Aug 21, 2023

Ten Animated Films Among Finalists for This Year's Student Academy Awards

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the finalists for this year's Student Academy Awards.

Eight films have been selected for this year's awards in the animation category, as well as in the alternative/experimental and documentary categories.

The Academy has not yet announced the date and location of this year's Student Academy Awards. Three awards will be given in the animation category: a Gold Medal, a Silver Medal, and a Bronze Medal. All three winning films will be considered for this year's Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

This year's finalists are:

Boom, Gabriel Augerai, Romain Augier & Yannick Jacquin, École des Nouvelles Images (France)

Two dumb birds try to save their eggs from a volcanic eruption.

Diplomatie de L'Éclipse, Cesar Luton, Achille Pasquier & Clémence Bailly, MoPA 3D Animation School (France)

Humanity receives a notice from the sun and the moon that at the moment of alignment, a total solar eclipse, humanity will disappear. The World Council prevents the consequences. The World Council decides to send its best negotiators to prevent that outcome.

Friendly Fire, Tom Koryto Blumen, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem, Israel

A soccer match between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian children turns into an uneven battle. This short film was painted frame by frame on a wall in the West Bank.

"The Little Poet," Justin King, California Institute of the Arts, USA

Works by Richard Emile Miller, Georges Seurat, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Joan Miró, Piet Mondrian, Qi Shiraishi and others have been seen in one invaded by an egg-shaped young dreamer who wanders from one landscape to another.

"Mom's Spaghetti," Lisa Kenny, National Film and Television School, UK

Master MC Poppy and her beatbox border terrier, Snoop, try to make themselves known in a new neighborhood and a new community. But is it as hard as they imagine...

Samara Op.4, Maxime Wattrelos, Jérémy Trochet & Marie Heribel, Pôle 3D Digital & Creative School (France)

An aging auto-doll sculptor traces his life through the seasons through the four seasons.

Set in Hong Kong in the late 1980s, a feisty young girl tries to stop the sun from melting the city by using her toys and whatever she has to destroy it.

Tear Off, Clément Del Negro, Camille Souchard & Matthias Bourgeuil, Rubika (France)

Looking at the dark side of a seemingly utopian community, this film looks at the unknown, darkness, claustrophobia It explores the world of bees with a story that highlights the fear of the unknown, darkness, and claustrophobia.

"Posthuman Hospital," Junha Kim, California Institute of the Arts, USA

"Posthuman Hospital" is an experimental animated film about a fictional hospital that mirrors the medical records of posthuman patients.

Rising Above, Natálie Durchánková, Filmová a Televizní Fakulta Akademie Múzických Um?ní v Praze (Czech Republic)

The story of a woman who becomes a victim of rape and attempted murder and emotions are animated in this short documentary. Her severe trauma is symbolized by a broken mirror and her futile efforts to put the pieces back together.