The Quickdraw Animation Society’s Giant Incandescent Resonating Animation Festival is proud to announce the winners of this year’s Jury and Audience awards for short animated films.

We would like to thank the members of our awards jury, which was comprised of animator and GIRAF13 visiting artist Sean Buckelew, Calgary-based filmmaker and Calgary Underground Film Festival programmer Cameron MacGowan, journalist and photographer Helen Pike, and Karilynn Thompson, a short film programmer at the Calgary International Film Festival. We greatly appreciate the time and consideration of the jury in selecting this year’s winners.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION:

BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT:

SCAVENGERS
Dir. Joseph Bennett and Charles Huettner, USA, 2016
Note: when it became clear early in the deliberations that the other jury members were considering Scavengers for this award, jury member Sean Buckelew recused himself from the discussion due to his contributions to the film.

This spectacular science fiction short impressed the GIRAF13 jury with its constant sense of imagination and wonder. A tale of survival on a foreign planet, it provides a glimpse of world full of marvels and dangers, all connected in intricate and surprising ways. 

HONOURABLE MENTION:

GARDEN PARTY
Dir. Théophile Dufresne, Florian Babikian, Gabriel Grapperon, Lucas Navarro, Vincent Bayoux & Victor Claire; France, 2016
The jury praised this graduate film for its darkly whimsical depiction of enjoying life in a chaotic and violent world.

INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE FAVOURITE:

YIN
Dir. Nicolas Fong, Belgium, 2017
This story of a jealous god trying to keep his creations apart won over our audience through its mix of striking black-and-white imagery, impossible structures, and constantly escalating drama.

SPECIAL JURY MENTIONS:

Best Use of a Line Graph:
EXTRAPOLATE
Dir. Johan Rijpma, Netherlands/Japan, 2016
The jury wanted to celebrate this hand-drawn short for its artistically adventurous but geometrically systematic approach to animation.

Most Relatable Coming-of-Age Story:
THAT LONG AND LONESOME ROAD TO GRANDMA’S HOUSE
Dir. Felipe Di Poi Tamargo, USA, 2017
Also our runner-up for international audience favourite, Felipe Di Poi Tamargo’s film is recognized for its utterly charming storytelling.

CANADIAN COMPETITION

BEST CANADIAN SHORT:

SKIN FOR SKIN
Dir. Kevin D.A. Kurytnik and Carol Beecher, Canada, 2017
The jury praised this dark historical fantasy, which uses an innovative 3D art style and consistently compelling imagery to draw an allegory on Canada’s roots in the fur trade.

HONOURABLE MENTION:

THE TESLA WORLD LIGHT
Dir. Matthew Rankin, Canada, 2017
An animated documentary on the last days of inventor Nikola Tesla, Rankin’s film blends techniques from animation and avant-garde cinema to create a film that’s every bit as electrifying as its subject.

CANADIAN AUDIENCE FAVOURITE:

BIRDLIME
Dir. Evan DeRushie, Canada, 2017
The stop-motion story of a plucky bird recovering from a brush with the exotic bird black-market struck a chord by tackling a potentially dark subject with warmth and wit.