‘Teeth’ Wins Grand Prize at Japan’s New Chitose Airport Festival
The second annual New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival, the world’s only airport animation festival, wrapped up last night in Hokkaido, Japan. The festival’s top prize was awarded to Tom Brown and Daniel Gray’s Teeth, which won a 1 million yen prize (US$8,287). The film was one of 61 films in competition, selected from 1,103 entries.
The award for Teeth, as well as the new talent and Japan competition categories, were selected by the festival’s international jury, comprised of Holland Animation Film Festival director Gerben Schermer, Japanese indie filmmaker and comic artist Ryo Hirano, Korean feature film director Chang Hyung-yun (The Satellite Girl and Milk Cow), and yours truly. Numerous other awards were also presented by the festival and its affiliates.
Brown and Gray weren’t present to accept their award, but their video acceptance speech succinctly captured the festival’s quirky spirit. Below is the complete list of winners from the 2015 New Chitose festival.
Grand Prix
Teeth by Tom Brown and Daniel Gray (Hungary/UK/USA)
Jury statement: “This film evoked a strong reaction in all the jury members and generated lengthy discussions while challenging our notions of what animation can do as an art form. The filmmakers use the animation craft to create a visceral effect on the viewer, plunging the audience deep into a perverse and horrific journey. A droll, unconventional story about the quest for the perfect tool, it is told beautifully with an eye for detail and design.”
New Talent Prize (300,000 yen prize)
Two Friends
Natalia Chernysheva (France)
Jury statement: “An outstanding example of character-driven storytelling, underpinned by a witty sense of humor and surprisingly dark edge that stands in contrast to its sweet illustrative style. The filmmaker exhibits a sophisticated understanding of the creative process, employing every filmmaking element from color and design to sound and editing in the service of telling her story.”
Japan Competition Prize (500,000 yen prize)
Zdravstvuite!
Yoko Yuki (Japan)
Jury statement: “This short, describing the cultural life of Yokohama’s downtown harbor, distinguishes itself from many contemporary shorts by young Japanese animators by not only addressing an atypical topic but also the filmmaker’s desire to express the surroundings in which she is living. The film weaves together a lively assortment of animation techniques to compose a playful, impressionistic snapshot of a specific time and place.”
Best Music Animation (200,000 yen prize)
Royal Blood “Out of the Black”
David Wilson and Christy Karacas (UK/USA)
Audience Award (100,000 yen prize)
World of Tomorrow
Don Hertzfeldt (USA)
Kids Award
Stems
Ainslie Henderson (Scotland)
ISHIYA Special Award
Cupid’s Serenade
Jeca Martinez (Philippines)
Sapporo Breweries Special Award
My Home
Phuong Mai Nguyen (France)
Hokkaido Coca-Cola Special Award
Sleepless Castle Un-Amin
Manami Wakai (Japan)
Yotsuba Special Award
Fox Fears
Miyo Sato (Japan)
ROYCE’ Special Award
An Apple and an Apple -Welcome Back Me-
Kaori Tajima (Japan)
Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Award
Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared 4
Becky Sloan and Joseph Pelling (UK)
Minister for Foreign Affairs Award
My Grandfather Was a Cherry Tree
Olga and Tatiana Poliektova (Russia)