The SPARK Computer Graphics Society (Spark CG) has announced the 2021 SPARK ANIMATION award winners at the SPARK ANIMATION Celebration. The ceremony is available to view online during the 12th annual SPARK ANIMATION Film Festival taking place October 28-November 7.
Simone Giampaolo’s film Only a Child from Switzerland was selected as this year’s Best in Show, SPARK ANIMATION’s Oscar-qualifying top prize. The film was selected for its powerful and urgent reminder of the unfulfilled promise for global climate change that was promised 30 years ago and remains largely unfulfilled.
This year’s Director’s Prize was awarded to Vancouverite Desirae Witte’s The Fall, which is premiering at SPARK, while Zacharias Kunuk’s Angakusajaujuq – The Shaman’s Apprentice took home the prizes for Stop-Motion Narrative Short and Canadian Film.
William Joyce’s Mr. Spam Gets a New Hat (U.K.) won the 3D Narrative Short prize, while Joanna Quinn’s Affairs of the Art (U.K.) took home the 2D Narrative award.
The French team of Yanis Belaid, Eliott Benard, Nicolas Mayeur, Etienne Moulin, Hadrien Pinot, Lisa Vicente, Philippine Singer and Alice Letailleur (Pôle 3D) won the Student category with The Seine’s Tears, while Canada’s Michael Joseph McDonald and Joe Bluhm won the Music Video category with Jordan Hart’s “Freedom”.
The CRCR collective (Japan) took home both the Commercial category with Head & Shoulders “The Chase” as well as the Cinematic category with League of Legends “Phoenixmancers”. Matt DesLauriers’ Wayfinder (Canada) was awarded a Special Mention, Animated Interactive, and Anatolii Umanets’ But Happy (Ukraine) round out the winners with the VFX prize.
Additional honors and special mentions were awarded to:
- All Those Sensations in My Belly – Marko Djeska (Croatia) | WIA Diversity Award
- Mila – Cinzia Angelini (U.S.) | Runner Up, 3D Narrative Short
- Namoo – Erick Oh (U.S.) | Runner Up, 2D Narrative Short
- Freedom Swimmer – Olivia Martin-McGuire (U.K.) | Winner, Mixed-Media Narrative Short
- I Am Chuma – Wendy Spinks, Clea Mallinson (South Africa) | Runner Up, Mixed-Media Narrative Short
- Homebird – Ewa Smyk (U.K.) | Runner Up, Student Short
- Felt Right Then, Feels Right Now – Ashton Blyth (U.K.) | Special Mention, Social Message, Student Short
- Where Are You Really From? – Steven Lee (U.S.) | Special Mention, Social Message, Student Short
- La Bestia – Marlijn van Nuenen, Ram Tamez, Alfredo Gerard Kuttikatt (France) | Special Mention, Social Message, Student Short
- The Soloists – Mehrnaz Abdollahinia, Feben Elias Woldehawariat, Razahk Issaka, Celeste Jamneck, Yi Liu (France) | Special Mention, Social Message, Student Short
- Misery Loves Company – Sasha Lee (S. Korea) | Special Mention, Social Message, Student Short
- Circus in Town – Sebastian Kellermann, Robin Pfister (Germany) | Special Mention, Documentary, Student Short
- Barking Orders – Alex Tullo (U.S.) | Special Mention, Comedy, Student Short
- Molly & Her Cat – Annabelle Cabaret, Lucie Damin, Emmanuel-Xuân Dubois, Chloé Laffaire, Yifang Man, Clarisse Milcent (France) | Special Mention, Comedy, Student Short
- The Clearing – Daniel Hope (U.K.) | Special Mention, Stop-Motion, Student Short
- Three Jumps to Happiness – Artur Hanaj (Poland) | Special Mention, Stop-Motion, Student Short
- Save Ralph – Spencer Susser (U.S.) | Winner, PSA
- Belshezzar’s Feast “The Writing on the Wall” – Nicos Livesey (U.K.) | Runner Up, Music Video
- Katy Perry “Harleys in Hawaii” – Hoku Uchiyama, Adam Bolt (U.S.) | Special Mention, Music Video
- Cacophony – “I Am Sorry” – Hayoung Elaine Song (S. Korea) | Special Mention, Music Video
Watch the awards ceremony and more 2021 SPARK ANIMATION programming with an All-Access pass ($60), available at sparkanimation.ca.
