‘Five Minutes to Sea’ Picks Up Tofuzi Grand Prix – 2019 Winners
On Saturday 26th October, the 11th edition of the Tofuzi Animation Festival came to a close. During the closing ceremony at the Puppet Theatre in the beautiful Georgian city, Batumi, 14 films were awarded prizes with 3 receiving Special Diplomas.
GRAND PRIX
“Five Minutes to Sea” – Natalia Mirzoyan (Russia)
The jury awards the GRAND PRIX to a film that evokes vivid memories of childhood when time seemed to pass so slowly and waiting for something that we wanted to happen took so long. The film combines beautiful images with a tender story.
BEST FILM FOR CHILDREN
“Quiet ” – Maxim Kulikov (Russia)
BEST FILM FOR ADULTS
“Lonely Monster Goes Out” – Ivan Maximov (Russia)
Loneliness, fear, boredom, rejection, frustration, compromise – this film speaks a universal language, translated into a black & white universe of a weird, yet so humane monster character, to which we can all relate at some point.
BEST EXPERIMENTAL FILM
“Half Asleep” – Caibei Cai (United Kingdom)
The Jury wants to award this film for speaking directly to our subconsciousness. Contrasting sensual experiences of pain and pleasure that went to our stomachs, this timeless film is now stuck in our minds.
BEST DEBUT
“Find Me, Mother” – Suchana Saha (India)
BEST STUDENT FILM
“The Remedy” – Zilai Feng (United States)
The film just caught us on a hook and dragged us into the story. Weaving past and present together in an intricate way to the point it becomes hard to discern one from the other. We were very impressed with the minimalist acting and the detailed, textured design creating an extraordinary atmosphere.
BEST TV-SERIES
“Holly on the Summer Isle: The Exploration” – Karla Nor Holmbäck (Denmark)
This beautiful and touching TV series touched us with its unique style and narration. The jury thinks it has great potential to reach a wide audience and to be appreciated by both young and adult audiences.
BEST FILM CREATED BY CHILDREN
“Dog’s Story” – Arkhip Varfolomeev (Russia)
This young Director impressed the Jury with this versatility. Great overall design, original characters and wonderful storytelling that ended with an important message.
BEST DIRECTING
“Heatwave” – Fokion Xenos (United Kingdom)
We enjoyed the film a lot for its brilliantly executed direction and original approach to stop-motion technique.
BEST SCRIPT
“Beetle in the Anthill” – Vasily Efremov (Russia)
For a particularly well-written story told through an animated film with a strong impact on the viewer, a metaphor for society nowadays more than ever.
BEST MUSIC
“The Elephant’s Song” – Lynn Tomlinson (United States)
Best music in a movie. It’s not an illustration or just a hit, it’s a movie character. It is a harmonious unity of expression and image, when the story of the elephant with the help of music expresses the history of the country, in particular, and civilization as a whole.
BEST TECHNIQUE
“Quiet” – Marianne Bundgaard Nielsen (Norway)
A subtle story of inner feelings. Used techniques support and reveal the most complicated experiences of the characters. The choice of techniques supports and complements the story.
BEST CLIP CREATED ON “ECHO-TOFUZI”
Martvili (Georgia)
BEST EFFECT
Alexandra Gadilia – Batumi, (Georgia)
JURY SPECIAL DIPLOMAS
- Chatter – Max Kozik (United States) – “The Jury wants to give a special mention to a film with a mature story and great character development that really took us on an emotional journey with the protagonist. The Jury is very curious to see what this up and coming Director is going to make next.”
- Getting Started – William Crook (Switzerland) – “The Jury wants to give a special mention to a film with a mature story and great character development that really took us on an emotional journey with the protagonist. The Jury is very curious to see what this up and coming Director is going to make next.”
- Night Session – Petre Tomadze (Georgia) – “For original design and strong storytelling.”
Main Jury: Nancy Denney-Phelps, Ligia Soare, Lilia Nemchenko, Rashid Aghamaliyev, and Olena Golubeva.
Young Jury: Anastasiya Verlinskaya, Sander Joon, Natia Nikolashvili, Adolfo Di Molfetta, and Jasper Kuipers.
