Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival operations manager Rich Warren praised the good taste of the people of Bristol after Icelandic short film When Rabbits Fly won the audience award at this year’s 18th annual festival, one of the world’s leading showcases of short films and animation, and new talent.
The 21-minute long film, directed by Halldor Ragnar Halldorsson and Helgi Johannsson (right, receiving their award from festival artistic director Mark Cosgrove) tells the story of a family of three who are forced to move to the roof of a high-rise building in Reykjavika fter they fall on hard times.
Despite a dark subject matter, it has some lovely comic touches and finishes with a joyfully unexpected twist.
“I love that film,” a bleary-eyed Rich told me after a screening of all the award-winning films on the last day of the festival this afternoon.
“When I was doing the pre-selection I was hoping that we would find a film from Iceland, where the financial crisis started. Are we already at that stage when we can poke fun at the crisis? I sincerely hope so.”
Here are the full award-winners from Encounters 2012:
Cartoon d’Or Nomination
Winning film: Head Over Heels by Timothy Reckart , UK
Audience Award
Winning film: When Rabbits Fly by Halldor Ragnar Halldorsson and Helgi Johannsson, Iceland
DepicT! ’12 Random Acts Special Mention Award
Winning film: Big Signal by Evelien Lohbeck, Netherlands
DepicT! ’12 British Special Mention Award
Winning film: Living With Depression by Anna Ginsburg, UK
Shooting People DepicT! Audience Award
Winning film: Hey by Scott Coello, UK
DepicT! Award
Winning film: The Fat Cat by Mole Hill, UK
UWE European New Talent Award – Animation
Winning film: Kuhina (Swarming) by Joni Mannisto, Finland
UWE European New Talent Award – Live Action
Winning film: Dura Lex by Anke Blonde, Belgium
Documentary Award – Supported by Icon Films
Special Mention: Paraiso (Paradise) by Nadav Kurtz , USA
Winning film: Cutting Loose by Finlay Pretsell and Adrian McDowall, UK
Best of South West Award
Special Mention: A Hiding Place by Fergus Colville and Plain Song by Nick Park
Winning film: Klovesteinen by Anders Furevik, Falmouth University
Best of British Animation – Supported by the British Council
Winning film: I Am Tom Moody by Ainslie Henderson
Best of British Jury Award Live Action – Supported by the NFTS, the British Council and Directors UK
Special Mention: Unravel by Meghna Gupta
Winning film: On This Island by Matthew Knott
Animated Grand Prix
Winning film: Oh Willy… by Emma de Swaef and Marc James, Belgium/France/Netherlands
Brief Grand Prix
Special Mention: Les Meuths (The Hounds) by Manuel Schapira, France
Winning film: Prematur (Premature) by Gunhild Enger, Norway (below)
