In the JEF festival (Antwerp) the first ECFA Awards of the year came in all three categories: feature, short film and documentary. It doesn’t happen often that an animation film makes it to the list of nominees but MARONA can claim its rightful place among the stars.
“Everyone has the right to a portion of love and to a delicious bone,” says Marona, an adorable street dog with a heart-shaped nose. In her final moments, she reflects on her life. On the cute puppy she once was and on all the people she loved unconditionally. Like the little girl who promised to always be there for her. About Anca Damian’s film (Romania / France), the ECFA jury were “deeply touched by this magical journey through a dog’s life, with a beautiful and clever story about life and death. The animation is astonishing, with multiple colours, textures and techniques. This heart-warming film offers hope and meaning in a sometimes harsh world.”
You’ll find an interview with director Anca Damian in the next edition of the ECFA Journal.
Best Documentary was BERTHA AND THE WOLFRAM (Tijs Torfs, Belgium – foto) about a young girl using creativity as a weapon in her fight with a long-term illness, with elegant animations adding to Bertha’s story.
ECFA’s Best Short Award went to I’M NOT SCARED OF THE CROCODILE (Anna Solanas & Marc Riba, Spain). A crocodile that would rather play the flute than hunt down the animals, there’s nothing wrong with that, right? The narrator seems to think there is…
The ECFA Jury Signe Zeilich-Jensen (the Netherlands Film Fund) and Rok Govednik (Viso, Slovenia) were backed up by Belgian delegates Frederike Migom (director BINTI) and programmer Bert Lesaffer.