Pablo Berger’s charming animated feature Robot Dreams has won the Top Animation Film Prize at the 36th European Film Awards. The awards, which took place on Saturday in Berlin, have been voted on by the 4,600 members of the European Film Academy. The event was hosted by German journalist and actor Britta Steffenhagen.
Set in the late 80s in New York City, Berger’s poignant adaptation of Sara Varon’s graphic novel, follows the friendship and misadventures of a dog and his robot in late ’80s New York City. The movie, which will be released by Neon in the U.S., was the winner of the Contrechamps award at Annecy, the top prize at Bucheon and a Special Jury Prize at Animation Is Film. It has also been nominated for four Goya Awards (Spanish Oscars).
Watch the trailer below:
The other nominees in the European Animated Feature film category were:
- Enzo d’Alo’s A Greyhound of a Girl (Luxembourg, Italy, Ireland, UK, Latvia, Estonia, German)
- Chiara Malta and Sebastien Laudenbach’s Chicken for Linda! (France, Italy)
- Toby Genkel’s The Amazing Maurice (Germany, UK)
- Tibor Bánóczki and Sarolta Szabó’s White Plastic Sky (Hungary, Slovakia)
The Austrian short, Hardly Working, directed by by Total Refusal: Susanne Flock, Robin Klengel, Leonhard Muller and Michael Stumpf was the winner in the European Short Film category. The short is described as an ethnographic exploration of the work and daily life of non-player characters, the digital extras in video games. Their mind-numbing labor routines offer a vivid analogy for life in a capitalistic society.
Watch the trailer below:
The other shorts nominated in this category were:
- 27. Directed by Flóra Anna Buda (France, Hungary)
- Aqueronte. Directed by Manuel Muñoz Rivas (Spain)
- Daydreaming So Vividly About Our Spanish Holidays. Directed by Christian Avilés (Spain)
- Flores Del Otro Patio. Directed by Jorge Cadena (Switzerland, Colombia)
In the live-action world, French director Justine Triet’s Cannes Palme d’Or winning film Anatomy Of A Fall was the clear champion of the evening, winning Best European Film, Director, Screenplay (with Arthur Harari) and Actress for Sandra Hüller.
For the full list of winners, visit europeanfilmawards.eu
