Se-ma-for Festival Winners Announced
The 4th Se-ma-for Festival, an international stop motion animated film festival in Łódź, Poland, has just ended. This year’s edition had without doubt the strongest programme so far and was visited by most interesting guests. During the festival almost 250 animated films were screened, also more than 50 international participants. Some of the most famous of them – including Anthony Christov, art director/production manager of Pixar, Jens Gulliksen with Tim Allen, coworkers of Tim Burton, and César Award winner Alain Ughetto – could have been met at workshops and masterclasses.
Screenings were dominated by frankophonic animations from Belgium, France and Canada. Yet the heart of the festival was placed at International Competition for the Best Stop Motion Animation and The Best Polish Animation Competition. 54 stop motion movies took part in the International Competition, while 27 animations participated in Polish Competition.
Nine jurors of International Competition were watching movies separated into three categories: professional, amateur and children animation. René Chenier, executive producer in National Film Board of Canada, was the head of professional jury. Susann Wach Rozsa, commissioner for animation at Federal Office of Culture in Switzerland, was a leader of student’s competition jury. In Polish Competition Zbigniew Kotecki – director, screenwriter and operator – was leading the jury.
During the evening gala festival prizes were given – Little and Big Peters – statuettes inspired by the main character of the Academy Award winner Peter and the Wolf produced by Se-ma-for.
In the professional section of International Competition a slovenian-german puppet animation Boles by Špeli Čadež was chosen a winner by the unanimous jury verdict. This picture is an astonishing story of Filip, the writer, and his mysterious neighbor Tereza – a prostitute who asks him to write for her a letter to her lover, Boles. “Without never forgetting the importance of storytelling, the author managed to make us live an enjoyable experience, mixing a whimsical appeal with the depth of emotion, creating relatable characters that conquered us with their melancholy and reality” – as said René Chenier.
There was no surprise in the verdict of Polish Competition jury – winner was Signum – newest animation by Witold Giersz, an outstanding filmmaker. This film, created within last few years, tells about the origins of art – cave paintings. Signum is a movie which has greatly exceeded other Competition participants.
Award for the best student’s animation went to Norwegian But milk is important by Anna Mantzaris i Eirik Grønmo Bjørnsen. The winner is a history of a man with social phobia whom an imaginary friend (a downy personification of milk) is helping to break the barrier separating him from the outside world. “A very mature work for a student”, as said the jury.
“A brilliant and original work” – these are the worlds about Hungarian Nyuszi és Öz (Rabbit and Deer) by Péter Vácz, winner of children animation competition. It is a story about a deer and a couple of rabbits separated when moved into another dimension (pictured by combination of puppet dolls with cut-outs). That movie was also chosen as the best by the children voting for the Little Peter award. Which means Rabbit and Deer was appreciated by adults as well as the youngsters.
People’s Choice Award was given to Katachi by Przemysław Adamski and Katarzyna Kijek – a music video, astounding mixture of colors and shapes.
Little Peter award for the best debut movie was also given to the Polish Competition. Winner was Do serca Twego by Ewa Borysewicz. Three movies were also pointed out: On/Off by Piotr Ludwik, Katachi Adamski/Kijek duo, and Toto by Zbigniew Czapla who was a winner of Polish Competition last year.
Student’s award in International Competition was given to La Ravaudeuse by French director Simon Filliot. Belorussian Focus by Maria Matusevich and Canadian Fox and Chickadee by Evan deRushie were awarded by the children.
During the Festival honorary awards – Big Peters – were also given. First of them went to Piotr Dumała, prominent Polish artist. Second one was given to an institution – National Film Board of Canada. In the name of the producer this award was accepted by René Chenier, head of the jury.
The closing gala was also an occasion to celebrate two jubilees. It has been a year since the erection of Se-ma-for Museum of Animation. 2013 is also a 20th year of Zbigniew Żmudzki’s work for Se-ma-for. Żmudzki is a current director of Festival and also chairman of Se-ma-for studio, a person who is believed to have saved the studio in 2000 by transforming it into the commercial (non-governmental) venture devoted to production and distribution of stop motion films.
