Animation Is Movie, the Los Angeles-based movie pageant devoted to spotlighting animation as an artwork type, introduced the winners of their eighth annual pageant this week.
“Little Amélie or the Character of Rain,” a French animated movie directed by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han, took the Grand Jury Prize from the pageant. One other French movie that performed at Cannes, “Arco” by Ugo Bienvenu, acquired the Viewers Award. The Fumi Kitahara Particular Jury Prize, renamed this 12 months to honor late publicist Fumi Kitahara, went to Spanish Animated movie “Decorado” from director Alberto Vázquez. Brief movies “Gigi” by Cynthia Calvi and “Éiru” by Giovanna Ferrari received the Shorts Jury Grand Prize and the Particular Jury Prize for Shorts, respectively.
In an interview with IndieWire, Pageant director Matt Kaszanek spoke about how the pageant was created in 2017 to problem narratives about animation as a lesser type of artwork, in addition to showcase one of the best of worldwide animated cinema.
“I feel it’s distinctive to different festivals in that it’s its title can also be its mission, which is to have a good time animation, to push again on a story that some folks have, even subconsciously, that animation is sort of some lesser type of cinema. You could like animation, however these will not be titles that must be thought-about among the many finest movies of the 12 months,” Kaszanek instructed IndieWire. “I hear the phrase animated used as a qualifier lots. When persons are speaking about movies, they’ll say ‘Oh, I actually, actually liked ‘Circulation.’ That was one of the best animated movie of the 12 months.’ And I’d counter that, I feel ‘Circulation’ was probably the greatest movies of final 12 months. Animation Is Movie may be very a lot about that, and that’s its mission.”
Reflecting on how the pageant has grown, Kaszanek instructed IndieWire that the pageant has grown in attendance yearly since its inception. He additionally mentioned that, because the pageant has established a foothold within the business, it has grow to be a bellwether for the Animated Characteristic and Animated Shorts race, with it turning into frequent for almost all of the films that make the classes to play on the pageant.
“A lot of the movies that you simply’re seeing on the pageant, these are the movies which can be getting nominated for Academy Awards,” Kaszanek mentioned. “4 of one of the best animated shorts had performed at Animation Is Movie [last year]. After which on the function aspect, for those who look again over the past 4 years, it’s fairly frequent we’ll have sometimes 4, typically 5 of the Finest Animated Characteristic nominees.”
The 2025 pageant opened with “Scarlet,” an anime movie from director Mamoru Hosoda. “Arco” served because the centerpiece movie for the pageant, whereas “Little Amélie” was the official closing choice. Different films that performed on the pageant included “Lesbian House Princes,” “All You Want Is Kill,” “A Story About Fireplace,” and a remastering of “Paranorman.” Panels from the pageant included talks with the administrators behind “KPOP Demon Hunters” and a sneak preview of the upcoming “Zootopia 2.”
“We actually attempt to place ourselves as, that is your alternative to essentially see every little thing that’s performed on the larger festivals over the course of the 12 months. So that you’re what was at Berlin? And so we received ‘A Story About Fireplace’ from there, after which what was enjoying in Cannes, and that’s ‘Arco’ and ‘Little Amélie,’” Kaszanek mentioned. “Geographical variety is nice as a result of we actually do promote this pageant as a global occasion, and also you’re seeing movies from everywhere in the world.”
Reflecting on how the pageant has made an affect and the state of animation has advanced, Kaszanek instructed IndieWire that he feels vital respect for animation has solely grown within the years because the pageant began. He introduced up a rise in animated films enjoying at different festivals as an indication of the medium’s evolution and an indication of a promising future for the business.
“We’re not the one folks which can be sort of beating that drum that animation is movie, and it must be taken critically, and that these are movies that must be celebrated alongside reside motion movies. The progress that I’m seeing is that that’s extra persons are saying it. The decision for that’s getting louder,” Kaszanek instructed IndieWire. “The extra movie festivals which can be displaying animation of their lineup, of their competitors, is an effective factor for all the business, and we’re seeing that.”
The 2025 Animation is Movie Pageant ran from October 17 to nineteenth on the TCL Chinese language Theaters. Learn the whole record of winners under.
Grand Jury Prize: “Little Amélie Or the Character of Rain” (dir. Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han)
Viewers Award: “Arco” (dir. Ugo Bienvenu)
Fumi Kitahara Particular Jury Prize: “Decorado” (dir. Alberto Vázquez)
Grand Jury Prize — Shorts: “Gigi” (dir. Cynthia Calvi)
Particular Jury Prize — Shorts: “Éiru (dir. Giovanni Ferrari)
