Ljubljana’s 19th Animateka International Animated Film Festival, which took place 28 November – 4 December, has wrapped with Estonian filmmaker Sander Joon's festival hit Sierra winning both the €1,000 Grand Prix and the Audience Award, which are of equal value and provided by the Slovenian Animated Film Association.

The jury consisted of Clémence Bragard, a committee member of the CNC, as well as a programmer, and a presenter-moderator at the Annecy Festival, alongside filmmakers and producers Jean-François Le Corre (France), Boris Labbé (France), Jelena Popović (Canada) and Matija Šturm (Slovenia). Each of the jury members awarded a Special Mention to one particular film in the competition, which consisted of short films from Central and Eastern Europe. For the full list of winners and jury justifications, please see below.

Leo Černic's Pentola, developed in Turin’s Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, won the Young Talent Award, also worth €1,000 and provided by the School of Arts (University of Nova Gorica) and the Academy of Fine Arts and Design (University of Ljubljana).

The Children’s Jury Award for the best film in the Elephant in Competition programme, again worth €1,000, went to Pablo Polledri’s Loop (Spain, Argentina).

The festival's Rise & Shine pitching lab aimed at young filmmakers was won by the Croatian project Nightbloom, directed by Kata Gugić and produced by Vanja Andrijević on behalf of Bonobostudio. A special mention in this category was awarded to Beresheet, directed by Poland’s Ala Nunu and produced by Portugal’s Bruno Isaac Grade Caetano on behalf of COLA Animation. The winning project(s) will be invited to the CEE Animation Forum 2023.

Here is the full list of Animateka award winners:

Jury Grand Prix
Sierra - Sander Joon (Estonia)

Jury Special Mentions

Clémence Bragard:
Garrano - David Doutel, Vasco Sá (Portugal/Lithuania)

Jean-François Le Corre:
Miracasas - Raphaëlle Stolz, Augusto Zanovello (Switzerland/France)

Boris Labbé:
XX - Vasja Lebarič, Julij Zornik (Slovenia)

Jelena Popović:
11 - Vuk Jevremović (Croatia)

Matija Šturm:
Once There Was A Sea… - Joanna Kožuch (Slovakia/Poland)

Young Talent Award
Pentola - Leo Černic (Italy)

The Children’s Elephant Jury Award
Loop - Pablo Polledri (Spain/Argentina)

DSAF Audience Award
Sierra - Sander Joon (Estonia)

Rise & Shine 2022

Winner
Nightbloom – Kata Gugić (Croatia)
Producer: Vanja Andrijević, Bonobostudio

Special mention
Beresheet – Ala Nunu (Poland/Portugal)
Producer: Bruno Isaac Grade Caetano, COLA Animation