The Animation 'Our Uniform' by Yeganeh Moghadam Wins Two Awards at the 'Animayo' Festival in Spain

The 'Animayo' festival in the Canary Islands, Spain, which is considered one of the prestigious animation festivals in Europe, announced its winners for 2023. In this edition, the animation 'Our Uniform' by Yeganeh Moghadam won two significant awards, marking a valuable achievement for this Iranian artist. This work received the Grand Jury Prize in the Best International Short Animation category and also won the Best Mixed Media Animation award. On the Animayo festival website, 'Our Uniform' is described as 'an exceptionally high-quality' work that combines various animation techniques in an 'exceptional' manner, garnering significant attention from the jury. 'Our Uniform' tells the story of a young Iranian woman who recalls her school days through the wrinkles and seams of her old clothes. This piece is a blend of 2D techniques and stop-motion animation. The Animayo festival is the first and only animation festival in Spain recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and winners in the International Short Animation and Spanish-language Short Animation categories are eligible to compete for an Oscar. Thus, the animation 'Our Uniform' by Yeganeh Moghadam and 'Amardas' by Carmen Cordoba will be introduced to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as the best Spanish-language short animations. 'Amardas' was praised for its quality and impactful message and also won the Best 2D Animation award. Reza Riahi, a French-Iranian director, is one of the artists who reached the preliminary Oscar nominee list in the same category with his short animation 'The Musician' in 2022. He told Voice of America: 'There are many festivals around the world that specifically screen short animations, and some of them are accepted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.' According to Riahi, selected works from these festivals that win awards, along with other eligible short animations, go through several rounds of filtering to reach the preliminary and final Oscar lists and compete for the award. This French-Iranian artist created his animation in a 2D style using traditional cut-out techniques, which received much attention from art critics. He noted that the Oscar is usually awarded to Disney, Pixar, and high-budget 3D animations, stating that simpler, 2D, and handmade works often have little chance of winning and rarely receive awards. Nevertheless, he emphasizes that winning awards at festivals or reaching the preliminary Oscar list is a significant success for animation artists and impacts their professional standing. In this edition of the Animayo festival, over two thousand short animations from around 80 countries participated, which were reviewed by the jury, and ultimately 60 selected works reached the final stage. The jury was chaired by Andreas Deja, a prominent figure from Disney known for works like 'The Lion King' and 'Aladdin.' In addition to showcasing his new 2D short animation 'Moushka,' he organized a three-hour training session for young artists present at the festival. According to Andreas Deja, an important feature of the works presented at the festival is the surprising departure of artists from computer-generated content and a return to 2D and stop-motion techniques. This animation festival, in addition to its competitive aspect, offers various educational programs and introduces job opportunities to young artists while providing financial aid and scholarships. The holding of the Animayo festival has led to an increase in the number of animation studios in the Canary Islands and has also contributed to tourism in the region. The selected works from this festival will be screened in various countries around the world, including the USA, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Belgium, India, and Colombia. The Animayo festival was founded by Damian Perea and successfully completed its eighteenth edition with the support of various institutions and organizations. This article was prepared using reports from Variety and the Animayo festival website.