An animated short Daughter by FAMU student Daria Kashcheeva (co-produced by MAUR film) was prized twice in Annecy during the weekend: on Friday, Kashcheeva received Junior Jury Award for a Graduation Film, and one day later, the film was awarded the main prize for student films receiving Cristal for a Graduation Film.

Kashcheeva combined puppet animation with drawings in the story about a complicated relationship between a daughter and her father. “It was a big challenge for me to imitate a hand camera movement like if it was a documentary,” described Daughter’s director her approach.

Kashcheeva joined the group of respected Czech authors Jan Švankmajer, Břetislav Pojar, Jiří Brdečka, Pavel Koutský or Michaela Pavlátová who also succeeded at Annecy festival in the past.

Another short, Martin Smatana’s The Kite, pleased spectators and was honored with Young Audience Award. Czech-Slovak-Polish film (produced by BFilm.cz and co-produced by FAMU on the Czech side) deals with the issue of death, but it does so in a simple yet metaphorical way using the relationship between the little boy and his grandpa.

The film premiered earlier this year at Berlinale and was also awarded in April Tricks for Kids, an award for the best children's animated film at Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film.

You can find full list of this year’s winners HERE.