Now that the 4th edition of the LJMU MA Short Film Festival has come to a close, it’s time to reveal which films were awarded the coveted Paper Bird Awards at our ceremony this past week. The event was a celebration of not only the films featured in this year’s programme, but also the hard work of this year’s MA students whose tireless efforts have ensure that the festival was a success. Audiences in attendance were treated to screenings of this year’s winners and special mentions, as well as a live awards presentation hosted by Frank, Emily, and Maz, and attended by a number of this year’s featured filmmakers. The awards ceremony and all of this year’s Q&As can all be watched on our YouTube channel.
The first category announced was Documentary, with the Paper Bird Award going to Nelisa Alcalde’s film, Honey Bunny Duracell. The jury praised how immersive the film was and praised its outstanding editing and cinematography. The jury also awarded special mentions to Gabriel Alborough’s film, Sundown, and Andy Heath’s, A Voice Once Heard.
The next award announced was for best Animated film, with this year’s programme totalling 12 entries from countries including Australia, Serbia, and Taiwan. The jury selected Miriam Fox’s Dead Silent, as the winner of this year’s Paper Bird Award, describing her film as an ‘unflinching and mature look at a sensitive but important topic.’ The jury also chose to award a special mention to Infemmes, and ‘important and timely film which deals with the perpetuation of gender discrimination.’
The fiction programme was incredibly competitive this year, featuring stories that focused on moral dilemmas, social isolation, and economic inequality. The winner of this year’s Paper Bird Award for Fiction was Giovanna Castellari Peixoto’s, Two-Syllable Name, a realist drama praised for its powerful message and strong female protagonist. Awarded a special mention was Jauffrey Gallé’s, The Nice Guy…, which the jury felt engaged with a important contemporary issue through the lens of absurd humour.
The Experimental strand was introduced in 2023 and expanded this year to include 9 of the most challenging and exciting new approaches to filmmaking. The Paper Bird Award was given to Lucas Kua’s, Obscura, a film which explores the erosion of personal connections caused by an over-reliance on social media. Special mentions were awarded to Karo De Nijs’, Foul Fools, a sleep-dream election on fragmented friendships, and Iris Peil’s, Ab Absurdo, a pitch-black comedy about performance as life (and vice-versa).
The final award announced during the ceremony was the eagerly awaited Audience Paper Bird, which is voted for by visitors to the LJMU MA Short Film Festival website. Voting was close throughout the duration of the festival, with the eventual winner being Emilia Ferrari’s, Valdo, a contemplative look at one man’s quest to preserve his traditional way of life in the face of modernisation.
We’d like to offer our congratulations to all of the winners of this year’s festival. We’d also like to thank all of the filmmakers who submitted to this year’s edition of the LJMU MA Short Film Festival, as without your hard work and dedication it would not be possible to showcase the finest in emergent student filmmaking. It’s been an incredible 4th edition and we’re looking forward to returning in 2025 for our 5th birthday!