A qualifying event for the BAFTAs and the Academy Awards, the Leeds Short Film Awards celebrates the short film form in all its glory, with discoveries from around the world, across the UK and here in Yorkshire. We are thrilled to announce the winners in each short film award category. All the winners can be watched together in one programme on the 17th November at Everyman, and on Leeds Film Player until 18th November. We want to say a huge thank you to our short film jurors, find out more about them here.
British Short Film Competition
Jury: Mathieu Ajan, Evelyn Griffiths, Abla Kandalaft
Winner: Play It Safe by Mitch Kalisa
Special Mentions: Finding Dad by Alana Hutton-Shaw and Stuffed by Theo Rhys
Jury Statement on Winner: 'A bold and important story told with a lot of style and grace. The director has a clear vision of what he wants to say. It hits the right note between humour and awkwardness and it delivers a powerful statement without being on the nose.'
Leeds International Short Film Competition
Jury: Esther Johnson, Isabel Moir, Myriam Mouflih
Winner: Lata by Alisha Tejpal (India)
Special Mentions: Lili Alone by Zou Jing (China) and Neon Phantom by Leonardo Martinelli (Brazil)
Jury Statement on Winner: 'A sensitive look at women’s labour in India’s caste system. Alisha Tejpal delicately highlights the tensions between familiar objects to focus on the dichotomy between village and city, traditions and modernity. The strong presence of the lead actress brings a warmth and engagement to the monotony of her everyday tasks.'
Leeds Music Video Competition
Jury: Jack King, NOVYMIR, Rosie Parsons
Winner: Kuba Kawalec - I Died by Zuzanna Plisz (Poland)
Special Mention: Tova Gertner - Good And Better by Gil Alkabetz (Germany)
Jury Statement on Winner: 'I Died uses great narrative prowess to do something original within the boundaries of genre. With an iconic look, it goes somewhere unexpected with strong conviction. A video that really enhances the experience of the song.'
Leeds Queer Short Film Competition
Jury: Ndrika Anyika, Sophie Duncan, Zakiya Whyles.
Winner: Neither Here, Nor There by Ley Comas (USA)
Special Mentions: My Neighbor, Miguel by Danny Navarro (USA) and Octavia’s Visions by Zara Zandieh (Germany)
Jury Statement on Winner: 'Beautiful and intimate conversation on gender identity between a mother and their non binary adult child. A nuanced and genuine story of a parental relationship, contrasting with one’s sense of self.'
Leeds Screendance Competition
Jury: Cara Hagen, Marlene Millar, Laida Arietta
Winner: Fibonacci by Tomáš Hubáček (Czech Republic)
Special Mention: Bellydance Vogue dir. Hadi Moussally (Spain)
Jury Statement on Winner: 'Fibonacci offers viewers incredible texture through landscape, the grouping of bodies in that landscape, and engaging storytelling. With simple movement as an anchor for the arc of the piece, the audience has the opportunity to settle into the world the artists create, without being overwhelmed by it.'
World Animation Competition
Jury: Martha Cattell, Astrid Goldsmith, Kim Noce
Winner: Love is Just a Death Away: dir. Bára Anna Stejskalová (Czech Republic)
Special Mentions: The Fourth Wall by Mahboobeh Kalaee (Iran) and Amayi by Subarna D (India)
Jury Statement on Winner: 'A compelling and unexpected narrative from a fresh voice, Love is Just a Death Away combines dark humour, peril, and tender moments against a backdrop of decaying landfill. Animation is at its best when the artist can share their unique world with us, and this self-referential use of stop-motion was confident and imaginative.’
Yorkshire Short Film Competition
Jury: Mathieu Ajan, Evelyn Griffiths, Abla Kandalaft
Winner: The Branches Are Hope; The Roots Are Memory by Sema Basharan
Jury Statement on Winner: 'A hymn to the city told through the people who make it home, beautiful use of archives and poetic and experimental imagery that helped the stories resonate. It felt like a very uplifting piece of work.'
