'Bird In the Peninsula', 'The Queen of Foxes' in the Fantoche 2022 Winners

The 20th anniversary edition of the Fantoche International Festival of Animated Film had a focus on 'Overcoming Crisis', a step towards post-Covid normality. The awards proved a vibrant vitality indeed.

Atsushi Wada won the Best Film in the international competition with the Berlinale-premiered 'Bird in the Peninsula' . The International Audience Award was picked up by 'Au revoir Jérôme' (France 2022) by Adam Sillard, Gabrielle Selnet and Chloé Farr.

In the category Swiss Competition, 'La Reine des Renards' by Marina Rosset won 'Best Swiss' and the Swiss Audience Award. The Youth Jury named 'Miracasas' by Raphaëlle Stolz as the winner of the Swiss Youth Award. The kid's jury awarded 'LOOP' (Spain 2021) by Pablo Polledri 'Best Kids', as well as the Children's Audience Award. 

The full list of winners:

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
Jury: Clémence Bragard (FR), Ina Pira (US), Eva Schweizer (CH), Léo Soesanto (FR), Sarnt Utamachote (SOA/DE)

BEST FILM
Bird in the Peninsula, Atsushi Wada, FR/JP 2022, 16:00

Children dance to music under the supervision of their teacher. A young girl attends the scene and comes to disturb their ritual. A young boy befriends a strange bird and the girl tails him.

Jury Statement: 'The jury was very moved by this film which may appear simple at first, but is actually rich in layers. In its very essence, the film questions the notion of tradition through the eyes of children. For the tender, funny and bizarre world that it creates, the Best Film Award goes to Bird in the Peninsula by Atsushi Wada.'

HIGH RISK
Epicenter, Heeyoon Hahm, KR 2022, 10:29

Bukhansan Mountain is growing. Little by little, as fine cracks appear on the wall that divides the worlds of fantasy and reality, someone starts to notice the existence of an invisible world.

Jury Statement: 'Through the art of still life and the attempt of imitating reality, the director takes joy in showing the way reality slowly changes and bends; just like a mountain taking a thousand years to explode. Full of suspense, this intriguing film mesmerizes its audience. Thus, the High Risk Award goes to Epicenter by Heeyoon Hahm.'

NEW TALENT
Sierra, Sander Joon, EE 2022, 15:00

A father and his son are in the midst of losing a folkrace. The son tries to heighten their chances to win by turning himself into a car tire. Loosely inspired by memories of the filmmaker’s childhood, a wild, adventurous and bitter race beyond its goal manifests itself.

Jury Statement: 'Colorful animation and an innovative soundtrack highlight this great director’s creativity. For this wild and original portrayal of a family system full of good and bad surprises, the
New Talent Award goes to Sierra by Sander Joon.'

BEST VISUAL
Au revoir Jérôme!, Adam Sillard, Gabrielle Selnet, Chloé Farr, FR 2022, 08:00

Having just arrived in paradise, Jérôme sets out to find his wife Maryline. In the course of his search, he sinks into a surreal and colorful world in which no one seems to be able to help him.

Jury Statement: 'Each scene creates a new, crazy universe resembling a 60s album cover – and it’s really just that cool. For their epic odyssey into the psychedelic beyond, full of smoking pansies and wandering wiener dogs, the Best Visual Award goes to Au revoir Jérôme by Chloé Farr, Gabrielle Selnet, and Adam Sillard.'

SPECIAL MENTION INTERNATIONALE JURY
Menagerie, Jack Gray, US 2022, 04:25

Day after day, inhabitants of the Menagerie play out their daily lives like clockwork. A study of the cyclic motions and mundane tasks of contemporary urban lifestyle, exploring how the repetitive
actions of our day-to-day lives quickly spiral into an endless kaleidoscope of abstraction.

Jury Statement: 'For this uniquely and playful visualization of everyday life’s absurdity, the jury would like to award a Special Mention to Menagerie by Jack Gray.'

AUDIENCE AWARD
Au revoir Jérôme!, Adam Sillard, Gabrielle Selnet, Chloé Farr, FR 2022, 08:00

Having just arrived in paradise, Jérôme sets out to find his wife Maryline. In the course of his search, he sinks into a surreal and colorful world in which no one seems to be able to help him.

SWISS COMPETITION
Jury: Anna Henckel-Donnersmarck (DE), Mina Sablić Papajić (RS), Mirjam Skal (CH)
Youth Jury (Swiss Youth Award): Jonathan Abbaszadeh, Alice Gambino, Abdulwasi Kadir, Tomas Kotecki, Nienke Nachtegaal, Lauriane Rozmuski, Eqbal Sàdat, Louisa May Winiger

BEST SWISS
La reine des renards, Marina Rosset, CH 2022, 08:50

Hoping to make their queen smile again, the foxes head into the city every night and go through people’s bins looking for love letters that were never sent.

Jury Statement: '’The queen of the foxes was the saddest of all foxes. That's why she became the queen. Or was it the other way round?’. Starting from this dilemma, Marina Rosset tells a touching and humorous story about how to overcome a crisis. Every detail serves the plot, every artistic decision shapes the unique personalities of the different characters – a wonderful film about the beauty of caring for each other’s wellbeing and accepting the other with every weaknesses they might have.'

HIGH SWISS RISK
Manchmal weiss ich nicht wo die Sonne, Samantha Aquilino, CH 2021, 03:50

A poetic, surreal tale of the connections and conflicts between a human, a lobster, a deer and a cat, depicted in rough pencil sketches.

Jury Statement: 'This year's High Swiss Risk refuses to please - neither with its narrative nor with its aesthetics. Rough pencil drawings, expressive sound design and weird characters create a quirky universe that intrigues the audience. The film doesn’t want to be rationalized and hereby challenges the standards of storytelling - it‘s a pleasure to get carried away and into the world of a human, lobster, deer and cat.'

NEW SWISS TALENT
The Record, Jonathan Laskar, CH 2022, 08:30

An antiques dealer comes into possession of a magical record that can read thoughts and play old memories. Obsessed with it, he plays the record without stopping until, one day, it brings back painful memories.

Jury Statement: 'Skillfully, the film uses the magic of visual narration and combines it with a masterful composition of sound design, film score and diegetic music. Music triggers memories, while the play of monochrome light and shadows opens doors to a forgotten trauma. Facing the past takes time, but also allows for color to return to life. By using the power of animation, this synaesthetic journey allows us to dive into the individual expression of a collective memory.'

FANTASTIC SWISS
Boddyssey, Jonas Bienz, CH 2022, 04:28

A journey through a surreal landscape covered in human skin. Processes of birth and growth, death and decay, show the downfall of a curious ecosystem.

Jury Statement: 'This year’s Fantastic Swiss takes the fascinating ugliness of the human body and creates a mesmerizing landscape of prosperity and decay. Thank you for taking us into the surreal landscape of Boddyssey. The Fantastic Swiss Award is yours, Jonas Bienz!'

SWISS YOUTH AWARD
Miracasas, Raphaëlle Stolz, CH 2022, 13:40

A lost village in South America needs a corpse so it can maintain a very strange tradition. Ernesto has just been murdered and becomes part of the tumultuous festive burial. The villagers come together to celebrate life and death.

Jury Statement: 'For its smart use of foreshadowing and captivating storytelling, emphasized by the very expressive and unique artistic style, the Swiss Youth Award goes to Miracasas by Raphaëlle Stolz. We would love to see more movies featuring these qualities.'

SPECIAL MENTION YOUTH JURY
La reine des renards, Marina Rosset, CH 2022, 08:50

Hoping to make their queen smile again, the foxes head into the city every night and go through people’s bins looking for love letters that were never sent.

Jury Statement: 'For its fun, straightforward and genuine artistic style, as well as for it’s hopeful portrayal of finding meaning and love inside a community, we honor La reine des renards by Marina Rosset with a Special Mention.'

AUDIENCE AWARD
La reine des renards, Marina Rosset, CH 2022, 08:50

Hoping to make their queen smile again, the foxes head into the city every night and go through people’s bins looking for love letters that were never sent.

Fantoche 2022 winners (c) Fantoche

The 21st Fantoche will take place in Baden from the 5th to 10th of September 2023.

• Fantoche Festival