VIEW AWARD Contest 2025 WINNERS

VIEW Conference proudly announces the winners of the VIEW 2025 Award. A nine-member international jury selected the outstanding short animated films based on story, direction, technical proficiency, sound, and uniqueness. VIEW Award accompanied VIEW Conference 2025, the premiere international event in Italy on animation, VFX, games, AI, and more. 

GRAND PRIZE

"The Girl Who Cried Pearls" ("La jeune fille qui pleurait des perles")
Directors: Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski
Studio: National Film Board of Canada (Producers: Julie Roy, Marc Bertrand and Christine Noël)
Country: Canada
Year: 2025

A haunting fable about a girl overwhelmed by sorrow, the boy who loves her, and how greed leads good hearts to wicked deeds. "The Girl Who Cried Pearls" was recognized by the VIEW Award 2025 international jury for its exceptional craftsmanship and lasting visual impact.

JURY PRIZE

"Cardboard"
Director: J.P. Vine
Studio: Locksmith Animation (Producer: Sam Thornton)
Country: United Kingdom
Year: 2025

When an overwhelmed single Dad pig moves his piglets into a trailer park, he fears he's failed his family. But soon his kids create a wildly imaginative game, and Dad has to choose between dwelling in the past or joining them on their adventure.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD (Ex Aequo)

"Hurikán"
Director: Jan Saska
Studio: Last Films
Country: Czech Republic
Year: 2024

Hurikán rushes out to save his favorite beer stand from closure by fetching a new keg to impress the bartender he has a crush on. In a wild Prague district, he faces robbers, cops, and his own thirst.

"Éiru"
Director: Giovanna Ferrari
Studio: Cartoon Saloon (Producer: Cal McLoughlin)
Country: Ireland
Year: 2024

When the water mysteriously disappears from the well in a warrior clan's village, an intrepid child descends into the belly of the earth to retrieve it.

BEST SHORT WITH ENVIRONMENTAL THEMES (Ex Aequo)

"Rerooted"
Directors: Delphine Coudray, Christian Spurling
Studio: Cardel Entertainment (Producer: Carla Mooney)
Country: Ireland
Year: 2025

A bored warehouse worker's quest for an enduring legacy, as an animator takes a darkly comedic turn when she signs up for an eco-friendly burial.

"TRASH"
Directors: Gregory Bouzid, Maxime Crançon, Robin Delaporte, Mattéo Durand, Romain Fleischer, Alexis Le Ral, Margaux Lutz, Fannie Vecchie
School: ESMA
Country: France
Year: 2024

In a dark alley, a scrawny rat has no choice but to fight with a pigeon for a small slice of pizza. Without a second thought, they throw themselves in a vertiginous chase from the top to the bottom of the street.

"Bread Will Walk"
Director: Alex Boya
Studio: National Film Board of Canada (Producer: Jelena Popović)
Country: Canada
Year: 2025

A devoted sister races to save her brother, a bread-turned zombie. A mob of hungry living pursues, mouths agape. Streets twist into mazes, reason crumbles. Can love defy appetite?

BEST SHORT WITH SOCIAL THEMES (Ex Aequo)

"Zwermen"
Directors: Janneke Swinkels, Tim Frijsinger
Studio: Spotted Bird, Beast Animation, Murmur Animation
Country: Netherlands
Year: 2025

Piet, an elderly man in a nursing home, finds himself limited in his actions when he suddenly begins to transform into a bird. Although he is still accepted within the group, he feels that it's time to join a new flock.

"Como Si La Tierra Se Las Hubiera Tragado"
Director: Natalia León
School: ENSAD
Country: France
Year: 2024

Olivia, a young woman living abroad, returns to her home town in Mexico in the hope of reconnecting with her past.

"Susurros"
Directors: Alexandra Pewinski, Marie Lombard, Florian Reignier, Emma Pluchard, Lisa Francillon, Alice Parmentier
Studio: Supinfocom Rubika (Supervisor: Patrick De Carvalho)
Country: France
Year: 2025

From the witch hunts of 17th-century Europe to the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the United States in 2022, Susurros follows the story of two women faced with a pregnancy they did not choose.

BEST STORY

"Autokar"
Director: Sylwia Szkiladz
Studio/Country: Belgium
Year: 2025

In the 1990s, eight-year-old Agata leaves Poland for Belgium. Her perspective transforms the migratory reality into an initiatory experience.

BEST ENVIRONMENTS

"The Shyness of Trees"
Directors: Jiaxin Huang, Lina Han, Simin He, Bingqing Shu, Sofiia Chuikovska, Maud Le Bras, Loïck Du Plessis D'Argentré
School: Gobelins
Country: France
Year: 2024

Hélène, 40 years old, comes to visit her aging mother in the French countryside. But her mother isn't being her usual self.

BEST DESIGN

"Because Today is Saturday" ("Porque hoje é Sábado")
Director: Alice Eça Guimarães
Studio: ANIMAIS
Country: Portugal
Year: 2025

It's Saturday, and a woman struggles with the difficulty of reconciling her home life and her need to escape.

BEST ANIMATION TECHNIQUES

"It Shouldn't Rain Today" ("Amanhã não dão chuva")
Director: Maria Trigo Teixeira
Studio: AIM CREATIVE STUDIOS
Country: Portugal
Year: 2024

Feeling that her mother may no longer be able to live on her own, a woman moves back to her childhood home. As she tries to adapt to the new situation, her mother continues to drift away.

BEST VISUAL STYLE (Ex Aequo)

"Scars We Love" ("Les belles cicatrices")
Director: Raphaël Jouzeau
Studio: BALADE SAUVAGE
Country: France
Year: 2024

Gaspard is still very much in love with Leïla.

"Luz Diabla" ("Devil's Beacon")
Directors: Gervasio Canda, Paula Boffo, Patricio Plaza
Studio: OJO RARO
Country: Canada
Year: 2025

Martín, a flamboyant urban raver, is involved in a strange accident on the road on his way to a party in the middle of the Argentine Pampas.

BEST SHORT WITH LGBTQIA+ THEMES (Ex Aequo)

"Butterfly Kiss"
Director: Zohar Dvir
Studio: Fabian&Fred (Fabian Driehorst), The Hive Studio (Amit Gicelter)
Country: Germany
Year: 2024

Carol is afraid of changes. She panics and quarrels with her girlfriend Ray after an unexpected proposal. The situation worsens when she wakes up to an apocalyptic reality, and dreadfully discovers that Ray has transformed into a butterfly.

"Gigi"
Director: Cynthia Calvi
Studio: XBO films (Luc Camilli)
Country: France
Year: 2024

From the tormented little mermaid to the fulfilled woman she is today, Gigi tells us about her gender transition with humor and sensitivity.

BEST STUDENT SHORT (Ex Aequo)

"Le Fleurs de Malva"
Directors: Anna Lys, Rémy Berlemont, Alice Hamel, Chen-Yun Hu, Ludivine Lebourg, Estelle Martin, Agathe Ribout
School: Supinfocom Rubika (Supervisor: Patrick De Carvalho)
Country: France
Year: 2025

In a small village in the Ukrainian countryside, Nina, a grandmother deeply attached to her land, welcomes her granddaughter Yana for what appears to be a simple holiday.

"Out of Order"
Directors: Matthew Buttafuoco, Nina Mallery
School: Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
Country: United States
Year: 2025

A fast-paced exploration of the tomfoolery taking place in one of mankind's most humble establishments – a bar bathroom.

"Puddle"
Director: Samuel O'Dair Holovacs
School: School of Visual Arts (SVA)
Country: United States
Year: 2025

Mac wakes up on a hot day to find that his AC broken, and his hungry cat has undergone a strange transformation.

ITALIANMIX

"ADAM"
Directors: Diego Rossini, Kristian Zaccardelli
Country: Italy
Year: 2024

A 3D short film inspired by universal myths, where nature comes to life to explore ecological and social themes.

VIEW AWARD 2025 INTERNATIONAL JURY

• Hal Hickel – Animation Director, ILM
• Pascal Campion – Artist, Storyteller, Production Designer
• Nicholas Cabana – Creative Director and Co-Founder, Claynosaurz
• Alexandre Poncet – Director, Composer, Film Historian
• Kate Gabriel – Creative Director CG, No.8
• Brenda Ximena Roldan Romero – 3D Animator, DNEG
• Davide de Rosa – Screenwriter

Jury President: Dylan Sisson – Artist and Designer, Pixar Renderman

Jury Chair: Maria Elena Gutierrez – CEO VIEW Conference