2012 ASIFA-East Awards Announced
Tonight, ASIFA-East handed out prizes for its 43nd annual Animation Festival. The Rauch Brothers took home the Best in Show for their 9/11-themed short John and Joe. Two children’s films that I particularly enjoyed at the screening were Michael Sporn‘s inspiring I Can Be President (which was shown in excerpted form) and an adaptation of Mo Willems’ book Don’t Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late directed by Pete List. The latter showed that preschool animation can engage audience participation without talking down to kids.
The most surprising film of the evening was Leah Shore‘s Old Man. The “old man” in question is Charles Manson, and Shore uses a breathless array of techniques and styles to illustrate recordings of his schizophrenic ramblings. Though we’ve posted Shore’s films here before–see BOOBatary and Meatwaffle–I’d suggest that Old Man is a breakout work for the young filmmaker. She is a talent to watch.
A full list of winners follows the jump.
BEST IN SHOW
John and Joe
StoryCorps/Rauch Brothers
BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM
1st Place
Taxonomy
Karen Aqua – Director2nd Place
Two
Steven Subotnick – Director3rd Place
Old Man
Leah Shore – Director
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
1st Place
the light that died in my arms
Alan Foreman – Director2nd Place
(Baby) It’s You!
David Cowles, Jeremy Galante, Brad Pattullo – Directors3rd Place
Le Soleil Chante (The Sun Sings)
Delphine Burrus – Director
INDEPENDENT FILMS
1st Place
Turning A Corner
David B. Levy – Director2nd Place
Dr. Breakfast
Stephen Neary – Director3rd Place
The First Time Cee-Cee Did Acid
Twins are Weird
Noelle Melody – Director
Joy Vaccese – ProducerExcellence in Animation
More Than Winning
Nick Fox-Gieg – Director
Susan Murray – AnimatorExcellence in Design
The Girl and the Fox
Base14/Tyler J. Kupferer – DirectorExcellence in Design
Orbis Park
Andrew KaikoExcellence in Soundtrack
Car Crash Opera
Skip Battaglia – Director
Jairo Duarte-Lopez, Michaela Eremiasova – ComposersExcellence in Writing
Wolf Dog Tales
Bernadine Santistevan – Director
COMMISSIONED OVER 2 MINUTES
1st Place
Miss Devine
StoryCorps/Rauch Brothers2nd Place
Don’t Let The Pigeon Stay Up Late
Mo Willems Studio/Weston Woods
Pete List – Director3rd Place
I Can Be President
Michael Sporn Animation, Inc.
Michael Sporn – DirectorExcellence in Education
Journey of a Water Molecule
The Knowledge Project/PS69x
Jose Maldonado, MB Hunnewell – DirectorsExcellence in Writing
A History of Animation
Morgan Miller – Director
Morgan Miller, Josh Kleefeld – Writers
COMMISSIONED UNDER 2 MINUTES
1st Place
Head Start ‘Window of Opportunity”
Curious Pictures/Matt Smithson – Director2nd Place
Country Buildin’
Paganomation
David Pagano – Director3rd Place
Person Pinball
Aaron Hughes – DirectorExcellence in Animation
Red Brick Saga: Pirates of the Caribbean
Paganomation
David Pagano – Director
Jeff Wallenhorst, Sarah Wickliffe, Mick Bouschor, Erin Natal – Animators
STUDENT FILMS
1st Place
Apt. 5A
Leonardo De Luzio2nd Place (tie)
Test Train
Brandon Denmark2nd Place (tie)
Cowboy, Clone, Dust
Matt ChristensenHonorable Mention
Reddish Brown and Blueish Green
Samantha Gurry