2024 JURY AND AUDIENCE AWARDS
For 20 years GIRAF continues to show the other side of animation. This year’s films (with notable exceptions), are a little darker than before. Perhaps it’s not just the films that are darker. We now need our creative communities more than ever. This is why the incandescence of creativity needs to shine more brightly. A place where a small voice can become giant and something new might resonate within. Woah! holup there. Has it really been 20 years?
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Written by Alan Ferguson on behalf of the GIRAF 20 Jury
JURY STATEMENT
All of the films in GIRAF’s lineup represent what it means to be independent - weird, personal, creative, and uninterested in guidelines from conventional outside forces of industry standard or conventional filmmaking tactics. Through this wide lens of originality, we are able to get a rare and honest glimpse into the mind of humanity in 2024; our fears, our strifes, our world as portrayed through art and film.
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Written by Victoria Vincent
JURY AWARDS
Our jury awards for Best Canadian Short Film and Best International Short Film both come with a $200CAD cash prize for the filmmakers.
BEST CANADIAN SHORT FILM
THE MURDERER
DIRECTOR
KYLA ATLAS
ORIGIN
CANADA, 2024
RUNTIME
3M
The Murderer expertly delivers dark comedy by pairing twisted humor with a playful, childlike aesthetic that adds an ironic and unforgettable charm. The film’s deeply personal touch, based on a story the filmmaker Kyla Atlas wrote as a child, makes it delightfully unique and wildly entertaining, leaving us wondering where all that blood went.
Written by Vinson Chan on behalf of the GIRAF 20 Jury
HONORABLE MENTION
NOT ENOUGH WOMB FOR THE TWO OF US
CAMERON KLETKE
CANADA
Not Enough Womb For The Two of Us wastes no time in delivering a simple and endearing story that captures hearts effortlessly. With quirky character design and playful animation, it’s a lively short that truly packs a punch—what’s not to love?
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Written by Vinson Chan on behalf of the GIRAF 20 Jury
BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM
JOUR DE VENT
DIRECTOR
MARTIN CHAILLOUX, AI KIM CRESPIN, ELISE GOLFOUSE, CHLOE LAB, HUGO TAILLEZ, CAMILLE TRUDING
ORIGIN
FRANCE, 2024
RUNTIME
6M 30S
The wind comes, and we are never quite ready for it. With the single flap of a butterfly wing (or perhaps one less computer glitch on zoom) this could have been different. The jury enthusiastically recognizes Jour De Vent as the winner of best international film this year.Without a single word of dialog and less than 7 min of run time, several stories unfold and envelop the viewer. This is an understated beautiful film that can be watched over and over.
Written by Alan Ferguson on behalf of the GIRAF 20 Jury
HONORABLE MENTION
THE PARADE
RYAN BENJAMIN LEE
USA, SINGAPORE
Ryan Benjamin Lee expresses a unique director’s perspective, mixing animation methods with bold dialogue and storytelling choices. Kinetic and colorful, The Parade expresses a bold sense of optimism blossoming against all odds in an overwhelming, panic-inducing Singaporean metropolis.
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Written by Victoria Vincent on behalf of the GIRAF 20 Jury
AUDIENCE AWARDS
TOP CANADIAN SHORT FILM
INKWO: FOR WHEN THE STARVING RETURN
DIRECTOR
AMANDA STRONG
ORIGIN
CANADA, 2024
RUNTIME
18M 30S
CANADIAN RUNNER-UP
THE MURDERER
DIRECTOR
KYLA ATLAS
ORIGIN
CANADA, 2024
RUNTIME
3M
TOP INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM
HURIKÁN
DIRECTOR
JAN SASKA
ORIGIN
CZECH REPUBLIC, 2024
RUNTIME
13M
INTERNATIONAL RUNNER-UP
JOUR DE VENT
DIRECTOR
MARTIN CHAILLOUX, AI KIM CRESPIN, ELISE GOLFOUSE, CHLOE LAB, HUGO TAILLEZ, CAMILLE TRUDING
ORIGIN
FRANCE, 2024
RUNTIME
6M 30S
JURY HONORABLE MENTIONS
BEST ABSTRACT SHORT
ECHO
DYLON KLEMEN-HURRELL
CANADA
Echo enthralls with its smooth animation and seamless integration of music, creating a distinctive and immersive vibe. Dylon's exploration of sound as the fundamental force behind the creation of all things is both innovative and thought-provoking, showcasing a refreshing approach to animation that is inspired and beautifully executed.
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Written by Vinson Chan
JURY HONORABLE MENTIONS
BEST ABSURD DIVINE CONFLIC
JESUS 2
JESSE MOYNIHAN
USA
Jesus 2 is an unexpected interstellar dark comedy that thrusts the audience into a vast and unpredictably bizarre world with little context but high stakes and a whole lot of fun. Its bold world-building and surreal narrative create an experience that’s jarring, captivating, and hilarious from start to finish.
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Vinson Chan on behalf of the GIRAF 20 Jury
JURY HONORABLE MENTIONS
MOST DESPAIR-INDUCING FILM
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IN DREAMS
JOSH SHAFFNER
USA
Deeply anxiety- inducing yet strangely meditative, In Dreams follows a faceless individual grappling helplessly with their state-assisted suicide. Disorientating moments of lucidity fight back against the medically-induced flurry of random abstractions in a sad, beautiful frenzy of a mind clinging onto it’s final moments of consciousness.
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Written by Victoria Vincent
JURY HONORABLE MENTIONS
SPECIAL MENTION
SECOND LAW
CARLOS J. TORRES
CANADA
Life needs order. This is more than something a burned out parent says, it’s a law of physics. This cerebral abstract animation shows what is hard to express in words. The gloomy prediction of heat death, and life’s struggle to not to fall into equilibrium. This film has an epic majestic feel and sense of scale.
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Alan Ferguson on behalf of the GIRAF 20 Jury