Author: Beijing Film Academy

The closing ceremony and award presentation of the 24th Beijing Film Academy Animation School Awards was successfully held.

Chinese and foreign guests attending the closing ceremony and award ceremony took a group photo on campus

In the afternoon of November 2, 2024, the closing ceremony and award presentation of the 24th Beijing Film Academy Animation Academy Awards were held grandly at the Huairou Campus of Beijing Film Academy.

The leaders and guests attending this award ceremony include:

• Party Group Member, Vice Chairman, and Secretary-General of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles (CFLAC)

• President of Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Xu Kun

• Zhu Hongzi, President of China Film Publishing House

• Executive President of China Electronic Video Industry Association, Hao Yabin

• Jin Rui, Deputy Director of China Youth Daily, Vice President and General Manager of China Youth Online

• Vice General Editor of China Youth Daily, Lü Tongyi

• Vice Secretary-General of China Animation Association, Zeng Weijing

• Huangfu YiChuan, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and editor-in-chief of Contemporary Film and Contemporary Animation

• The Director of the Propaganda Department of Huairou District, Gong Jicheng

• Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Guangming Online, Gao Sai

• National Class 1 Actor and Famous Film and Television Performance Artist Zang Jinsheng

• The head of “Modern Film Technology” is Chang Huiqin.

• Li Xin, General Manager of Yunnan Radio and Television Group

• Station Chief of the Guangming Daily Beijing Bureau, Dong Cheng

• Chairman of the Chinese Committee of the International Cartoonists’ Association (ICA) Xu Tao

• The original Shanghai Animation Film Studio, National First-Class Screenwriter Yao Zhongli

• The original Shanghai Animation Studio, animator Gu Ziyi

• The Son of Ada, Xu Chang

• Secretary of the Disciplinary Commission of Beijing Film Academy, Liu Xinjun

• Wang Fengsheng, former Secretary and President of Beijing Film Academy

• Jizhiwei, the former Party Secretary of Beijing Film Academy

• Hou Keming, former vice president of Beijing Film Academy and dean of the Animation College

• The head of the Literature Department at Beijing Film Academy, Huang Dan

• Vice President of Beijing Film Academy, Sun Lijun

• Georges Schwizgebel, an Oscar-winning animator, has received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Animation College of Beijing Film Academy and the Animation Film Festival in Annecy, France. He is also a visiting professor at Beijing Film Academy.

• The winner of the Oscar Best Animated Short Film Award, renowned Russian artist, and guest professor at Beijing Film Academy, Aleksandr Petrov

• Masakazu Kubo, Director of Shogakukan, Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy

• The Chairman of the Top 20 Global Short Film Festival and the New Zealand Film Festival, Gina Dellabarca, who is also a Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy

• Irina Mastusova, President of the Russian Animation Association and Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy

• The world’s highest computer graphics image award winner of the United States SIGGRAPH Award, the world’s third SIGGRAPH Outstanding Artist Award winner, professor of Graduate School of the University of Tokyo, visiting professor of Beijing Film Academy Yoichiro Kawaguchi

• Secretary General of the International Animation Film Education Alliance, Mu Yi

• Professor Paul Connolly, Vice-Chancellor of the University of the Arts London and Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy

• Cecile Blondel, Director of the International School of Gobelins, the Higher School of Art and Communication and Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy, ranked No.1 in the world for animation studies

• John Coven, Dean of the Highbrow Animation Institute, ranked No. 1 in the world for animation studies, and a visiting professor at Beijing Film Academy

• Max Azoulay, President of the French Higher School of Cinema and Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy

• David Azoulay, President of the French Higher School of Cinema and Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy

• Dr. Theresa Scandiffio, Dean of the Animation, Art and Design program at Sheridan College, a world-renowned animation school ranked second, and a visiting professor at Beijing Film Academy

• Buckley Bruce Dennis, Chair of the Animation Department at New York Film Academy and Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy

• Steven Brown, Chair of the Animation Department at California College of the Arts and Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy

• Director of the Painting Department at the Danish Animation Academy and Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy, Gry Lindebjerg.

• Jacob Borrits Sabra, Dean of the Animation Department at the Danish Animation Institute and a Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy

• Grant Stevens, Dean of the School of Art and Design at the University of New South Wales, Australia, and Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy

• Ian McArthur, the Dean of the School of Art and Design at the University of New South Wales, Australia, and a Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy

• The Dean of the Design School at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand and Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy, Leon Gurevitch

• Areito Aranjuez, the head of the Media Studies program at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand and a visiting professor at Beijing Film Academy

• Director of the Department of Cinematography at Dongguk University in South Korea and Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy, Choi Won-ho

• Professor Peishan Liu, Dean of the School of Creative Industries, Raman University, Malaysia, and Visiting Professor at Beijing Film Academy

• The former original content director of Disney China and guest professor at Beijing Film Academy, Marc Handler

• Professor Shao Shouwen, Deputy Vice President of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences Division at Aalto University

• Liu Ying, a French film producer and guest professor at Beijing Film Academy, is a member of the mentor group for outstanding film talents in graduate studies at Beijing Film Academy.

• Beijing Film Academy Long-term Appointed Foreign Expert, 1984-1986: Chigusa Togo, daughter of Chigusa Masaichi

• There were also representatives from the Animation Institute of Beijing Film Academy, as well as the deans and teachers from various departments and relevant functional department leaders.

• In addition, there are the deans and teachers from 108 universities and colleges of fine arts, including the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Tsinghua Academy of Fine Arts, China Academy of Art, Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts, Hubei Academy of Fine Arts, Xi’an Academy of Fine Arts, Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts, Tsinghua University, Peking University, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, East China Normal University, Shanghai University, Nanjing University of the Arts, Chengdu University, Zhejiang University of Media and Communications, Shanxi Communication University, Hebei University of Science and Technology, Hebei University, Jilin Animation Institute, and Sichuan University of Media and Communications.

• This year’s Animation College Award has received strong support from major media platforms such as CCTV, CCTV.com, People’s Daily, China News Service, China Youth Network, People’s Daily, Xinhua News Agency, Renmingzonghebao, Guangming Daily, Jingji Ribao, Jingjiribao, China Youth Daily, Nongmin Ribao, Beijing Television, Beijing Daily, Beijing News Broadcasting, Beijing Traffic Broadcasting, Qianlong.com, Laodongwubao, China Zhanjing News, Beijing Youth Daily, Beijing Commercial News, Beijing Nongcun Jingji, Beijing Nongcun Jingji, Huairou Media Center, iQIYI, LeTV, Wuhu Animation, Bilibili, Contemporary Animation and other media platforms.

This award, initiated in 2001, is a top-tier competition dedicated to global original animated short films, integrating academic, artistic, and authoritative elements. It serves as a benchmark for international animation art short film creation and education, and is known as the “Oscar for Chinese Animation Shorts”.

The 24th Animation Academy Awards were guided by the China Animation Association, the Animation Art Committee of the China Artists Association, the Animation Film Work Committee of the China Film Association, the China Video Industry Association, and the Beijing Film and Television Animation Association. They were hosted by Beijing Film Academy and co-hosted by the Cultural Industry Development Promotion Center of Huairou District, Beijing, the Animation Academy of Beijing Film Academy, and the China Animation Research Institute. This event marks the 24th anniversary of the awards.

The 24th Animation Academy Awards staff took a photo with teachers and judges

The closing ceremony of the 24th Beijing Film Academy Animation Academy Awards

Highlights of the event

Highlight 1 - The largest number of international guests since the Academy Awards

The 24th Beijing Film Academy Animation Institute Award will gather over 300 universities and colleges from around the world, including over 60 international guests, which is the largest number of international guests at a domestic animation event in recent years.

Highlight 2 - Top global masters making their first visit to China

Russian animation master, Oscar-winning animator Alexander Petrov, and Japanese animation master, Oscar-nominated animator Kouji Yamamura, are making their first visit to China to participate in the Beijing Film Academy Animation College Award.

Highlight 3 - International Film Screenings

During the event, the world’s top animation artworks from the California Institute of the Arts in the US, the Gobelins School in France, and the Sheridan College in Canada will be screened, providing participants with opportunities to appreciate and learn.

Highlight 4 - Frontier Academic Forum

This year’s Academy Award tracks cutting-edge technologies and organizes multiple frontier AI academic forums, inviting well-known experts and scholars from both at home and abroad to engage in in-depth discussions and exchanges on hot topics in the animation field.

Russian animation master and Oscar winner for Best Animated Short Film Alexander Petrov has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 24th Beijing Film Academy Animation Academy Awards.

The Animation Academy during this year’s event has organized a diverse range of academic screenings and artistic exchange activities, striving to present a platform for academic exchange and exhibition that emphasizes professionalism, academic value, and practical outcomes. “Art, originality, professionalism, and internationality” are the core values of the Animation Academy Awards, which always adheres to the non-commercial principle, gives full consideration to the opinions of each judge, and takes the quality of the work itself as the only criterion for the award.

Announcement Of Awards List

Best Innovation

Chasing（Academy of Arts & Design，Tsinghua University）

Jury Comments:

The short film integrates stylish dance moves and decorative painting elements to offer a reinterpretation of mythological stories. The animation techniques are sophisticated, the visual effects are spectacular, and it showcases the author’s unique artistic creativity and style. The entire film exudes a poetic atmosphere.

Nomination:

“Burning Room” - Communication University of China

“Imagine” - Zhejiang University of Media and Communications.

Best Script

Mano （The Animation Workshop/VIA University College）

Jury Comments:

The film boasts a unique realistic atmosphere. The filmmaker skillfully employs subtle, low-key animation performances and precise editing rhythm to depict the situation of the two brothers. Particularly noteworthy are the film’s dialogues, which vividly portray the relationships among the characters in the film.

Nomination:

“Layla” from Gobelins

“Wormwood” from Gobelins

Best Sound Effects

Wild Animal（University of Southern California）

Jury Comments:

The sound design in this film is delicate and imaginative. The music, imbued with intention, the tense wind and snow sounds, the breathing and wolf howling with nuanced emotions, and all other sound elements are organically intertwined to enhance the emotional depth of the film and constitute a potent impetus for the narrative progression.

Nomination:

“The Daily Life of Mythical Creatures” - Beijing Film Academy

“The Shyness of Trees” - Gobelins School of Image (or Gobelins, depending on the specific context and desired level of detail)

Best Character Design

The Shyness of Trees （Gobelins）

Jury Comments:

The film delves into the theme of death and rebirth, immersing viewers in a metaphorical realm where nature and humanity coexist. The film’s distinctive design style and vivid textures breathe life into the story of mother and daughter, skillfully integrating color and light changes into multiple facets of the narrative to create a visually striking and artistically impactful experience.

Nomination:

《The Journey of Cooking》 - Victoria University of Wellington

《Something Left, Something Right》 - Beijing Film Academy

Best New Artist

MuYing (Communication University of China)

Jury Comments:

The material for this film is drawn from real life, presenting a simple and heartfelt emotional tone, a naive style with an endearing and cozy ambiance, and a particularly striking exhibition of animation characteristics. It stands as an exemplary animated documentary.

Nomination:

《In Ten Minutes》from Beijing Film Academy

《Variations》from Nanjing University of the Arts

Best Techniques

Exuviate （Beijing Film Academy）

Jury Comments:

This film explores the application of motion graphics and artificial intelligence technology, and is also a visually stunning work that demonstrates the boundless potential of contemporary technology in expanding the narrative and visual forms of cinema.

Nomination:

《Apex Point》from The Animation Workshop/VIA University College

《Dog Days Are Over》from Beijing Film Academy

Best Visual Effects

The Boundless Universe （Beijing Film Academy）

Jury Comments:

The film employs the kaleidoscopic effect of ‘interconnectedness of all things’ to symbolize the cyclical nature of fate and the intertwining of time and space, rich in Eastern aesthetics and creating a mystical ambiance. The overall production is exquisite; what is particularly noteworthy is the film’s presentation of a magnificent visual art effect, which is astonishing.

Nomination:

《Swallows》China Academy of Art

《A Snake Called Perseus》Cal Arts

Best Creative

Rare Stone （Beijing Film Academy）

Jury Comments:

The film exhibits an exquisite style, with simple yet beautiful visuals, and the creators exhibit a high degree of professionalism in their mastery of pacing, details, and sound design. What stands out most is the film’s unique creativity: it tells a poetic narrative about exploration and courage through the journey of a little bird traversing an endless stony beach.

Nomination:

《Bean boy》The Animation Workshop/VIA University College

《Capitalism》Cal Arts

Best Director

Wormwood（Gobelins）

Jury Comments:

The film demonstrates remarkable directorial talent, with an imaginative story, captivating plot, nuanced and moving emotional expression, and the creative team expertly employs visual and auditory language to craft a mysterious and enchanting ambiance, guiding us into the surreal landscapes and touching emotional world of the film.

Nomination:

《Wild Animal》University of Southern California

《Reverie》The Animation Workshop/VIA University College

Best Short Film

Deserted（Beijing Film Academy）

Jury Comments:

The film showcases the conflicting yet balanced relationship between environmental crises and human survival, and its story is thought-provoking. Visually, it blends Eastern aesthetics with science fiction elements, presenting a unique art style. The character movements and atmosphere are particularly effective, and the overall production quality is very high.

Nomination:

《Layla》- Gobelins (École de l’Image, France)

《Mano》- The Animation Workshop/VIA University College (Denmark)

Jury Special Award

Outstanding Student Film Awards

Award for Academic Papers

Scholarship&Corporate Awards

Best Instructor Awards

• Wang Hao - Beijing Film Academy

• Zhan Shengping——Zhejiang Institute of Media and Communications

• Liu Dayu——Communication University of China

• Wang Ke——South China Agricultural University

• Luo Furong - Sichuan Conservatory of Music Chengdu Academy of Fine Arts

• Han Xu - Nanjing University of the Arts

Best Organization Awards (in no particular order)

This year’s Academy Awards screening and forum highlights

The opening ceremony of the 24th Beijing Film Academy Animation Academy Awards

Forum 1：

International Forum on Advanced Animation Education-Innovation in the Cultivation of Animation Talents&Educational Concepts in the AI Era

Forum 2：

upholding fundamental principles and breaking new ground—China Animation School Forum

Forum 3：Animation Art & AI Development Forum

Master’s Lecture1：

Animation Creation by Animation Master Georges Schwizgebel

Master Lecture 2: The Animation World of Koji Yamamura—Shape invisible light

Master’s Lecture 3：

Aleksandr Petrov——Painting in Motion: Unique Methods of Animation

Alexander Petrov talks with director Tian Xiaopeng

Professional Lecture 1：

CalArts—Disney’s Forgotten Visual Humor Handbook

Professional Lecture 2：

Dongseo University-TheOrigin&Significance

of Transformation in Literature and Plastic Arts

Professional Lecture 3:

Seeing is Believing: The Power of Visual Storytelling of The Gobelins,France

Professional Lecture 4：

KUBO MASAKAZU—Artificial Intelligence and dynamics of Japanese animation industry

Professional Lecture 5:

The International Film and Television Production and Cultural Exchange Forum was successfully held—New Zealand Session

All eyes on: Red carpet ceremony

For more exciting content, stay tuned for other related posts from the 24th Animation Academy Awards.

Conclusion

The Beijing Film Academy Animation Academy Awards for this year has drawn to a successful close. Looking back, we have witnessed an array of talented individuals and a myriad of exceptional works, leaving us utterly mesmerized. As we gaze into the future, we are acutely aware of the long journey ahead and the heavy responsibility on our shoulders. The Animation Academy Awards have always been dedicated to fostering and promoting independent and creative animation works, adhering to the spirit of ingenuity and innovation, thereby injecting endless vitality into the thriving Chinese animation industry.

In the future, the Academy Award will continue to uphold its commitment to the heritage and responsibility of Chinese animation, continuously exploring and fully showcasing the diversity of animation as an art form. It will provide opportunities for those who truly cherish animation art to showcase their talents and engage in mutual exchanges.

We eagerly anticipate the continued growth and development of animation creators on this fertile soil, who will inherit the will of their predecessors and carry the torch forward. We look forward to Chinese animation continuing to forge ahead and achieve new heights of glory! We extend our heartfelt thanks to all participants for their invaluable support of this year’s Animation Academy Awards. Love and life are eternal. Let us unite and gather once again next year to celebrate our collective achievements!

In-depth reports on a series of events will continue to be launched,

Stay tuned!

Looking forward to seeing you again next year!