ANIMATION IS FILM ANNOUNCES 2017 WINNERS

GRAND PRIZE

THE BREADWINNER – NORA TWOMEY

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE

THE BIG BAD FOX AND OTHER TALES – PATRICK IMBERT & BENJAMIN RENNER

AUDIENCE AWARD

THE BREADWINNER – NORA TWOMEY

ANIMATION IS FILM announced the winners of its inaugural festival with THE BREADWINNER, directed by Nora Twomey, sweeping both top honors of The Grand Prize, selected by the festival jury, and the Audience Award, selected by festival attendees. Twomey co-directed the Oscar®-nominated "The Secret of Kells" from Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon, the animation studio behind the Oscar-nominated “Song of the Sea.” Additionally, THE BIG BAD FOX & OTHER TALES, from Oscar-nominated Benjamin Renner ("Ernest & Celestine") and Patrick Imbert, took home The Special Jury Prize. The film was produced by Oscar-nominated Didier Brunner ("Kirikou and the Sorceress," "Triplets of Belleville," "The Secret of Kells," "Ernest & Celestine").

Speaking on behalf of the entire jury, festival jury chair Peter Debruge, said "The Breadwinner is not just an incredibly important film, but one that reminds us of the power of animation to communicate serious issues in the world. Transforming hardship into a warm and moving story, the movie represents a triumph by its director, Nora Twomey, in terms of script, voice acting, design, music and editing. The films in competition this year illustrated the many techniques and possibilities of animation, but The Breadwinner was a clear favorite among our jury. Special Jury Prize goes to Big Bad Fox and Other Tales, a comedy that celebrates the joys of traditional cartoon animation."

A selection of twelve new animated feature films in competition

The inaugural edition of ANIMATION IS FILM took place October 20-22 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theater in Hollywood. The Festival presented a selection of twelve new animated feature films in competition, with selections from Asia, Europe, South America and North America, and filmmakers attending for most screenings. Additionally the festival presented studio events, special screenings, short film programs, and a VR lounge, with the majority of screenings selling out. The festival was presented by GKIDS, Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Variety, and ASIFA Hollywood, with major sponsors LA Times, IndieWire, Cartoon Brew, Fathom Events and Google. Full 2017 film lineup is available at AnimationIsFilm.com.

ANIMATION IS FILM fills a gap in the market by establishing a world class animation festival in the US, with its home in the world capital of filmmaking. The Festival embraces the highest aspirations of animation as a cinematic art form on par with live action filmmaking and will be vocal advocate for filmmakers who push the boundaries of their work to the fullest range of expression that the medium is capable of.

2017 ANIMATION IS FILM JURY

Peter Debruge
Chief film critic, Variety, jury chair

Allison Abbate
EVP Theatrical Animation, Warner Brothers Pictures
Producer of The Iron Giant, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Lego Movie

Bonnie Arnold
DreamWorks Animation
Producer of Toy Story, How to Train Your Dragon

Brenda Chapman
Oscar®-winning director of Brave

Carolyn Giardina
Tech Editor, The Hollywood Reporter

Jorge R. Gutiérrez
Director of Book of Life

Charles Solomon
Film critic and historian

Mabel Tam
Head film buyer, Landmark Cinemas

Anne Thompson
Editor-At-Large, IndieWire