NFTS stop-frame animation film – Head Over Heels - has won over judges at the Annie Awards in Los Angeles.
The film about an elderly couple who’ve grown apart (one of them lives on the ceiling) won the Best Student Film award at the Annie Awards (on Feb 2)- internationally recognised as the most prestigious animation awards in the world.
The prize was presented by legendary voice actor Jim Cummings (Winnie the Pooh, Tigger) and Simpsons co-creator Matt Groening. Also in attendance were the directors of Paranorman, Wreck-It Ralph, Rise of the Guardians, as well as independent New York animator Bill Plympton.
The film has also been nominated for an Oscar in the Short Animated Film category and is up against major studio films from Disney and Fox.
NFTS director Nik Powell: “For one of our graduation films not only to be nominated for but now to win an Annie - the pinnacle of awards for animation - is an extraordinary feat for the student filmmakers who achieved it! We are very proud of Tim and Fodhla and their team to bring such credit to our film school. And this extraordinarily human and humorous film richly deserves the success and credit it is receiving.”
Writer/Director Timothy Reckart and Producer Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly, both aged 26, made the film while studying at the National Film and Television school, in Buckinghamshire.
Timothy chose to study at the School because of its links to stop-frame animation idol Nick Park who created his characters Wallace & Gromit as his NFTS graduation film.
Speaking from the awards ceremony in Los Angeles, Timothy said: "We are so honoured to have won an Annie Award for Head Over Heels. The recognition is especially meaningful coming from our peers in the animation industry who have such a passion for this art form. I'm proud to be part of the very old tradition of stop motion animation, and our film's reception here at the Annies has made us feel very much at home in this industry."
Fodhla Cronin O'Reilly said: "We had such a wonderful evening at the awards. We had the opportunity to meet with some animation folk who we have admired for years. Winning an Annie is such an honour and we are absolutely thrilled."
Stop motion animation had a strong showing at the Annies this year with nominations for 3 films: Paranorman, Frankenweenie, Aardman’s Pirates (plus a win for stop motion TV series Robot Chicken) leading commentators to believe that this old-fashioned style of animation popularized by Ray Harryhausen is on the rise.
