Winners of the 2023 Spark Animation film festival have been announced, ahead of the event’s official screening run November 9-12. The festival will also offer an online version from November 13 to December 31. (See more program details here.)
The Spark Computer Graphics Society (Spark CG) revealed that Alec Green and Finbar Watson’s powerful animated short film Teacups has been selected as Best in Show, SPARK ANIMATION’s Oscar-qualifying top prize. The film, which tells the incredible true story of Don Ritchie’s heroic interactions with hundreds of suicidal individuals at the cliff near his Australian home, was selected by the Jury “for its bold and artistic cinematic achievement which skillfully weaves a heartfelt narrative that captivates audiences with its non-sentimental approach.”
Bill Plympton, the Oscar-winning director and champion of independent animation, will be awarded this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the art form. The festival will also host the Canadian Premiere of the director’s latest film Slide.
The Spark Animation Diversity Award celebrates films and filmmakers who champion the rich tapestry of human experiences through their work. The prize was awarded to two projects: Thao Lam and Kjell Boersma’s Boat People, a powerful story of survival produced by the National Film Board of Canada, as well as Our Uniform, Iranian filmmaker Yegane Moghaddam’s exploration of hijab.
This year’s Director’s Prize was awarded to Vancouverite Ben Meinhardt’s Living the Dream, a 60-second musical encapsulation of a number of socio-economic issues faced by millions of individuals worldwide.
In addition to being a leg up in the Academy Awards race, Spark Animation is also a 2024 Canadian Screen Awards qualifying festival. A Crab in the Pool by French-Canadian directing team Alexandra Myotte and Jean-Sébastien Hamel was awarded the Best Canadian Film prize.
Pedro Nel Cabrera Vanegas’ touching story of survival, Tapir Memories, was selected as Winner, Student Film category, while two student projects from Pôle 3D were awarded top prizes: Stabat Mater from Hadrien Maton, Quentin Wittevrongel, Arnaud Mege, Coline Thelliez and William Defrance (Special Mention, Artistic Achievement), and On the 8th Day from Agathe Sénéchal, Alicia Massez, Elise Debruyne, Flavie Carin and Théo Duhautois (Special Mention, Technical Achievement).
The winning films were selected by the Spark Animation Festival Jury during a weekend of deliberations (September 23-24), which took place in Vancouver, Canada.
Awards will be presented in person at the Spark Animation Celebration screening on November 12. Most of the award-winning films will also be available on demand as part of Spark Animation Online (Nov. 13-Dec. 31).
Additional prizewinners include:
- Runner Up, Best in Show — The Waiting by Volker Schlecht (Germany)
- Runner Up, Student Film — Slouch by Michael Bohnenstingl (U.S.)
- Special Mention, Comedy — The Bubby Bear Show by Thavin Vongpatanasin (U.S.)
- Special Mention, Comedy — My Name Is Edgar and I Have a Cow by Filip Diviak (Czechia)
- Winner, Commercial — Potato Falls by Janina Putzker (Germany)
- Winner, VFX — A Calling. From the Desert to the Sea by Murad Abu Eisheh (Germany)
- Winner, Music Video — Still Alive by Etienne Guignard (France)
- Honorable Mention, Cinematic — Astrolander by Maximus Trest (Canada)
- GameVerse Prize — Overwatch 2 “Calling” feat. Sojourn by Ben Dai (U.S.)
Learn more at sparkcg.org.
