nine-member international jury members included: Journalist Barbara Robertson, Jury Chair; VIEW Conference director Maria Elena Gutierrez, Jury President; Terry Flores, Variety senior editor; Anita Gribble, Escape head of industry outreach; Kim White, Pixar director of photography; Glenn Entis, PDI co-founder; David de Rooij, Netflix filmmaker and storyboard artist; and Turin University student Davide de Rosa.
2021 VIEW AWARD Winners
Grand Prize: Les Chaussures de Louis (Louis’ Shoes) – 3D
“In the jury’s unanimous choice for the 2021 VIEW Award, we meet Louis, an eight-and-a-half-year-old autistic child, who introduces himself to his classmates at a new school. We don’t look at Louis from the outside; we enter Louis’ mind as he shares the particular way in which he sees the world. The jurors found the film staggeringly humanizing, fresh, innovative and entertaining all the way through. Louis’ Shoes brings light to an important topic and gives an autistic child a voice through brilliant animation, beautiful design, and a heartwarming story. It is a film, the jurors said, that works on every level. Congratulations to Marion Philippe, Kayu Leung, Jean-GéraudBlanc, and Théo Jamin of MoPA in Arles, France, who created this film during their graduation year.”
Jury Awards Ex Aequo: The two jury award winners depict events in recent history set in two different locations. Through skillful storytelling and animation, they help audiences feel empathy for people caught in those dangerous places and times.
- Les Larmes de la Seine (The Seine’s Tears) – 3D
“Paris 17 October, 1961. Thirty thousand ‘Algerian workers’ took to the streets to protest a mandatory curfew. The number of people massacred by police and thrown into the river that night is still unclear. In this remarkable student film, we follow two friends who join the demonstration. Viewers experience the friends’ determination, confusion, and terror in this frightening story. The consistent beautiful craftsmanship, great design and animation, and interesting camera point of view gives the animated film power beyond a film of the actual horrific event. Congratulations to the eight directors who devoted time and attention to create this strong film during their fifth year at the Pôle 3D school in Roubaix, France: Yanis Belaid, Eliott Benard, Nicolas Mayeur, Etienne Moulin, Hadrien Pinot, Philippine Singer, Alice Letailleus.
- Yallah – 3D
“Beirut 1982. Nicolas, a middle-aged man, tries to flee the endless civil war by driving through the ruins of the city. He’s stopped by Naji, a reckless teenager wearing swimming trunks and goggles. Nicholas wants to protect Naji from the explosions and flying bullets. Naji wants to find a swimming pool. The story becomes one of perseverance, survival, and imagination; the story of a man inspired by a child in a world of war. It reminds us that a destroyed city was once beautiful. The jurors were enchanted by the use of comedy to tell a serious story, the great art direction, the stunning color-filled style, the camera and the lighting. Yallah is a graduation short animated film created by Nayla Nassar, Edouard Pitula, Renaud de Saint Albin, Cécile Adant, Anaïs Sassatelli, and Candice Behague in the class of 2021 at the RUBIKA School in Valenciennes, France.”
Special Achievement Awards Ex Aequo:
- Only a Child – various styles.
“In 1992, Severn Cullis-Suzuki spoke for the Environmental Children’s Organization at the UN summit in Rio de Janeiro giving a call to action for the future of our planet with her plea that we need to come together. For this film, Simone Giampaolo, a London-based director and animator, brought together more than 20 animators. He asked each to speak Suzuki’s words from a portion of her speech and illustrate the words using their particular animation technique. Then, he choreographed a beautiful visual poem, a collaborative film that features moments of stunning animation.”
- Cat and Moth – 3D/2D
“For her directorial debut, Vancouver-based animator India Barnardo took an overused plot in animation and surprised the jury with so many inspired moments of absolute brilliance they could not let it go unnoticed. The jury called it a good giggle, fresh, well-timed, charming, fun, original, and truly enjoyable. A 90-plus crew from around the world helped Barnardo achieve her vision.”
ItalianMix: Lucerna, directed by Giorgia Ubaldi, Emilia Gozzano, Alessandra Quaroni, and Alessandro Spedicato
The VIEW Conference 2021 online program, including access to the year’s award-winning films, is now available on demand. Tickets are available at https://media.viewconference.it/view2021/.
VIEW Conference 2022 will take place from October 16 to 21 in Torino, Italy.
Animation First Festival
