South Korean, Estonian Filmmakers Top Holland Animation Festival

The 18th Holland Animation Film Festival concluded in Utrecht, Netherlands over the weekend, with the winners announced on Sunday. For the second year in a row, HAFF’s feature film prize was awarded to a South Korean film: On the White Planet, about a person of color in a monochrome world, was directed by Bum-wook Hur and produced at the Korean Academy for Film Arts.

Psychedelic chimney-sweeper drama House of Unconsciousness, directed by Estonia’s Priit Tender, took out the award for narrative short. Sarina Nihei’s Small People with Hats, previously the winner of the grand prize at Hungary’s 2014 Primanima festival, was awarded the student film prize.

A complete list of winners follows.

Grand Prix feature film
On the White Planet
Bum-wook Hur, South Korea

Grand Prix narrative short
House of Unconciousness
Priit Tender, Estonia

Grand Prix non-narrative short
Dark Mixer
Hirotoshi Iwasaki, Japan

Grand Prix student film
Small People with Hats
Sarina Nihei, United Kingdom

Grand Prix for Dutch animation
Nobody Beats the Drum: “Let it Go”
Max Italiaander, Netherlands

HAFF Audience Award Dutch animation
A Single Life
Job, Joris & Marieke, Netherlands

HAFF Junior Audience Award (in cooperation with EYE)
Historia de un Oso [Bear Story]
Gabriel Osorio, Chile

MovieZone HAFF Award (in cooperation with EYE)
Splintertime
Rosto, France/Netherlands/Belgium