The Spark Computer Graphics Society (Spark CG) is pleased to announce that Alec Green and Finbar Watson’s powerful film Teacups has been selected as Best in Show, SPARK ANIMATION’s Oscar®-qualifying top prize. The film, which tells the incredible true story of Don Ritchie’s heroic interactions with hundreds of suicidal individuals, was selected by the Jury “for its bold and artistic cinematic achievement which skillfully weaves a heartfelt narrative that captivates audiences with its non-sentimental approach.”
Bill Plympton, the legendary Oscar®-winning director and champion of independent animation, will be awarded this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his significant contributions to the art form. The festival will also host the Canadian Premiere of the director’s latest film Slide.
The SPARK ANIMATION Diversity Award celebrates films and filmmakers who champion the rich tapestry of human experiences through their work. The prize was awarded to two projects: Thao Lam and Kjell Boersma’s Boat People, a powerful story of survival produced by the National Film Board of Canada, as well as Our Uniform, Iranian filmmaker Yegane Moghaddam’s exploration of hijab.
This year’s Director’s Prize was awarded to Vancouverite Ben Meinhardt’s Living the Dream, a 60-second musical encapsulation of a number of socio-economic issues faced by millions of individuals worldwide.
SPARK ANIMATION is proud to be a 2024 Canadian Screen Awards qualifying festival. A Crab in the Pool by French-Canadian directing team Alexandra Myotte and Jean-Sébastien Hamel was awarded the Best Canadian Film prize.
Pedro Nel Cabrera Vanegas’ touching story of survival Tapir Memories was selected as Winner, Student Film category, while two student projects from Pôle 3D were awarded top prizes: Stabat Mater from Hadrien Maton, Quentin Wittevrongel, Arnaud Mege, Coline Thelliez, and William Defrance, and On the 8th Day from Agathe Sénéchal, Alicia Massez, Elise Debruyne, Flavie Carin, Théo Duhautois.
The winning films were selected by the SPARK ANIMATION Festival Jury during a weekend of deliberations which took place on 23 and 24 September in Vancouver, Canada.
Awards will be presented in person at the SPARK ANIMATION Celebration screening on 12 November. Most of the award-winning films will also be available on demand as part of SPARK ANIMATION Online from 13 November to 31 December 2023.
The full list of winners can be found here.
KEY DATES
- 9 – 12 November 2023 – Festival Screenings
- 11 & 12 November 2023 – Conference
- 11 November 2023 – Career Fair
- 12 November 2023 – Artist Alley
- 13 November to 31 December 2023 – SPARK ANIMATION Online
About Spark CG Society
Founded to promote and foster BC’s computer graphics community, Spark CG has organized SPARK ANIMATION and SPARK FX (visual effects) since 2008. Spark CG works to continually highlight leading artistic and technological advancements in animation and visual effects through conferences, film festivals, and related events. In its 15th year, SPARK ANIMATION is presented in partnership with Vancouver ACM SIGGRAPH.
