And the ANIMATION IS FILM festival winners are. . .

Enchantment, magic, beauty, and incredible animation and storytelling are just a few of the words to describe the winners of this year’s ANIMATION IS FILM festival. Tackling themes like love and loss, each of these winning films is as emotionally powerful and impactful as the next thanks to not only strong engaging stories but a diverse palette of animation styles.

GRAND PRIZE: “I LOST MY BODY” – JEREMY CLAPIN

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE: “MARONA’S FANTASTIC TALE” – ANCA DAMIAN

AUDIENCE AWARD:

“WEATHERING WITH YOU” – MAKOTO SHINKAI

“THE SWALLOWS OF KABUL” – ZABAU BREITMAN & ELEA GOBBE-MALLEVEC

ANIMATION IS FILM announced the winners of its third annual film festival today with the feature film I LOST MY BODY, written and directed by Jérémy Clapin, winning its top honor, the Grand Prize. It is the tale of a severed hand in a Parisian laboratory, that escapes its unhappy fate and sets out to reconnect with its body.

MARONA’S FANTASTIC TALE took home The Special Jury Prize. This film, co-written and directed by Anca Damian is the beautiful and deeply emotional story of life and love, told through the point of view of a mixed breed Labrador puppy. This year, WEATHERING WITH YOU from director Makoto Shinkai and THE SWALLOWS OF KABUL from co-directors Zabou Breitman & Elea Gobbe-Mevellec were tied for the Audience Prize.

“The jury salutes ‘I Lost My Body’ for its surprising and original use of animation as a means to tell an unconventional mystery, one in which the main character is a severed hand that experiences a wide range of emotions and adventures without the use of words. French director Jérémy Clapin’s unique feature uses visual storytelling in inventive ways, presenting the world from an unexpected perspective while teaching audiences how to interpret this innovative vocabulary as it unfolds,” stated Jury Chair, Peter Debruge, on behalf of the jurors.

Jérémy Clapin, writer/director, I LOST MY BODY

“We voted to give a special jury prize to ‘Marona’s Fantastic Tale’ for its visual artistry and overall emotional impact. Rather than emulating the language of live-action, writer-director Anca Damian uses the native potential of animation to its fullest,” Debruge added.

Anca Damian, writer/director, MARONA’S FANTASTIC TALE

With over 7,000 guests in attendance this year, ANIMATION IS FILM hosted several sold-out events throughout the weekend. The Opening Night screenings of WEATHERING WITH YOU by Makoto Shinkai, who was in attendance from Japan to do Q & As after each screening, sold out two screenings to the delight of fans. In addition, AIF hosted multiple special events, a behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming FROZEN II with co-director and Academy Award® winner Chris Buck taking audiences on a journey out of Arendelle in pursuit of the origin of Elsa’s powers. The sneak peek featured scenes and music from the upcoming feature.

AIF also presented a sneak peek at one of the most anticipated animated features of the year – Netflix’s KLAUS! Presented by director Sergio Pablos (live, via satellite) and Animation Supervisor Matt Williames (in-person) – audiences learned about the production and screened never-seen footage of this groundbreaking new film.

Elea Gobbe-Mevellec, co-director of THE SWALLOWS OF KABUL

Additional special screenings included a presentation of NE ZHA, China’s entry to Oscar’s International Film. Coloroom founder and NE ZHA writer & producer, Yi Qiao led a discussion to a sold-out audience about the film. Annecy’s “The Best of Annecy: Spotlight On Women Directors,” a showcase of some of the best animated shorts directed by women in 2019, diver and thought-provoking films from around the world – proved to be a major crowd pleaser.

“We are happy to wrap our third Animation Is Film, with congratulations to the winners and all participating films and filmmakers, and to the city of Los Angeles for embracing our event. 2019 is a landmark year for animation. The diversity, global range, and creative inspiration on display at the festival is testament to the continued emergence of animation as a cinematic artform,” stated ANIMATION IS FILM Founder Eric Beckman.

The 3rd Annual ANIMATION IS FILM Festival took place October 18-20 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theater in Hollywood. The festival presented a program of ten new animated feature films in competition, with selections from Asia, Europe and North America, and filmmakers attending the screenings and hosting Q & As. The festival was produced by GKIDS in partnership with Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Variety, and Fathom Events. The full 2019 film lineup is available at AnimationIsFilm.com.

Makoto Shinkai, director, WEATHERING WITH YOU

ANIMATION IS FILM fills a gap in the market by establishing a world class animation festival in the US, with its home in the world capital of filmmaking. The Festival embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form on par with live action filmmaking and is a vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of their work to the fullest range of expression that the medium is capable of. The festival is produced by GKIDS in partnership with Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Major industry and media sponsors include: Variety, Fathom Events, Loews Hollywood Hotel, All Nippon Airways, ELMA, Netflix, Shout! Factory, Paramount Animation, Sony Pictures Animation, Warner Animation Group, DreamWorks Animation, Cartoon Network, Unifrance, Consulate General of France in Los Angeles, Animation Magazine, Animation Scoop, Animation World Network, Cartoon Brew, JAPAN HOUSE Los Angeles, RightStuf Anime, WIA (Women In Animation).

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