The festival presented awards in five categories, recognizing the outstanding achievements in narrative, documentary, animation, Canadian films, and the coveted Audience Choice award. The jury members, composed of industry experts and seasoned professionals, deliberated on the exceptional entries to determine the winners and special mentions.
And without further ado, we are thrilled to share with you our winning films:
Best Canadian Short: Create;survive
Directed by Alex Anna (Canada | 20 minutes)
Shorts Not Pants $US250.00 cash prize
Best Narrative Short: Frater
Directed by Valentin Guiod (France | 20 minutes)
(Jury members: Danny Lennon, Alemberg Ang, Andrea Voges)
Shorts Not Pants $US250.00 cash prize
Jury’s Special Mention – Basri and Salma in a Never-Ending Comedy
Directed by Khozy Rizal (Indonesia | 15 minutes)
Best Documentary Short: They Call Me The Tattoo Witch
Directed by Lindsay Nyman (United States | 14 minutes)
(Jury members: Katarina Gligorijevic, Heinz Hermanns, Norm Wilner)
Shorts Not Pants $US250.00 cash prize
Jury Statement: Lindsay Nyman’s They Call Me The Tattoo Witch is a look at the life and work of Tran Ngoc, a tattoo artist in Hanoi who specializes in post-surgical tattoos for women. Artfully filmed, and made with deep respect for both Tran and her clients, who live in a culture where tattoos are still stigmatized, Nyman’s film reframes a familiar subject from a fresh perspective, making us think about all of the people who support an individual’s emotional and physical recovery. The Documentary Jury is proud to award They Call Me The Tattoo Witch our prize for 2024.
Jury’s Special Mention – Create;survive
Directed by Alex Anna (Canada | 20 minutes)
Jury Statement: Alex Anna’s Create;survive, a personal journal about the filmmaker’s struggles with depression and self-doubt while touring the festival circuit with their award-winning short Scars.
Best Animated Short: In The Shadow of the Cypress
Directed by Hossein Molayemi and Shirin Sohani (Iran | 20 minutes)
(Jury Members: Kelly Lui, Arjen Brentjes, Julien Regnard)
Shorts Not Pants $US250.00 cash prize
Jury Statement: Gorgeous visual poetry and full of symbolism, In The Shadow of the Cypress deals with a hard reality, by transforming it into a work of art that achieves to warm the soul. Every single detail of the animation is beautifully designed and executed with wonderful colours and textures that are completed by excellent sound design. The consistent style creates a visual language that is easy to follow, yet still leaves room for interpretation by the viewer. A unanimous number one for this jury.
Jury’s Special Mention – Nun or Never!
Directed by Heta Jäälinoja (Finland | Runtime: 10 minutes)
Jury Statement: Whisking us away to remember our own hidden universes, the jury would also like to recognize the charming originality in theme and craft of Nun or Never! with an honourable mention.
Audience Choice Award: The God Man
Directed by Andrew Foerster (Canada | 10 minutes)
Shorts Not Pants $US250.00 cash prize
The festival also recognized the top 10 Audience Award vote-getters:
- The God Man
- Three Screaming Vaginas (Trois vagins qui crient)
- Vulture Culture: Creating Afterlives
- I’m Not a Robot (Ik Ben Geen Robot)
- Maybe Elephants
- In The Shadow of the Cypress
- Doris & Bettan – Marbella Mayhem
- Lumen
- Nun or Never!
- Playing God
Congratulations once again to all the filmmakers for their exceptional work and contributions to the Shorts Not Pants Film Festival!
About Shorts Not Pants Film Festival
Shorts Not Pants Film Festival is an annual celebration of short films, showcasing the best works from Canada and around the world. Founded in 2012 as a quarterly series, Shorts Not Pants expanded into an annual festival weekend in 2018.