‘Reruns’ by Rosto Wins ANIMA 2019 Grand Prix

The 38th edition of ANIMA, the Brussels International Animation Film Festival came to a close Sunday evening in Flagey’s Studio 4 with a festive closing ceremony, which opened with a performance of Winsor McCay’s famous Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) before the announcements of the winning films, and closed with the premiere of Vincent Patar and Stéphane Aubier’s latest stop-motion misadventure, The Agricultural Fair.

This year’s festival showed a 1,000 person attendance increase, pulling in some 46,000 visitors (including 32,000 from Brussels). There were a total of 763 badge-holders, as well as more than 60 international guests from 20 different countries — including the U.S., Japan and Egypt — presenting films or taking part in the Futuranima conference.

The jury for the international competition – Maureen Furniss (U.S.), Hisko Hulsing (NL) and Jakob Schuh (DE) – awarded the Grand Prix to the recently deceased Dutch filmmaker Rosto for Reruns, “an explosive cocktail of live pictures reworked in 3D and an invitation into the artist’s mind and especially his childhood memories.” The Festival dedicated its closing ceremony to the artist, whose innovative works had often been part of the annual event. The Anima 2019 Grand Prix comes with a grant of 2,500 Euros offered by the Région de Bruxelles-Capitale and is an Emile Awards and Academy Award-qualifying prize.

Next year’s Anima is set to take place in Brussels from Friday, February 21 to Sunday, March 1, 2020. Learn more at www.animafestival.be.

ANIMA 2019 winners:

Jury Awards

Grand Prix for Best International Short Film
RERUNS, Rosto (France/Netherlands/Belgium)

Creative Revelation Award (2,500€ provided by the Korean Cultural Centre)
GRAND BASSIN, Héloïse Courtois, Victori Jalabert, Chloé Plat, Adèle Raigneau (France)

Special Jury Award
JE SORS ACHETER DES CIGARETTES, Osman Cerfon (France)

Award for Best Student Short Film
BLOEM?, Jorn Leeuwerink (Netherlands)

Special Mention
SISTER, Siqi Song (China)

Youth Jury (Ceci n’est pas un Buzz and Ouftivi)

Award for Best Short Film for Children
ONE SMALL STEP, Andrew Chesworth, Bobby Pontillas (United States/China)

Special Mention
ROBOTEN OCH VALEN, Jonas Forsman (Sweden)

Audience Awards

Audience Award for Best Animated Feature
FUNAN, Denis Do (France/Belgium/Luxembourg/Cambodia)

Audience Award for Best Animated Feature for Children
STUBBY, Richard Lanni (France/Canada/United States/Ireland)

Audience Award for Best Short Film
MIND MY MIND, Floor Adams (Netherlands/Belgium)

Audience Award for Short Film for Children
ONE SMALL STEP, Andrew Chesworth, Bobby Pontillas (United States/China)

Animation Night Audience Award for Best Short Film
BLOODY FAIRY TALES, Tereza Kovandová (Czech Republic)

Partner Awards

BeTV Award for Best Animated Feature of the official selection (acquisition of broadcasting rights)
RUBEN BRANDT, COLLECTOR, Milorad Krstić (Hungary)

Press Award for Best Short Film (UPCB and UCC)
IMPOSSIBLE FIGURES AND OTHER STORIES III, Marta Pajek (Poland)

NATIONAL COMPETITION 
Jury Awards

Award for Best Belgian Short Film, provided by Sabam (2,500€)
NUIT CHERIE, Lia Bertels (Belgium)

Grand Prix for Best Short of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, provided by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (2,500€)
SOUS LE CARTILAGE DES CÔTES, Bruno Tondeur (Belgium)

Author Award provided by SACD (2,500€)
ROBO, Leo Becker (Belgium)

Partner Awards
BeTV Award (acquisition of broadcasting rights)
SOUS LE CARTILAGE DES CÔTES, Bruno Tondeur (Belgium)

RTBF – La Trois Award (acquisition of broadcasting rights)
FROM THE SNOW-COVERED HILL, Matty Jorissen & Wijnand Driessen (Belgium/Netherlands)

Cinergie Award (Electronic Press Kit)
ROBO, Leo Becker (Belgium)

VR COMPETITION

Best VR Short Film Award
GLOOMY EYES, Fernando Maldonado & Jorge Tereso (France/Argentina)

Audience Award for Best VR Short Film
LE CRI, Sandra Paugam & Charles Ayats (France)