Nora Twomey’s The Breadwinner came up the big winner at the inaugural edition of Animation is Film, claiming both the festival’s grand prize and audience award.
Twelve animated features from around the world screened in competition at this first edition of the festival. The only other award presented at the event was a special jury prize to the French feature Big Bad Fox & Other Tales, directed by Patrick Imbert and Benjamin Renner.
The Breadwinner tells the story of a 12-year-old girl growing up under the Taliban in Afghanistan, who, after her father’s wrongful arrest, must pretend to be a boy to be able to work and provide for her family. The Ireland-Canada-Luxembourg co-pro was initiated by Cartoon Saloon, the two-time Oscar-nominated Irish studio responsible for The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea. The Breadwinner will be released theatrically in the United States on November 17.
