BIAF has officially announced its award winners for the 25th edition, held October 20-24 in Bucheon, South Korea. 

The jury for feature films (Alain Ughetto, Kim Nayoung, and Michael Arias) chose the French 'Chicken for Linda!' animation feature by  Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach; the film won the Grand Prize and the Kinolights Prize for Feature.

'Chicken for Linda! blends vibrant colors into their shared bittersweet memories. The film mixes comedy, music, action, and touching moments, urging them to embrace the past's pain and cherish the present.

Jury Statement: An animation that arouses interest and curiosity with fast-paced development, strong colors, and simple graphics.

The Jury Prize went to 'The Siren' by Sepideh Farsi. 'The Siren' dives into the tragic history through the life of a 14-year-old Omid in Abadan. People still live and fight, worry about food, and pray through the sirens against war. 

Jury Statement: A real-life conflict is properly explained through animation. A beautiful film that clearly shows the horrors of the ongoing war.

'Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds' by Benoît Chieux and 'Mars Express' by Jérémie Périn won the Special Distinction Prize. 'Robot Dreams' by Pablo Berger took the Audience Prize. 

'Sirocco and Kingdom of the Winds' also won the COCOMICS Music Prize, taking two awards in total at BIAF2023. 

Jury Statement: A well-made animation both cinematically and musically. The music was composed to bring out the scene well. Just by using her voice, opera singer Selma captivates people's souls.

'The Concierge' by Itazu Yoshimi won the Korean Animation Studies President’s Prize, an award given to a film that is likely to attract audience the most. The new SK telecom AI creative award was given to ‘White Plastic Sky’ by Tibor Bánóczki and Sarolta Szabó.

In the short film competition (jury: Tom CJ Brown, Gu Byeongmo, and Shad Bradbury), the Grand Prize for the Short Film was given to 'Compounds Eyes of Tropical' by Xuzhan Zhang.

Compounds Eyes of Tropical

It portrays the Southeast Asian folktale ‘The Mousedeer Crossing the River’ through multiple perspectives, reinterpreting the story’s multiple facets across cultures.

Jury Statement: A work that stands out for its technique, including excellent visuals and delicate sound designs for each material. The silence after the breaking sound in the last scene is exquisite.

The Jury Prize went to 'The Miracle' by Nienke Deutz. 

The Miracle, a place where the sun always shines, with endless opportunities to relax and food in abundance. But how do you relate to a place that constantly confronts you with the things you don’t have? 

Jury Statement: A good story, a compelling piece that explores feelings of loneliness and longing with a unique perspective and style.

The Special Distinction Prize was given to 'Garden of Remembrance’ by Yamada Naoko, '27' by Flóra Anna Buda, and 'World to Roam' by Stephen Irwin. 'Garden of Remembrance' by Yamada Naoko also won the Audience Prize, winning two awards in total. 

The DHL Diversity Prize and the EBS Prize each went to 'I'm Hip' by John Musker and 'Flutter' by Adam Levy. The Kinolights Prize for Short went to 'The Brave Locomotive' by Andrew Chesworth. 

 'Sewing Love' by Xu Yuan won the Jury Prize for a Graduation Film. This animation manifests the emotional, selfish desire called love. In this film, two individuals with strong personalities are ultimately driven to ruin by selfish possessiveness. 

Jury Prize for TV & Commissioned Film went to 'All the Best’ by Pablo Roldan.

Film Synopsis: Dedicated to all those who were told they were weird or were made to feel that way. Most of all it can be authentic.

'Pado (The Waves)’ by Joung Yumi won the Jury Prize for a Korean Short Film, and 'Battery Mommy' by Jeon Seungbae took the Special Distinction Prize.

Juries for the Graduation / TV& Commissioned / Korean Short Film: Moon Sujin, Yu Yu, and Antoine Coppola.

Full List of BIAF 2023 Winners

Feature Film

• Grand Prize Chicken for Linda!
• Jury Prize The Siren
• Special Distinction Prize ① Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds
• Special Distinction Prize ② Mars Express
• Audience Prize: Robot Dreams

Short Film 

• Grand Prize: Compound Eyes of Tropical
• Jury Prize: The Miracle
• Special Distinction Prize ①: Garden of Remembrance
• Special Distinction Prize ② 27
• Special Distinction Prize ③:: World to Roam
• Audience Prize: Garden of Remembrance
• AniB's Choice: Pado (The Waves)

Korean Short Film 

• Jury Prize:  Pado (The Waves)
• Special Distinction Prize: Battery Mommy

Graduation Film

• Jury Prize:: Sewing Love

TV&Commissioned Film

• Jury Prize: All the Best

Special Awards

• COCOMICS Music Prize: Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds
• Korean Society of Cartoon and Animation Studies (KOSCAS) President’s Prize: The Concierge
• SK telecom AI creative award: White Plastic Sky
• Korea Animation Industry Association President’s Prize: The Siren
• DHL Diversity Prize: I'm Hip
• EBS Prize: Flutter
• Kinolights Prize – Feature Film: Chicken for Linda!
• Kinolights Prize – Short Film: The Brave Locomotive

Sirocco and the Kingdom of Winds

The 25th Bucheon International Animation Festival (BIAF2023) took place October 20 to 24, 2023 in Bucheon, South Korea.