Souvenir Souvenir is an animated documentary short film directed by Bastien Dubois and produced by Amiel Tenenbaum, Simon Pénochet and Bastien Dubois. The short has been awarded in a number of festivals including in Clermont-Ferrand Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Short Film Award and Sundance Film Festival and won an Annie Award in Best Short Subject category in 2021. It was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film but ultimately was not nominated.
Production This animated documentary is based on true facts about the Algerian war, intertwined with the director's family life and most of the voices are narrated by the characters themselves. The use of layers and superpositions by paint, blurry and grainy textures by the illustrator Jorge Gonzales match the layers of secrecy of the narrative. The film has two styles: a cartoony 2D animation, made by Train-Train studio and 3D models that mimic 2D hand-drawing and textures. Details were also added by hand-dray and TV paint.
Plot For ten years, a filmmaker attempts to make a movie out of his grandfather's Algerian war souvenirs. Both a historical denial and family taboo, the questions raised by the topic fail to be answered, and both personal and collective memory are left unsaid. The narrative shifts from the incapacity to speak, to the ability to ask the right question, and less about the grandfather experience and more about the making of a film.
Accolades Since its launch, the film has been selected in various festivals and academies around the world: +YearCeremonyAward/CategoryStatus2020Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film FestivalBest French-language animated filmBogoshortsBest International Short FilmLes Sommets du cinéma d'animationGrand PrizeTubingen Stuttgart International French-language Film Festival Grand Prize for Best Short FilmTrouville Off-Courts Film Festival Jury Special Mention2021Seattle International Film Festival Documentary Grand Jury AwardMecalGrand PrixPittsburgh Film Festival Best AnimationAnimestBest DocumentarySundance International Film FestivalShort Film Jury Award to the Best AnimationAnnie AwardsBest short film Oscars Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film The short was part of the world touring screening The Animation Showcase 2021.
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