Anima Festival 2023 has wrapped up a successful return to cinema showcases in Flagey, Belgium, after 10 days packed with more than 40 sold-out showings, captivating filmmaker discussions attached to almost 70 screenings and festive events such as the new Drink and Draw, the Fiesta Española, Queer Night and Animated Night.
The number of professional accreditations tripled and the number of student accreditations has doubled this year — the attendance of almost 30,000 in Flagey alone are on par with 2020, a record year for the festival. Figures for Anima at the Palace and the Cinematek are not yet known, nor are those for the decentralizations, since Anima will for the first time be extended throughout next week in Wallonia thanks to the school holidays being twice as long as before.
Anima will also be able to count on a new virtual audience from for another month February 27, with an online film offer available throughout Belgium on the Sooner streaming platform.
The winners of this triumphant return edition of Anima are…
- Best Animated Feature – Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Pierre Földes
- Audience Award for Best Animated Feature – No Dogs or Italians Allowed by Alain Ughetto
- Best Animated Feature for Children – Oink by Mascha Halberstad
- Grand Prix for Best International Short Film – Letter to a Pig by Tal Kantor
- Best Student Short Film – Feux by Mohammad Babakoohi
- Special Jury Award – It’s Nice in Here by Robert-Jonathan Koeyers
- Audience Award for Best Short Film – Ice Merchants by João Gonzalez
- Animated Night Audience Award for Best Short Film – La Quête de l’Humain by Mélina Ienco, Lucie Juric, Caroline Leibel,
Faustine Merle & Claire Pellet (Gobelins)
- Best Short Film for Children – Funny Birds by Charlie Belin
- Special Jury Mention – La Reine des Reinards by Marina Rosset
- Audience Award for Best Short Film for Children – Funny Birds by Charlie Belin
- Best Belgian Short Film – Ce Qui Bouge est Vivant by Noémie Marsily
- Grand Prix for Best Short Film of the Federation Wallonie-Bruxelles – Pina by Jérémy Depuydt & Giuseppe Accardo
- Author Award – Siberiade by Nado Poton
- Best Student Short Film – Passagers by Célia Hardy
- Best VR Short Film – Marco & Polo Go Round by Benjamin Steiger-Levine
- Audience Award for Best VR Short Film – Swarm by Maarten Isaak de Heer
More information at animafestival.be/en.
