WE KNOW THE WINNERS OF THE 61ST BRNO16!
The international jury chose the film Acid Rain by Tomek Popakul as the winner. The chair, Ondřej Pavlík, commented on the choice as follows: “A young couple meet, take drugs, go to a rave and suffer a terrifying comedown in Popakul’s astonishing hallucinatory animation. Acid Rain is awarded this year’s top prize because it takes the viewer on a complete psychedelic journey. The attention-grabbing animation technique creates a trance-like atmosphere while the sheer attention to detail is incredible, from the immersive sound design to the trippy dance number.”
The main jury also awarded three special mentions. ► S P A C E S (Nora Štrbová) “Nora Štrbová uses experimental animation to tell a very personal story in this heartfelt documentary. S P A C E S is true and rich in emotions, with a stark animation style that matches the glitching nature of the subject’s mental deterioration.” ► Such a Lovely Town (Marta Koch) “A combination of eroticism and sheer terror is skillfully conveyed through several fluidly morphing animation styles in Marta Koch’s nightmarish vision. The film stalks the viewer relentlessly like a hunter, as we go on a claustrophobic nocturnal journey with the heroine through a reality she ought to recognise, but can’t.” and ► Exam (Sonia K. Hadad) “Two disparate sides of Iranian society clash in Hadad’s impressive short film that blends social drama with the suspense of a great thriller. With edge-of-the-seat tension, Exam tackles the unpleasant reality of a country that lives to double standards.”
The Iranian film Exam was also chosen by the international student jury. The chair, Jan-Karel Pavlík, commented on the choice of the jury as follows: “By unanimous decision, we have chosen Exam by Sonia K. Hadad as the winner of The Student Jury Award. Exam uses the short film format to its full potential, gripping the audience right from the start and taking us through several levels of increasing suspense until the very end. The visceral nature of this short film, accentuated by its innovative cinematography and brilliant acting, transcends the cultural context that it so efficiently sets up and creates an immersive experience full of empathy and raw human emotion that the audience is unlikely to soon forget”
The films submitted into the second edition of the competition for authors from the Czech Republic and Slovakia were also judged by an international jury. Anne Gaschütz, the chair, comments on the choice of the winner by a directing duo Marta Prokopová and Michal Blašek, Wild Beasts, as follows: “Soothing water sounds, cracking wood and distant humming take us on a mysterious journey through a dark and atmospheric cosmos. With a love for detail, a distinctive sound design and a confident visual style, this film draws us into an imaginary world of night sweats, synchronized swimming and late-night campfires. Beautifully animated, we are immediately captivated by its strange and yet familiar creatures, disturbing narrative and alluring scenery.”
The audience award of the 61st edition of BRNO16 was decided via online voting forms. The award is going to The Depths by Ariane Louis-Seize.
