The Big Cartoon Festival announced its competition winners at Moscow's Illuzion Cinema on Monday, concluding the twentieth edition of Russia's largest animation forum.
The feature-length animated production The Story of Fire secured the top award in the international feature competition, while God's Humility received the Grand Prix for best animated short film.
Dmitry Shlepnev, the general director of the festival studio, told the closing ceremony that the twelve festival days had passed rapidly for everyone involved. He said the organisers believed the run had provided an intense experience for viewers, invited guests, the jury panels, and the festival team.
Shlepnev noted that the first edition of the festival opened on 1 November 2007 in a tiny screening room in a small theatre. With the festival closing on 2 November, he said the event had entered its third decade, growing into a celebration featuring more than 300 events across Moscow.
International competition winners
In the international feature film category, the special jury prize went to Son of a Bitch. The jury also awarded a special mention to Every Man for Himself, alongside a jury diploma presented to Little Demons Travel to the West.
The international short film competition saw further honours distributed across several categories. The prize for best student animation went to This Might Be True, while Shorties from a Matchbox took the award for best animated film for children. A special jury prize was awarded to Four Stops, with special mentions going to Mountain Mountain, Xiao Suz, and Something Divine. The jury diploma in the short category was presented to Full Nest.
Russian national competition
Russian productions competed in a dedicated national short animation contest, where The Girl and the Hornet claimed the award for best film. The title also picked up the award for best debut.
Other winners in the national contest included Water Glug-Glug, which won best animated film for children, and Maybe They Have It There, which was named best student film. The special jury prize in the national section went to Force of Friction. Jurors gave special mentions to Tawny Owl and The Dream Knows the Way, while the jury diploma was awarded to Crash.
Special accolades rounded out the ceremony, as the film 12 of the Day collected both the critics' prize and a special award from the 2x2 television channel. The festival directorate prize went to Kitty and Hedgehog.
Festival background and partners
The Big Cartoon Festival is the largest international animation review in Russia. Held in Moscow, the annual gathering is organised in partnership with Soyuzmultfilm, the country's historic state animation studio, with financial and institutional support provided by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation.
Russian state news agency TASS served as the general information partner for the festival, reporting on the final awards from the historic Illuzion Cinema.
