The full list of winners and jury statements are as follows:

Best Student Short: Foreign Bodies directed by Lysander Wong

All shots in this film were fun and well composed with great use of foreshortening and perspective. Impressive use of physical media to depict itchy discomfort, especially in relation to the experience of being in the wrong body in a conservative environment.

Student Special Mention: Pear Garden
(Shadab Shayegan)

This film is commendable for its tactility and use of perspective that makes the most of the “flat” medium. The story was a playfully cautious take on a heavy subject that maintains the tender and believable relationship between grandmother and grandchild. Not shying away from the boobiness, or the naive bluntness that comes from a child’s interpretation.

Best Short Film – And Granny Would Dance directed by Maryam Mohajer

The charming, at times, breathless painting style gives this film a sense of immediacy. The way the women can work the room and bullheadedly bring joy back into the widow’s life is hopeful in face of the palpable heaviness of her grief as well as the wider context that the film exists in.

Special Mention: A Night at the Rest Area (Saki Muramoto)

Cute but authentic depiction of quiet camaraderie.

Best Micro Short – Boglach directed by Sarah Benson

Utterly playful, sincere and well-rounded film thats represents Ireland while proudly wearing its Japanese influences on its sleeve. To pack a world that’s bursting at the seams into less than 2 minutes is no mean feat.

Young Jury Award – The Lost Marble by Laura Quinn Geyer

Audience Award – The Undying Pain of Existence by Oscar Jacobson

Animation fans, be sure to head over to cardiffanimation.com, where the online version of Cardiff Animation Festival will run through to May 4th. Keep your eyes on Skwigly for more coverage from this year’s edition of the festival.

The post Cardiff Animation Festival 2026: Award Winners appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.

Stills via Film London

FLAMIN Animations is a commissioning programme for early-career Black and global majority* artists working with animation, organised by Film London Artists’ Moving Image Network (FLAMIN). Now in its fifth year, the programme aims to support artists as they take their first steps into a career working with the moving image, with development support and funding for a new work.

The selected FLAMIN Animators 2025-26 are:

• David Adeyemi
• Jasmine Hewitt
• Brandon Saunders
• Lysander Wong

FLAMIN Animations is run by Film London Artists’ Moving Image Network (FLAMIN), which supports artist animators as they develop a career working with the moving image. The programme responds to the underrepresentation of global majority artists within the art, film, and animation industries, and is part of Film London’s commitment to diversity, equality and inclusion.

Clockwise from top left: Lysander Wong, David Adeyemi, Jasmine Hewitt Brandon Saunders (Images via Film London)

Blinkink is an award-winning production studio which creates shortform video content with partners in the advertising, music, gaming, fashion, and broadcast industries. Alongside the FLAMIN team, the studio will provide focused support to the selected animators through the development and production process, equipping them with the skills to develop a career in the industry.

Previous FLAMIN Animations have shown at festivals including Annecy International Animation Festival, DOK Leipzig, Edinburgh International Film Festival, London International Animation Festival, Ottawa International Animation Festival, and work has also been showcased at venues including BFI Southbank, South London Gallery, FORMA, and Humber Street Gallery. Alumni from the scheme have received accolades including the prestigious Margaret Tait Commission from LUX Scotland, and had work showcased as part of the CIRCA Prize on public screens around the world. Each year, the new commissions have been showcased in London in partnership with The New Black Film Collective at TNB XPO, an event celebrating Black excellence in the screen industries.

Faye Craig, FLAMIN Animator 2024, said:

FLAMIN Animations has been a wonderful opportunity for me to enhance my practice. From the animation workshops facilitated by industry professionals to the weekly development meetings, the scheme has been nothing but supportive. It’s because of FLAMIN that I now have a mentor, connections to many studio professionals and an enriched portfolio. I’m so grateful for the guidance and direction I’ve received over the past year.

Yasmine Djedje-Fisher-Azoume, FLAMIN Animator 2023, said:

Being part of FLAMIN Animations gave me the incredible opportunity to create Dédé (Ancestor), a short experimental animated film exploring my Bété ancestry and diasporic female identity. The programme allowed me to experiment and push creative boundaries, resulting in a film that has screened at festivals around the world. This program not only facilitated the creation of this work but also affirmed the importance of supporting underrepresented voices in the animation industry. It has been instrumental in my growth as an artist and in bringing my cultural narratives to the forefront of contemporary animation.

Adrian Wootton OBE, Chief Executive of Film London, said:

We’re delighted to announce the artists selected for this year’s FLAMIN Animations. Now in its fifth year, the programme continues to champion exciting new animators, with alumni receiving accolades and screening work at festivals and events in London and beyond. We’re pleased to continue our partnership with Blinkink, supporting emerging Black and global majority artists to build a foundation for a career in the industry, and I look forward to seeing this year’s commissions develop.

To find out more about FLAMIN Animations, visit filmlondon.org.uk

The post Artist Animators Announced for FLAMIN Animations 2025-2026 Programme appeared first on Skwigly Animation Magazine.