In Korea, the age of 19 marks the brink of adolescence – and in the same way, the Seoul Indie-Anifest seemed to be at a crossroads. Its programming this year looked both to the past and to the future. The special guest selection juxtaposed classic American animator Bill Plympton with a much younger contemporary, Jérémy Clapin; the film programming spilled over into more segments and now, web animation; and, in due turn, the festival turnout seemed greater in number than ever before.
Within the Korean selections of Independent Walk and First Flight, then, it is almost fitting to see the tension between past and future present in the awards. “Echo” (Kim Sangjoon), which follows a cannibalism case in the 1990s, took home the coveted “Star of Indie” Grand Prize this year. On the other hand, the speculative future of “How to get your man pregnant” (Noh Gyeong-mu) scooped the Prize for Independent Walk, as it gleefully mixes and matches traditional Korean painting with ghoulish, UPA-esque digital animation.
This year, we've also seen a similar note follow as well in the pan-Asian competition, Asia Road. Here, heartwrenching retrospective “Wedding on the Execution Ground” (Zilai Feng) also deals, notably, with this impossible impasse between the fantasized romantic past with the mundane present. Other Indie Ani-fest first-timers also made a splash in this segment, with Chenghua Yang/Shang Zhang's “Chacha” and Clarisse Chua's “Goose Quest.”
But without further ado, here are the awards:
Korean selections (Independent Walk, First Flight, Web Animation)
Grand Prize, “Star of indie” – Echo (Kim Sangjoon)
Prize for Independent Walk – How to get your man pregnant (Noh Gyeongmu)
Prize for First Flight – First Class, After School (Lee Ga-on, Kim Seo-yeon, Park Seo-young, Lee Seojin)
Jury Special Prize – A Long Alone (Yeo Eun-a)
Special Prize for Debut Film – Getting Used to Loneliness (Seo Pyoungwon)
KIAFA Special Prize – Origin (Erick Oh)
Special Prize for Music/Sound – Echo (Kim Haewon)
Prize for Best Animated Web Animation – Bugazing (Lee Sooah)
Audience Choice, “Star of Festival” – How to get your man pregnant (Noh Gyeongmu)
Audience Choice, “Star of the Festival” – Dododo Chunsik (Lee Jinwoo)
Public Jury Prize – One Little Finger (Noh Yukyung)
Asia Road (pan-Asian shorts competition)
Grand Prize, “Light of Asia” – Wedding on the Execution Ground (Zilai Feng)
Prize for Asia Road – Chacha (Chenghua Yang and Shang Zhang)
Jury Special Prize – Goose Quest (Clarisse Chua)
Audience Choice, “Star of Festival” – Our Uniform (Yegane Moghaddam)
Mirinae Road (Features)
Grand Prize, “Star of Mirinae” – Mother Land (Park Jaebom)
Jury Special Prize – Silver Bird and Rainbow Fish (Lei Lei)
Audience Choice, “Star of Festival” – Mother Land (Park Jaebom)
