Today we held a live awards ceremony on zoom/YouTube with our jury members and filmmakers to announce the winners in our Paper Bird Categories for Animation, Documentary, and Fiction!
(Don’t worry if you missed it, you can always catch the ceremony again on our YouTube channel)
We’re very proud to announce that the following films have been given Paper Bird Awards and even more proud to mention that the categories were all very tight and the jurors made a specific note of what a great selection of films from across the globe we had!
The awards themselves have been 3D printed for us by the ever-talented Ivan Mack, who also helped refine our design for the awards! His expertise really helped take the design from “impossible” to the reality we have now!
2022 Paper Bird Award in Best Fiction goes to Well, You Are A Fool Lisa by Oleksandra Konoplia. From the jury:
“Oleksandra Konoplia’s Well, You Are A Fool Lisa is the wonderfully witty and whip-smart winner of the Paper Bird Fiction Film Award. An unapologetic expression of the often unrealistic expectations and disappointing realities of early sexual experiences, the kitsch mise-en-scene and bold composition ironically reference archetypal rom-coms of the 1980’s & 1990’s. The film’s fantastical daydream sequences speak to a naive romantic outlook, undercut by Lisa’s alienation, and through tightly cut, energetic performances, Konoplia creates a distinctive aesthetic which encourages discussion around these complex issues. An outstanding student film.”
Honourable mention in this category was also given to Traffic Lights Islom Rustam o’g’li Riskulov.
“The Jury would like to offer a special mention to Traffic lights by Islom Rustam o’g’li Riskulov, as we were struck by the powerful integrity and social conscience at the very core of this work. The nuanced ways in which the film offers us a portal into the lives of young people on the margins of society in Uzbekistan was both deeply moving, and sketched with exquisite care and compassion.”
2022 Paper Bird Award in Best Animation goes to The Pattern by Peter Bogyo!
“The Pattern, for its distinctive and clever design, its original and polished generation of three different worlds, each built in a unique style that nevertheless chimes with a consistent whole: this is an entertaining film whose surreal, complex story is laced with subtle humour and enhanced by an atmospheric soundtrack.”
Our animation jury awarded not one but two honourable mentions!
“Reduction by Réka Anna Szakály, for its truly beautiful design of a post-apocalyptic world, in which a friendship between two characters through unspoken emotions and gestures; this is a provocative and mysterious film that thrives in its own ambiguities.”
“Subway by Robert Kuźniewski, for its delicate and finely crafted use of light and colour, its excellent expansion of clay animation’s possibilities, the detail of its characters and the humour and tension with which it paints a bitter social metaphor.”
Last but definitely not least, the 2022 Paper Bird Award in Best Documentary has gone to Milo by Nadia Szymańska!
“With confident cinematography, a satisfying direct cinema sensibility, and a mature humanistic approach, director Nadia Szymańska offers audiences an honest depiction of single motherhood and a celebration of the quotidian in her arresting debut Milo. Carefully toeing the line between the perspectives of mother and child, Szymańska never takes sides, rather expressing immense empathy for both experiences, and is comfortable presenting difficult material without resorting to didacticism. It’s a film that allows us to re-experience adolescent wonder while recontextualizing that feeling by showcasing the labor that allows it to flourish. The jury greatly looks forward to the next work from Szymańska.”
They have also awarded honourable mention to Behind the Jugular by Zoë Armit!
Don’t forget, there is still time to vote for your favourite film to win our audience award! This will close at 2pm British Summer Time on Friday 8th April.
Thank you to all the filmmakers and jury members! What do you think of our winners? Tell us in the comments!
LJMU MA Short Film Festival 