Stadionshop Jury Grand Prix
A monetary award in the amount of €1,000 is presented by TRANSFERA, logistične storitve, d.o.o. The award goes to:
Tomasz Popakul (Tomasz Popakul)
Poland, Japan, 2016, HD, 14:5
A pair of astronauts is trapped on an orbital space station because of a nuclear war that erupted unexpectedly on Earth. They lost contact with Earth and all attempts to communicate with their base or anybody else have failed. All they can do now is watch nuclear explosions taking place on the surface of the Earth and try to survive together somehow.
Explanation: A tight script with spare dialogue in which every word counts. Sparse art direction in minimal black and white, and a fearlessly simple use of CGI makes this film surprisingly emotional.
University of Ljubljana and University of Nova Gorica Award for best European student animated film
Monetary award in the amount of 1,000 Euros is presented jointly by the University of Ljubljana and University of Nova Gorica. The award goes to:
Jan Saska (FAMU Praga)
Czech Republic, 2015, HD, 5:43
A black comedy about death with a happy ending. A splendid chain of unlikely encounters. Hunters, a tractor driver, a disco boy, and a corpse.
Explanation: In deciding on the winner, we considered all aspects of what makes a good animated film. With only one of the films in competition, we were absorbed strongly enough from the moment it started to submerge ourselves completely in the flow of narration. The film makes adept use of the editing rhythm, and finds intelligent ways of adjusting the drawing style to the content. By taking the classic time loop to a higher level, it leads us to the conclusion that is not about how our lives end, what matters is how they are lived.
HOPIN Audience Award
A monetary award in the amount of €1,000 is presented by HOPIN Slovenia. The award goes to:
Špela Čadež (Finta, RTV Slovenija, Bonobostudio)
Slovenia, Croatia, 2016, 8:46
A badger lies motionless on a local road. A police patrol approaches the body in the dark. They soon realise that the animal is not dead; the badger is dead drunk from overripe pears! When the police attempt to drag the creature off the road, he wakes up and things take a strange turn.
The :D'SAF! Children Jury Award for the best film in the Elephant Programme
A monetary award in the amount of €1,000 is presented by the Slovenian Animated Film Association. The award goes to:
Duh po geranijah / Scent of Geranium
Naghmeh Farzaneh, USA, 2016, 4:41
Immigration is a new chapter in one's life, a chapter with unexpected events that can take one's life down paths different from the one imagined. This film is an autobiographical account of the director's experience with immigration.
Explanation: We chose the winning film for its topical message, which is conveyed in a positive and humorous way. It features a story that many can relate to, especially today. We are all different, let us give ourselves time to blossom...
Jury's Special Mentions
Sarah Saidan:
Marta Pajek (Animoon)
Poland, 2016, HD, 14:40
The protagonist of the film is a woman who trips and falls while rushing around the house. She gets up, only to discover that her home has unusual features – it is built from paradoxes, filled with illusions and covered with patterns.
Explanation: Brilliantly animated and effective use of metaphors in this witty but serious film about a woman's life, that reminds us of the power of animation to tell personal stories.
Paul Bush:
Petra Zlonoga (Kinoklub Zagreb)
Croatia, 2016, HD, 4:32
An audiovisual weave in which an animated line represents the warp, while the female voice represents the filling. She who weaves and that what is woven intertwine through time.
Explanation: V zapletenem svetu je težko in pogumno iskati preprostost. Umirjenost, lepota in elegantna forma so tisto, zaradi česar film izstopa iz konkurence.
Chris Landreth:
Veljko Popović (Lemonade 3d, Krupni kadar)
Croatia, 2015, HD, 13:25
Planemo is a solitary wanderer, a sentinel of the galaxy. It is an orphaned world, a celestial body booted from its solar system by the chaos of planetary migration.
In a society where everyone mindlessly orbits around their daily routines, what happens when a person gets ejected from the system? They might just find themselves rapidly pushed out of the habitable zone.
Explanation: For showing us that your solitude can be your salvation, where solitary wanderers can become the sentinels of our galaxy. For a film of real emotional punch about real people, my honourable mention goes to Planemo, by Veljko Popovic.
Joni Männistö:
Špela Čadež (Finta, RTV Slovenija, Bonobostudio)
Slovenia, Croatia, 2016, 8:46
A badger lies motionless on a local road. A police patrol approaches the body in the dark. They soon realise that the animal is not dead; the badger is dead drunk from overripe pears! When the police attempt to drag the creature off the road, he wakes up and things take a strange turn.
Explanation: An ironic and charming portrait of a disreputable character. A film that mocks, condemns and celebrates our fatal attraction to alcohol.
Mauro Carraro:
Mesto duhov / Grad duhova / Ghost Town
Marko Dješka (Zagreb film)
Croatia, 2016, HD, 12:11
While a battle rages around an abandoned town, the remaining citizen fights his battle with loneliness through his daily rituals.
Explanation: For a film that releases with honesty a still painful page of the history (conflict?) that will always be inside us. My honourable mention goes to Ghost Town by Marko Dješka.
Special mention of the student's jury:
Victoria Musci (La Poudriere)
France, 2015, HD, 4:10
A career criminal called Nonno is hiding in a cellar with Giggino, his grandson.
Explanation: The student jury gives its special mention to an author who, using the technique of choice, demonstrated masterly skill in creating motion in motion. The film excels on the one hand in the roughness of its material, and on the other in the author’s subtle touch.