Etiuda & Anima 2024 Animation Winners: 'Extremely Short', 'Beautiful Men', 'Joko'

The 31st Etiuda & Anima Festival concluded its five-day run (22-27 October 2024, Krakow) with the award prize announcements. 45 short animation films competed in its Anima Competition. The winner came to be the Oscar-nominated animation veteran Koji Yamamura (Japan), with his 'Extremely Short film'. The film, which premiered at Cannes' Directors Fortnight, is a literature and animation collaboration. It is a recitation of 'Totemo mijikai', an original work by Hideo Furukawa -and the first installment of 'Bungaku Bideo' collaboration (check the trailer).
The Silver Jabberwocky went to Nicolas Keppens' 'Beautiful Men', the bittersweet story of three bald men traveling to Turkey for a hair transplant; the ebullient comedy 'Nun or Never' by the Finnish Heta Jäälinoja won the Bronze Jabberwocky prize of the Krakow festival.
The stop-motion film 'Joko' by Izabela Plucińska was the corresponding winner in the festival's Polish (Anima.PL) competition; another stop-motion film 'Crab' by Piotr Chmielewski, won the Silver Żmij festival prize.
Check all festival winners and jury statements below
ANIMA COMPETITION VERDICT
Jury: Niki Lindroth von Bahr (Sweden), Marta Magnuska (Poland), Volker Schlecht (Germany)
Grand Prix Golden Jabberwocky and 8 000 PLN
EXTREMELY SHORT / TOTEMO MIJIKAI / BARDZO KRÓTKI
Directed by: Koji Yamamura, Screenplay: Hideo Furukawa, Production: Yamamura Animation, inc., Country: Japan, Year: 2024
Justification: In its minimalistic form, organic beauty and precise rhythm, this film is translating a poem into a visual masterpiece.
Silver Jabberwocky
BEAUTIFUL MEN / PIĘKNI MĘŻCZYŹNI
Directed by: Nicolas Keppens, Screenplay: Nicolas Keppens, Production: Animal Tank & Miyu Productions & Ka-Ching Cartoons, Country: Belgium, France, Netherlands, Year: 2023
Justification: A charmingly dark tale of our time, beautifully crafted and carefully told with great humor and empathy.
Bronze Jabberwocky
NUN OR NEVER! / ZAKONNICA ALBO NIGDY!
Directed by: Heta Jäälinoja, Screenplay: Heta Jäälinoja, Production: Böhle Studios, Country: Finland, Year: 2023
Justification: A playful and endearing story, vividly animated, illustrating our inner secrets and desires.
Special Golden Jabberwocky for the best animated student etude and 2 000 PLN
IN BETWEEN CITY / MEZIMĚSTÍ / MIASTO POMIĘDZY
Directed by: Ilya Kreines, Screenplay: Ilya Kreines, Production: UMPRUM - Academy of Arts, Architecture, and Design in Prague, Country: Czech Republic, Israel, Year: 2023
Justification: With its unique style and graphic simplicity this film perfectly captures changes in the cityscape and in the lives of its habitants.
The jury also decided to award Special Mentions to
- JOKO, Directed by: Izabela Plucińska, Screenplay: Izabela Plucińska, Justyna Celeda, Production: Animoon, Country: Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Year: 2024
Justification: An extraordinary clay animation, exposing the absurd and grotesque reality of the world we live in. - FROM ONE PAINTING… TO ANOTHER / D'UNE PEINTURE... À L'AUTRE / OD JEDNEGO OBRAZU… DO DRUGIEGO
Directed by: Georges Schwizgebel, Screenplay: Georges Schwizgebel, Production: Studio GDS, Schwizgebel & RTS, Radio Télévision Suisse & Miyu Productions, Country: Switzerland, France, Year: 2023
Justification: Once again this director has created a fascinating film that embeds animation in the great tradition of art history.
STUDENT JURY VERDICT
Jury: Magdalena Özen, Kacper Mazela, Józef Rostkowski
BEAUTIFUL MEN / PIĘKNI MĘŻCZYŹNI
Directed by: Nicolas Keppens, Screenplay: Nicolas Keppens, Production: Animal Tank & Miyu Productions & Ka-Ching Cartoons, Country: Belgium, France, Netherlands, Year: 2023
Justification: The, usually omitted in the culture topic, presented in a witty way. Additionally, just like the titular men - beautiful.
Audience Choice
ZIEMNIAKI / POTATOES, Directed by: Marcin Podolec, Screenplay: Marcin Podolec, Wiktoria Podolec, Production: Yellow Tapir Films, Country: Poland, Year: 2023, Running time: 4'
ANIMA.PL COMPETITION VERDICT
Jury: Przemysław Adamski (Poland), Nik Phelps (USA/Belgium), Pedro Harres (Brasil)
at the meeting on October 25, 2024, after watching 38 animations, decided to award the following prizes:
Grand Prix Golden Żmij and 8 000 PLN
JOKO
Directed by: Izabela Plucińska, Screenplay: Izabela Plucińska, Justyna Celeda, Production: Animoon, Country: Poland, Germany, Czech Republic, Year: 2024
Justification: Showing a further development of this director's unique and idiosyncratic style, this is a salty and sociological fable with a satirical twist. Mothers, lovers, masters and servants all come together in the end to make this one funny tall tale.
Silver Żmij
CRAB / KRAB
Directed by: Piotr Chmielewski, Screenplay: Piotr Chmielewski, Production: WJTeam, Country: Poland, Year: 2022
Justification: With an exquisite use of classical storytelling in a compelling life-and-death situation combined with a touch of humor and a clear display of mastery in stop-motion.
Bronze Żmij
THE MIRACLE / CUD
Directed by: Ewa Borysewicz, Screenplay: Ewa Borysewicz (na podstawie CUDU Ignacego Karpowicza), Production: Letko, Country: Poland, Year: 2024
Justification: For unpretentious crossing of the boundaries of visual conventions and an uninhibited approach to seemingly archaic cultural texts resulting in a contemporary and intriguing narrative form.
Special Golden Żmij for the best animated student etude and 2000 PLN
THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THE FOREST / W LESIE SĄ LUDZIE
Directed by: Szymon Ruczyński, Screenplay: Szymon Ruczyński, Production: Lodz Film School, Country: Poland, Year: 2023
Justification: By exploring a serious political matter with an austere style that emphasizes its plain absurdity showing a very mature use of rhythm and widening the awareness of the audience regarding that important topic, the great winner of the student competition is There are people in the forest.
Special Mention from Nik Phelps to:
HORSE PORTRAIT / PORTRET KONIA
Directed by: Witold Giersz, Screenplay: Witold Giersz, Production: FUMI Studio, Country: Poland, Year: 2023
Justification: For the film that exhibits this director's steadfast persistence in refining their artistic goal. Using a consistent set of thematic elements with an ongoing vigorous and youthful approach to storytelling, this director uses both ancient and modern imagery in a compelling manner.
Special Mention from Pedro Harres to:
CRUSH
Directed by: Michał Socha, Jakub Socha, Screenplay: Michał Socha, Jakub Socha, Anna Bielak, Production: Letko, Country: Poland, Year: 2022
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Justification: This film displays a visual freshness, a clever use of rhythm, and unusual character design, playing elegantly with geometrical forms and delighting the audience as it swings between action and comedy.
Special Mention from Przemysław Adamski to:
ZIMA
Directed by: Tomek Popakul, Kasumi Ozeki, Screenplay: Tomek Popakul, Production: Yellow Tapir Films, Country: Poland, Year: 2023
Justification: As the verdict is an art of a compromise, placing in the hierarchy of the awards of the film as uncompromising as this one is often unfeasible, and the omitting it would be an unforgivable act of neglect. For impossible-to-ignore weight of the story deeply rooted in contemporary social diagnosis and a masterful development of the author's style that makes this theme all the more poignant.
Verdict of the student jury
Martyna Górka, Zuzanna Pepaś, Weronika Jurczyk
MISALIGNED / KONIUNKCJ
Directed by: Marta Magnuska, Screenplay: Marta Magnuska, Production: Animoon, Country: Poland, Year: 2022
Justification: From the very first moment, the viewer is drawn into the story through captivating shots, smooth animation and spatial play that powerfully conveys the characters’ emotions. Catchy metaphors, dynamic pacing and masterfully integrated music and sound keep the viewer engaged, leading seamlessly to the meaningful and painfully honest final scene.
Audience Choice
ZIMA
Directed by: Tomek Popakul, Kasumi Ozeki, Screenplay: Tomek Popakul, Production: Yellow Tapir Films, Country: Poland, Year: 2023
Etiuda&Anima 2024 team and participants
The 31st Etiuda & Anima Festival took place in Krakow, 22-27 November 2024.