The 14th edition of the Prime the Animation! New Talent International Festival has announced its winners. Organised by the Universitat Politècnica de València, the festival celebrated the best works and projects under the theme of 'Freedom', bringing together young animators from around the world through screenings, professional meetings, conferences, and training activities.
The awards were revealed during a professional day held at CaixaForum València, after the organisers decided to cancel the planned closing ceremony and awards presentation on 31 October at La Filmoteca Valenciana's Sala Berlanga, following recommendations from the Generalitat Valenciana for safety reasons.
Notable awards
The jury awarded the Best International Short Film Prize, worth €1,300 from the Fundación Cañada Blanch, to Petra and the sun, directed by Chilean filmmakers Malu Furche and Stefania Malacchini. The film tells the story of a 71-year-old woman who discovers the preserved body of a mountaineer who went missing during a thaw in the Andes, leading to an unexpected love story. Additionally, two special mentions were given to Aphelion, by Ymelda Col, Léa Stasse, Ellison Girod, and Valentina Toscanelli from France, and Fried!, by Lizzie Watts from the United Kingdom.
The Miquel Guillem Award for Best Experimental Short Film, sponsored by Dragonframe, went to My Beautiful Tiger by Judy Zhao from the United States. This short film explores issues of identity and the representation of femininity through the imagination of a child who transforms a drawing of a tiger into a woman. A special mention was awarded to Blargh, by Sofija Zivkovic, a co-production between Germany and the United States.
National success stories
In the national competition, the Best National Short Film Prize, sponsored by Moho Animation Software, was awarded to The diva, my grandmother and I by Inés G. Aparicio. The film offers a journey through memory, popular music, and imagination, exploring the relationship between a grandmother and her granddaughter. The national special mention went to Prometidos, directed by Javier Beltrán Frías. Meanwhile, the Audience Award was given to Safo by Sabina García Sánchez, a reinterpretation of traditional tales that challenges narrative conventions and predetermined endings.
Awards for projects and graphic creation
In the section dedicated to developing projects, the Best Project Award, which includes a pass to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and is sponsored by NonStop Barcelona, recognised the projects So and Condor Fore!. Furthermore, the Best Poster Award, granted by the Master's programme in Design and Illustration at the Universitat Politècnica de València, went to Cows, a French production directed by Nicolás Acevedo Ferraté, Valentin Brachet, Maxence Corriette, Tanguy Delepine, Eireen Failly, Jonathan Lally, Elio Molinaro, Yulia Nikitina, and Alexandre Vespuce. The Best GIF Award from the Gifafío of the Animation Club was awarded to Andrea Portero Stoianova and Cristino Martínez Ballesteros.
This year's Prime the Animation! festival has once again highlighted the new generations of animation professionals and the connection between education, industry, and research. The event is part of the European Festival Animation Network (FAN), supported by the Creative Europe MEDIA programme of the European Union.
