The juries have spoken and this years winners of the Paper Bird Awards can now be revealed. The level of competition this year was extremely high, but the juries were in unanimous agreement that the following films were worthy of being crowned the best in their category.
2023 Paper Bird Award for Fiction
Rue (Directed by Casey Eldridge)
“A great piece of collaborative filmmaking and a moving story of a woman’s pain. We loved the inclusion of the filmmaker’s family members and how it drew on real 8mm home movies – these elements gave the film added depth and intimacy. We were equally impressed by the powerful dialogue, superb editing, fantastic cinematography, and strong sound design, and we felt that all these components came together to make a highly impactful and affecting work.”
2023 Paper Bird Award for Documentary
The Gallery (Directed by Cordula Rieger)
“A brave and powerful film that builds from each individual story narrated from off-screen, into a chorus of women’s experiences of sexual violence. For the strong artistic sharpness of a talented young filmmaker and thoughtful construction of the narrative that allowed us to become invested in the stories, the Paper Bird Award for best documentary goes to the film The Gallery, directed by Cordula Rieger.”
2023 Paper Bird Award for Animation
Small Hours (Directed by Marta Sniezek & Christian Spurling)
“Small Hours reminds us of themes of collectiveness and connectivity as life unfolds through time and space. Through the use of a split screen approach, frame structure, windowed editing and melodic sound, we are able to understand the small wonders and love found in the world today through a narrative of distinct perspectives as we wonder peacefully from one impression to another, and forget about the complexities of everyday life.”
2023 Paper Bird Award for Experimental
Solilioquium (Directed by Karolina Monwid-Olechnowicz)
“Soliloquium beautifully articulates an ecological subconscious through an impressive combination of surrealist imagery and nature. When the aspect ratio narrows to a square at the start, our gaze remains fixed and we become mesmerised by a film that digs through the screen to reach previously unexplored, cinematic terrain.”
We’ve reached the final day of the 2023 LJMU MA Short Film Festival and what a week it has been. We’ve featured 42 films from 19 different countries in the categories of Fiction, Experimental, Documentary, & Animation, and today is your final chance to watch. Don’t forget, you still have until 3 PM (BST) today to chose which film you think deserves our audience award, the results of which will be revealed at our live event this evening – tickets are available here.