'Memoir of a Snail’, ‘I Died in Irpin’, and ‘Your Letter’ win at BIAF2024
The 26th Bucheon International Animation Festival (BIAF2024) just wrapped its run from 25–29 October 2024 in Bucheon, South Korea, with the juries bestowing the festival’s prize-winners.
Adam Elliot's ‘Memoir of a Snail’ took home the BIAF Grand Prize in the Feature Film category. The Feature Film jury, composed of director Ann Marie Fleming (jury president), managing director of CoMix Wave Films Kazuki Tsunami, and writer Lee Woo-hyuk, praised the film for its delicate stop-motion animation that explores life's traumas with dark yet warm humor and childlike wonder. Fleming described it as “a unique work that delves into life's traumas through intricate stop-motion animation, blending dark humor with a sense of childlike wonder”.
Adam Elliot's 'Memoir of a Snail'
The Jury Prize for Feature Film was awarded to Kim Yong-hwan for ‘Your Letter’. Tsunami noted, “‘Your Letter’ signals the emergence of a promising new director in the Korean animation industry, and I look forward to seeing the director's future growth.”
The Special Distinction Prizes for Feature Film were shared by Jean-François Laguionie for ‘A Boat in the Garden’ and Masahiro Shinohara for ‘Trapezium’. Feature Film jury member Woo-hyuk praised ‘A Boat in the Garden’ as “a beautifully understated portrayal of simple joys in dreams”. The jury also commended ‘Trapezium’ for its “sincere depiction of the complex relationships and sacrifices in the idol world, deeply expressing the protagonist's growth”. The Audience Prize went to Akira Amemiya's ‘Gridman Universe’, which garnered significant attention and applause.
The International Short Film jury, consisting of Flóra Anna Buda, Nienke Deutz, and Theodor Ushev, awarded the BIAF Grand Prize in the Short Film category to Anastasiia Falileieva for ‘I Died in Irpin’, earning consideration for the Animated Short Film category of the Academy Awards. Buda praised the film as “an outstanding work that powerfully portrays the physical and emotional pain of war through the intense technique of charcoal animation.”
The Jury Prize for Short Film was awarded to Nina Gantz for ‘Wander to Wonder’. Deutz described the film as “a precise yet spontaneous black comedy with excellent narrative and visual quality”. The Special Distinction Prizes for Short Film went to Veronica Martiradonna for ‘Supersilly’, Mario Radev for ‘[S]’, and Jung Yu-mi for ‘Circle’. Ushev praised ‘Circle’ for “expressing complex emotions within simplicity, portraying the alienation and isolation of modern society with sophistication”. The Audience Prize for Short Film went to Torill Kove for ‘Maybe Elephants’.
Kim Yong-hwan's 'Your Letter'
In the Student Short Film category, Pola Kazak's ‘Weeds’ received the Jury Prize. Jang Won-young commended the film for “its excellent combination of striking visual direction and heartwarming storytelling”. The Jury Prize for TV & Commissioned Film went to Kim Ju-eun for ‘Dandelion Kid’.
The Cocomics Music Prize, judged by Yoon Sang and Ryu Su-jeong of Lovelyz, went to ‘Your Letter’, praised for its emotional and diverse soundtrack. The film also received the Korea Animation Industry Association President’s Prize for Technical Achievement, winning in three categories in total.
Meanwhile, Nagai Tatsuyuki's ‘FURERU’ won the Korean Society of Cartoon and Animation Studies President's Prize for the most popular film, the DHL Diversity Prize (Music), and the Kinolights Feature Film Prize, achieving three awards alongside ‘Your Letter’.
All BIAF2024 Awards
Feature Film
Grand Prize: ‘Memoir of a Snail’ (Australia) by Adam Elliot
Jury Prize: ‘Your Letter’ (South Korea) by Kim Yong-hwan
Special Distinction 1: ‘A Boat in the Garden’ (Luxembourg/France) by Jean-François Laguionie
Special Distinction 2: ‘Trapezium’ (Japan) by Masahiro Shinohara
Audience Prize: ‘Gridman Universe’ (Japan) by Akira Amemiya
Short Film
Grand Prize: ‘I Died in Irpin’ (Czech Republic/Slovakia/Ukraine) by Anastasiia Falileieva
Jury Prize: ‘Wander to Wonder’ (Netherlands/Belgium/France/UK) by Nina Gantz
Special Distinction 1: ‘Supersilly’ (France/Italy) by Veronica Martiradonna
Special Distinction 2: ‘[S]’ (UK/Bulgaria) by Mario Radev
Special Distinction 3: ‘Circle’ (South Korea) by Jung Yu-mi
Audience Prize: ‘Maybe Elephants’ (Canada/Norway) by Torill Kove
AniB’s Choice: ‘Papillon’ (France) by Florence Miailhe
Korean Short Film
Jury Prize: ‘Eat With’ (South Korea) by Park Sun-young
Special Distinction: ’S’ (South Korea) by Baek Hyun-yi, Lee Chae-min, Im Ja-yoon, and Jo Eun-ah
Graduation Film
Jury Prize: ‘Weeds’ (Czech Republic) by Pola Kazak
TV & Commissioned Film (Korea Animation Producers Association President's Prize)
Jury Prize: ‘Dandelion Kid’ (South Korea) by Kim Ju-eun
Special Prizes
Korea Society of Cartoon & Animation Studies President's Prize
‘FURERU’ (Japan) by Tatsuyuki Nagai
Korea Animation Industry Association President's Prize (Technical Achievement Award)
‘Your Letter’ (South Korea) by Kim Yong-hwan
Cocomics Music Prize
‘Your Letter’ (South Korea) by Kim Yong-hwan
DHL Diversity Award
‘FURERU’ (Japan) by Tatsuyuki Nagai
Deru Bakery Prize
‘A Pathetic Man’ (South Korea) by Yu Chae-rin
EBS Prize
‘Tennis, Oranges’ (USA) Sean Pecknold
Kinolights Prize
‘FURERU’ (Japan) by Tatsuyuki Nagai