The Pandemic has been a major disruption in the entertainment industry. Feature films have been delayed, movie theaters have closed, and festivals have resorted to running their events 100% online. The bright side however is that stop motion animation short film productions have been very strong since they usually only require a couple of artists to complete. The Academy Awards have pushed back the dates to April 25th 2021, but this has not deterred the every growing array of short films being potentially nominated for next year’s run.
We all know how difficult it can be for the Academy audiences to vote on anything that isn’t Disney or has some celebrity tied to it. However, the requirements to get nominated are not so mystical as to predict who could potentially be in the running for Best Animated Short Film. To be even considered for nomination the film must meet one of 3 criteria. It must run in a specified film festival and win, have been shown in a public theater, or have won a Student Academy Award. Right now, there are three magnificent short stop motion films that are potentials to be in the running for the 2021 Oscar.
Though we do not know who will be nominated to this category, we do have some early predictions as to who could potentially make the short list. Here are the trailers for our picks:
The first film to point out is Soko Hara’s Just A Guy which is a film about the obsession and attraction to serial killers. In this case the relationship of women with serial murderer and rapist Richard Ramirez. The film is dark and captivating while keeping with an abstract clay animation motif.
The next film is by Kangmin Kim’s KKUM which won at Ottawa Int’l Animation Festival. The film is a tribute to Kim’s mother and her prescient dreams. This film is completely a Styrofoam production in which the characters, props, and stage are all cut and shaped pieces of Styrofoam.
꿈 KKUM – trailer from KANG MIN KIM on Vimeo.
The third film to make of note is I, Barnabé by Jean-Francois Lévesque. This film follows a priest who wants to end it all but has a mysterious encounter with a rooster who transforms the mans perception and in turn changes his life.
Moi, Barnabé | I, Barnabé – (Promo Clip #1 : Barnabé) from NFB/marketing on Vimeo.
