Sep 20, 2021

For the first time, Iranian short tops Fantoche Festival

Fantoche, one of Europe's most well-established animation festivals, has unveiled the winners of its 2021 edition, which took place in Baden, Switzerland on September 7–12.

The Fourth Wall, by young Iranian filmmaker Mahboobeh Kalaee, was awarded the top prize in the international competition. Its synopsis reads: “Home and family, relationships, desires, wishes and everything are summarized in a kitchen. The stuttering boy is alone there, playing with his imagination.” The short also won an award for best professional first film at Animafest Zagreb this year.

A few established festival favorites added to their haul at Fantoche. Annecy Cristal winner Peel, a documentary portrait of a retirement home, won best film and the audience award in the Swiss competition. Zagreb grand prize winner Just a Guy, a documentary about various women's relationships with serial killer Richard Ramirez, took the international “high risk” award. Clermont-Ferrand winner Affairs of the Art, the latest in Joanna Quinn's comic Beryl saga, won the audience award for an international film.

The Scream, a graduation film by students at French cg school Ecole des Nouvelles Images, was named best kids' film. The school's past films include 2019 BAFTA winner Hors Piste.

Read on for a full list of winners:

Best Film

The Fourth Wall, dir. Mahboobeh Kalaee (Iran)

High Risk

Just a Guy, dir. Shoko Hara (Germany)

New Talent

Ten, Twenty, Thirty, Forty, Fifty Miles a Day, dir. Mathieu Georis (Belgium)

Best Sound

Anxious Body, dir. Yoriko Mizushiri (France)

Special Mention

What Resonates in Silence, dir. Marine Blin (France)

Audience Award

Affairs of the Art, dir. Joanna Quinn (U.K.)

Above: trailer for “Anxious Body”

Best Swiss

Peel, dirs. Samuel Patthey, Silvain Monney (Switzerland)

High Swiss Risk

Jeroboam, dir. Bianca Caderas (Germany)

New Swiss Talent

Sauna, dirs. Anna Lena Spring, Lara Perren (Switzerland)

Fantastic Swiss

Mr. Pete & the Iron Horse, dir. Kilian Vilim (Switzerland)

Special Mention

To the Last Drop, dir. Simon Schnellmann (Germany)

Swiss Youth Award

To the Last Drop, dir. Simon Schnellmann (Germany)

Audience Award

Peel, dirs. Samuel Patthey, Silvain Monney (Switzerland)

Above: trailer for “To the Last Drop”

Best Kids

The Scream, dirs. Charlotte Chouisnard, Ninon Dodemant, Baptiste Leclerc, Solène Michel, Justine Parasote, Anouk Segura-Diaz (France)

Special Mention

Benztown, dir. Gottfried Mentor (Germany)

Young Audience Award

Ink, dirs. Joost van den Bosch, Erik Verkerk (Netherlands)