At the 15th edition of Indie-AniFest, Jeong Da-hee's “Movements” takes home the “Star of Indie” Grand Prize. Jeong Da-hee is a familiar face in independent animation; since 2012, shorts such as “The Empty” and “Man on the Chair” have won their own fair share of awards at other prestigious festivals like Cannes, Annecy, and Hiroshima. This year, “Movements” – which, in addition to Indie-Anifest, screened in Cannes Directors Fortnight and Annecy – and will compete in Ottawa International Animation Festival (OIAF) next week.
The rest of the animated shorts competition was sectioned off into three categories. In Independent Walk – a section reserved for independent Korean animators – Kim Lee-ha's widely-popular civil-service satire “Mascot” won the top prize. CalArts student Nam Ji-hee championed First Flight (student competition) with her experimental persimmon tale, “Knife Hanging from a Tree.” Finally, Iranian director Amir Houshang Moein and his dancing charcoal short “Am I A Wolf?” walked away with the “Light of Asia” Grand Prize in ASIA ROAD – Indie-Anifest's international competition section delegated to Asian animators.
With only 87 shorts selected out of a whopping 831 submissions, Indie-Anifest showcased a succession of high-quality talent. Six days of after-parties, special talks, and notable guests (including long-established auteur Koji Yamamura (“Mt. Head”), experimental animator Boris Labbe (“La Chute”), and rising star Gints Zilabodis (“Away”)) brought together festival attendees and the public alike. With some hooting and hollering and all-around cheering, Korea's only festival devoted to independent animation closed to a packed theater at Seoul's CGV Myeong-dong Art Cinema.
Without further ado, the complete list of winners:
Grand Prize “Star of Indie” – “Movements” (Jeong Da-hee)
Prize for Independent Walk – “Mascot” (Kim Lee-ha)
Prize for First Flight – “Knife Hanging from a Tree” (Nam Ji-hee)
Jury Special Prize – “Creative Evolution” (Song Yung-sung)
Special Prize for Debut Film – “The Shadow” (Kim Hye-jin)
Special Prize for Music/Sound – “Creative Evolution” (Ayako Sato)
KIAFA Special Prize – “We Will See Someday” (Hong Na-ri)
ASIA ROAD – Grand Prize “Light of Asia” – “Am I A Wolf?” (Amir Houshang Moein)
ASIA ROAD – Jury Special Prize – “Lola the Living Potato” (Leonid Shmelkov)
ASIA ROAD – Jury Special Prize – “Kin's Hair” (Kwun-chung Chan, See-wan Chang, Tsz-yin Wong)
Audience Choice “Star of Festival” – “Love at the Crossroads” (Choi Hee-seung), “The Body Swap Center” (Kazuki Sekiguchi)
Public Jury Prize – “Samsara” (Joo Hyun-joon)
