May 10, 2021

"Precious," "Have a nice dog!"Among the winners at Stuttgart 2021

Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film (ITFS), one of European animation's major events, has wrapped up its 28th edition - the second in a row to go virtual. The prizewinners were announced at a ceremony on Sunday.

The grand prix for shorts went to Paul Mas's Precious, a stop-motion film about a misfit schoolkid. It has already picked up several awards, including at Estonia's PÖFF Shorts, and has now qualified for an Oscar run. The jury said:

Have a Nice Dog!, by the Berlin-based Syrian filmmaker Jalal Maghout, won two awards, for best graduation film and best student film (it was made at the Konrad Wolf Film University of Babelsberg). The film, a hallucinatory portrait of the Syrian War, qualified for this year's Oscars. Cartoon Saloon's much-lauded Wolfwalkers was named best feature, with French historical refugee drama Josep earning a special mention in the category.

ITFS handed out €57,500 (USD$70,000) in prize money, including €15,000 to the grand prix winner.

Here is a full list of the winners: