◈ Indie-AniFest2019 Selection Comments◈
■ Thefinal Summary of Independent Walk / First Flight
The members of the jury discussed the films fornearly five hours. We talked about the excellent films in detail, consideredmany choices, and made our final decision. When a film that I had been a mentorfor was mentioned, I kept my opinion to myself to ensure fairness. The membersof the jury came to a unanimous decision, and we were all pleased to award theanimated films whose excellence is exemplary of Indie-AniFest.
Statement written by Koji YAMAMURA
Independent Walk / First Flight Jury : LEEYongsun, LEE Yong-Cheol, JANG Nari, Boris LABBE, Koji YAMAMURA
■Grand Prize 'Star of Indie'
[Movements] JEONG Dahee
This colorful and luminous film transports usinto a scene in a permanent state of reconfiguration. The characters inhabitingit, whether a dog, human, or tree, seem to go through the same dailyactivities, according to their very different personalities and thetemporalities of their various lives. Touching the subject of the relativity ofpassing time and out place in the world, the director achieves a great sense ofdelicacy through continuous formal and narrative inventiveness. The refreshinghumor conveyed through the beautiful animation provides the qualities anoriginal and outstanding film.
by Boris LABBE
■Prize for Independent Walk
[Mascot] KIM Leeha
Sometimes, we try to reach the highest summitand do everything we can to get a little bit closer to the peak, but we findourselves being dragged to the bottom. For the youths lost in a darkness thatwipes out their identities, their efforts have become mere inertia. Thisinertia propels them forward without a destination and becomes their onlyconsolation. This melancholy portrait of modern Korean youths is the recipientof the Independent Walk Prize. We hope that the director finds true joy ratherthan bitter laughter upon their road.
by JANG Nari
■Prize for First Flight
[Knife Hanging From A Tree] NAM Jihee
The unique visual style of this film conveys thedirector’s sensibilities and talent. Without being tooconscious of existing compositions, modes of thinking, and the principles ofcinematic language, the director creates their own sense of timing throughmovement, editing, and sound, creating a sense of urgency and shocking us in anew way. We grant the First Flight Prize to the film that made us truly feelthe unknown potential inside each individual.
by Koji YAMAMURA
■Jury Special Prize
[CREATIVE EVOLUTION] SONG Yungsung
Creative artists know well the challenges ofclear and concise expression, and making work in an intuitive way. This filmachieves all of the above and was a joy for us to see. The color andcomposition achieve a clarity and beauty of expression that lacks unnecessarydetails. The use of metamorphosis remains true to the medium of animation andholds our interest while swiftly driving the film’s evolution toward itsdestination, ultimately gifting the audience with a sublime moment.
by LEE Yongsun
■Special Prize for Debut Film
[The Shadow] KIM Hyejin
When we seek out our old friends, how does itfeel to hear their voices again? Surely this was the impetus for this film.Some things may not change, but there are also things that we regret and feelremorse about. This film’s greatest strength may be itsplain authenticity, which brings us a sweet yet bitter smile. There is atruthfulness in the rough and playful images that might have come from thesketches that we once drew in secret. This film goes a step further and makesus realize that light inevitably accompanies the shadows.
by LEE Yong-cheol
■Special Prize for Music&Sound
[CREATIVE EVOLUTION] Ayako SATO Music Director
As the members of the jury discussed the films,the Music and Sound Prize was not a hard choice. This is a film that iscompleted by the music to a degree that the film and music become one. Theshort syllables spoken by the human voice come together in harmony. Thisharmony becomes love, and love leads to a revolution. Ultimately, the soundachieves an evolution, singing of birth and creation. Though who see the filmare sure to feel the union of the moving image and sound.
by LEE Yongsun
■KIAFA Special Prize
[We Will See Someday] HONG Nari
This year’s films in competitionare part of the modern era of content convergence and integration, coming fromdiverse genres to expand the field of animation into the realm of the unknownand to let the world know of their presence with a great force of energy. Amongthese trends, this film based on a picture book defies our expectations oforiginal contents while giving us the feeling a music video experience. Itreminds us that animation has the power to break down the hierarchies andbarriers between techniques and genres that we establish subconsciously tocreate a genuine mixture. Rather than the world as seen through animation, thisfilm shows us how the world can truly “see” the limitless potential of animation.
Statement written by KIM Hyewon
KIAFA Jury : KIM Sang-hwa, KIM Hyewon, JEONSeungbae
■Audience Choice 'Star of Festival'
[Love at the Crossroads] CHOI Heeseung
■ Summaryfor the Final of ASIA ROAD
The collection of short films in the Asia RoadCategory this year represented a wide range of topics, stories, techniques andgraphic styling. There are films that aim toward the children viewers withmeaningful and positive underlying message, to films that explored the physicaland social issues that present themselves within the various passages of timein our collective human life-time. We are very much inspired by this widevariety of films that represent unique cultural tastes from the filmmakers ofthe many parts of Continental Asia.
Statement written by Mike NGUYEN
ASIA ROAD Jury : PARK Jee-youn, LEE Kyu-tae,Mike NGUYEN
■ GrandPrize 'Light of ASIA'
[Am I a Wolf?] Amir Houshang MOEIN
This film is presented with a very high degreeof animation performance, successfully invoking life through its movements andreaching beyond the more easily achieved illustration of actions. The narrativeof the story is beautifully woven between the parallel of outer and innerrealities. As the children is performing a stage play about the perils of 7domestic goats and a wild wolf, the viewer is invited to experience and betransported in-and-out between the dramas of performing children and blendinginto the fictional story of the play. The choice of art direction and graphicstyling is very whimsical, invoking dream-like qualities while maintaining amore serious undertone and very fitting to the nature of the story.
by Mike NGUYEN
■ Prize for ASIA ROAD
[Lola the Living Potato] Leonid SHMELKOV
Life and death, meeting and parting, growth andlove are endlessly repeated clichés, but they are also inevitable parts of lifethat we are destined to experience. We know they are clichés, but that it whythe smallest touch can make us inescapably sentimental. As we become adults, wedismiss it as being repetitive. But if we had a child’s point of view, would we have the same opinion? Being faced withthe unfamiliar, the child cannot easily take a step forward. Ultimately, thechild is pushed forward into growth.
The grandfather and granddaughter make aperfection combination and invite our laughter. We were impressed by the strongcolors and the scenes recalling the paintings of a certain artist. Each sceneis full of warmth and humor without tugging on the audience’s heart strings too fiercely. The director did not forget to bringus back to reality in the final scene where rain falls on an abandoned memory.This film is at once delicate and inventive yet also coolly objective.
by PARK Jee-youn
■ JurySpecial Prize
[Kin's Hair] Kwunchung CHAN, See-wan CHANG,Tsz-yin WONG
The things that are precious to me vanish one byone. This is something remorseful, yet the film is also presented with a senseof cheeriness. We can laugh at the efforts to hold onto that which is precious.Everything in the film touches upon our everyday lives. The story developsnaturally through fitting comparisons and compositions. The rough visual stylesometimes gets in the way, but that’s alright. It’s all in good fun.
by LEE Kyu-tae
■ AudienceChoice 'Star of Festival'
[The Body Swap Center] Kazuki SEKIGUCHI
■ AudienceJury Award
Having so many precious and meaningful filmsmade our decision very difficult. As our opinions became more varied, it madeus think more seriously and deeply about our choice. We worked hard to followthe spirit of the Indie-AniFest Audience Jury while choosing a film that showsoriginality of expression and excellence in conveying its message. This filmmade us think about human emotions that are endlessly connected and repeated.We were impressed by the use of traditional patterns repeating and changing toconvey the message of the unblooming fig, and by the choice of the title whichcontains the meaning of being reborn and repeating the cycle of life.
Although this film is part of the First FlightCompetition, it evokes the grandeur of a sky blazing with sunlight. We offerour most earnest applause for this film and the director’s unending passion and dedication to their work.
Statement written by KWON Jin-a
Public Jury : KWON Jin-a, YOU Seungjae, LEEJungeun, YIM Naeun
