Awards & Prizes

'My Life as a Zucchini', 'The Red Turtle' Win 2017 Emile Awards

'My Life as a Zucchini', 'The Red Turtle' Win 2017 Emile Awards

It turned out to be a fight between two Oscar-nominated features in the 2017 edition of the new Emile Awards.

The stop-motion drama My Life as a Zucchini won all three awards it was nominated for. The film won Best Feature Film (award goes to director Claude Barras), Best Writing for a Feature (Céline Sciamma, Claude Barras, Morgan Navarro, Germano Zullo) and Best Soundtrack (Sophie Hunger).

The Red Turtle by Michael Dudok de Wit won 2 Emile Awards for Best Storyboard (Michael Dudok De Wit), and Best Character Animation in a Feature film (Jean-Christophe Lie & Michael Dudok de Wit).

The Spanish feature Psyconautas: Τhe Forgotten Children (2 nominations for Pedro Riberto and Alberto Vazquez), the J.F. Laguionie feature Louise en hiver and The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales (B. Renner - P. Imbert) did not make it to the EAA winners (voted by all European Animation Awards members).

In the shorts category, Sweden and the Annecy-awarded The Burden by Niki Lindroth von Bahr took home the Emile prize, in a category where all nominees were women -and all the films strong selections.

France prevailed in the Best Character Animation and Background Design, with David Coquard-Dassault and his Peripheria winning the prize, in another category which had equally fine candidates, like Manivald by Chintis Lundgren (Estonia/Croatia/Canada) and Children's Dream by Christophe Gérard (France).

I feel both humble and proud for a short film coming from Eastern Europe being nominated for an award, in an area where French industry predominates. It is a recognition for our production - Draško Ivezić, producer of Manivald (Adriatic Animation)

The Italian witty Merlot by Marta Gennari and Giulia Martinelli (Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia / National Film School), Torino) won the Best Student Short FIlm.

In the TV categories, the irreverent (and fine) BBC special Revolting Rhymes by Jakob Schuh & Jan Lachauer won both Best Character Animation (Team led by Jakob Schuh, Jan Lachauer, Bin-Han To / Berlin supervisors Jacob Frey, Tobias von Burkersroda and Cape Town supervisors Daniel Snaddon, Quentin Vogel) and Best TV production.

The Amazing World of Gumball got away with the prize for Best Writing, whereas Shaun the Sheep (Season 5, Aardman Animations) won the Emile for Best Storyboarding for a TV production.

Best commissioned film to the London-based studio, Moth Animation (dir.  Marie-margaux Tsakiri-scanatovits, David Prosser, Daniel Chester) for The Last Job on Earth.

Two-times Oscar winner and a most respected member in the European animation community, Richard Williams received the Lotte Reiniger prize for his outstanding achievements - and he faked a heart attack when receiving the prize.

There's been a lot of discussion about the new European Animation Awards, and here our both our thoughts about the nominees' selections and the whole endeavor as an industry/community event.

Relationships between existing animation festivals and the awards, the gap still perceived between big French/UK productions and more independent shorts by other countries, the number of nominees and categories are issues that have been at the center of discussions among European animation professionals. Still, the only way is to go forward -and expand.

Full List of EAA Winners:
" Best Student Film’ Emile Award 2017: Merlot - Italy
‘Best Commissioned Film’ Emile Award 2017: The Last Job on Earth - United Kingdom
‘Best Animated Short Film’ Emile Award 2017: Min Börda / The Burden - Sweden
‘Best Background and Character Design in a Short Film Production’ Emile Award 2017: Peripheria - France
“Best TV/Broadcast Production (Best Director)’ Emile Award 2017: Revolting Rhymes - United Kingdom
'Best Background and Character Design in a TV/Broadcast Production’ Emile Award 2017: Ernest & Célestine – France, Belgium & Luxembourg
‘Best Character Animation in a TV/Broadcast Production’ Emile Award 2017: Revolting Rhymes - United Kingdom
'Best Writing in a TV/Broadcast Production’ Emile Award 2017: The Amazing World of Gumball - United Kingdom
|‘Best Storyboard in a TV/Broadcast Production’ Emile Award 2017: Shaun The Sheep (Season 5) – United Kingdom
‘Best Soundtrack in a TV/Broadcast Production’ Emile Award 2017: Lastman – France
‘Best Feature Film (Best Director)’ Emile Award 2017: Ma vie de Courgette / My Life as a Zucchini – Switzerland & France
‘Best Background and Character Design in a Feature Film’ Emile Award 2017: Tout en Haut du Monde / Long Way North - France & Denmark
‘Best Character Animation in a Feature Film’ Emile Award 2017: La Tortue Rouge / The Red Turtle – France, Belgium & Japan
‘Best Writing in a Feature Film’ Emile Award 2017: Ma Vie de Courgette / My Life as a Zucchini – Switzerland & France
‘Best Storyboard in a Feature Film’ Emile Award 2017: La Tortue Rouge / The Red Turtle – France, Belgium & Japan
‘Best Soundtrack in a Feature Film’  Emile Award 2017: Ma Vie de Courgette / My Life as a Zucchini - Switzerland & France

 

The 1st edition of the Emile Awards, took place in partnership with the Région Hauts de France and Pictanovo on the 8th of December 2017 at Le Nouveau Siècle theatre in Lille, France. The Emile Awards, brainchild of Didier Brunner, Jean-Paul Commin and the EAA President Peter Lord, also co-founder of the Aardman Studio, aim to reward the excellence of the European animation film industry as well as its diversity. 16 Emile Awards trophies were given, Richard Williams was awarded with a Lotte Reiniger Lifetime Achievement Award. The awards ceremony was followed by the French premiere of the animated long feature « The Breadwinner » directed by Nora Twomey.

 

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