VIEW Conference proudly announces the VIEW 2023 Award Winners. A 10-member international jury selected the winning short animated films based on story, direction, technical proficiency, sound, and uniqueness. The films used 3D CG, stop motion, and 2D animation techniques.

GRAND PRIZE

• Return to Hairy Hill (Retour à Hairy Hill): Writer/Director Daniel Gies, E. D. Films

JURY AWARD

• Au 8ème Jour (On the 8th Day): Directors Agathe Sénéchal, Alicia Massez, Elise Debruyne, Flavie Carin, Théo Duhautois, Pôle 3D

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS (Ex Aequo)

• L'Animal Sauce Ail: Ysaline Debut, Isa Cotte, AurélienDuchez, Camille Rostan, Clément Mouchel, Diane Mazella, Supinfocom Rubika
• The Sun is Bad: Director Rachel Mow, Savannah College of Art and Design

ITALIANMIX VIEW AWARD 

• Clinical Lycanthropy: Director Emilio Giacomelli, Producer Francesco Pesiri

“Return to Hairy Hill,” is an intense, engrossing family folktale told in a unique style; “On the 8th Day,” unravels the world; “The Sun is Bad” finds a precocious child battling the sun, and “Clinical Lycanthropy” shows us a troubled girl feeling like a fish out of water.

“I was so impressed with the quality of submissions this year,” said VIEW Conference Director Maria Elena Gutierrez. “The winning entries have stories that are surprising and extraordinary. And these stories were elevated by unique and technically sophisticated animation styles. I hope everyone has a chance to view these remarkable short animated films.” 

GRAND PRIZE

Return to Hairy Hill (Retour à Hairy Hill)

This 17:14 minute experimental animated film, over ten years in the making, enthralled the jury. It is a personal film project,inspired by family folklore passed down through director Daniel Gies’ family, about a woman who returns to her childhood home in attempt to come to terms with her tragic past. The project began as a 2D cutout animated film with hand-painted, multi-layered 2D backgrounds, but became realized using a fully 3D pipeline and unique techniques. A small team working with the director developed custom tools to retain a classic stop-motion look and convert hand painted illustrations into 3D assets for production.

The jury didn’t know these technical “making of” details. They selected the film for its cinematic quality, boldness of design, the characters, their performances, the subtly great pacing, the different areas of artistry, and the touching story. They noted the interesting stylization, and animation that crossed the line between stop motion and 3D animation. “It spoke to me,” said one juror, “and, it kept surprising me. I watched it again and again to look at the extremely beautiful shots.” Another juror said, “I loved the story, and the craft elevated it in a way I didn’t see elsewhere. It moved me. It engulfed me.” 

JURY AWARD

Au 8ème Jour (On the 8th Day)

This 8-minute film created by students at Pôle 3D tells us what happened after the seventh day of creation: On the eighth day, the world unravels. To show this, the artists cleverly knitted the world and its creatures with digital yarn. The unravelling of the cute, knitted animals and their world becomes, paradoxically, horrifying. “It’s so unique,” said one juror. “It’s a stunning achievement. Beautiful, with an intellectual idea and powerful message behind it.” Added another, “The style really surprised me. It’s beautifully designed and the subject is very important.” 

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (Ex Aequo)

L'Animal Sauce Ail

In the charming French village of Gooseville, inhabitants live off the farming of species that they overexploit over time. As each overexploited species expires, they turn to another, from geese to tadpoles, until eventually, the Goosevillers lead themselves to destruction. The directors cleverly tell the story in part through advertising and teleshopping on low-budget homemade television shows. “I loved L’ Animal Sauce,” said one juror. “Especially the character design.”

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (Ex Aequo)

The Sun is Bad

This 3-minute short film created by Rachel Mow, a student at the Savannah College of Arts and Crafts imagines how an angry little girl in Hong Kong might attempt to beat the heat. She decides to solve the problem by trying to destroy the sun as it wrecks and melts her city. The jury liked the crisp and fun story and engaging animation. “It does what it sets out to do and does it quickly,” said a jury member. 

ITALIANMIX VIEW AWARD

Clinical Lycanthropy

This short film addresses the inability to communicate a deep inner malaise whether from mental illness or loneliness. Ava, a girl in her mid-twenties who recently tried to end her life, sees other people as threatening bears. This leads to her feeling like a fish out of water, so she’s constantly trying to escape from the reality she feels she doesn't belong in. 

JURORS

• Kim White, Director of Photography, Lighting, Pixar Animation Studios
• Alessandro Jacomini, Director of Cinematography, Lighting, Walt Disney Animation Studios
• Leslie Ezeh, Legends Animated founder, and ASIFA-Hollywood Director of Operations
• Brenda Ximena Roldan Romero, Vice-Chair at London ACM SIGGRAPH
• Mark Osborne, Director known for “The Little Prince” and for “Kung Fu Panda” and for “The SpongeBob SquarePants” movie.
• Nikola Damjanov, Lead Game Artist, Nordeus
• Anita Gribble, Head of Creative Outreach at Escape Studios

Jury Chair Barbara Robertson, Tech Journalist

President, Professor Maria Elena Gutierrez, CEO VIEW Conference

Davide de Rosa, VIEW Conference 

Special thanks to WACOM for providing prizes for the some of award winners.