‘Little Amélie’ and ‘Gigi’ Win Top Feature and Short Prizes at Animation Is Film

The 8th annual Animation Is Film festival has concluded with the reveal of this year’s award winners, representing the storytelling and artistic strength of animated features and shorts from around the world. Festival director Matt Kaszanek noted that the 2025 event “experienced record-shattering numbers in terms of attendance.”

The Grand Jury Prize was awarded to French autobiographical adaptation Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, from first-time feature directors Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han. The jury commented, “Showing us the world from the perspective of a toddler, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain portrays the wonders and pains of being alive like poignant revelations. As it finds whimsy in the everyday through its dazzling style, the film also grapples with the complexity of two cultures clashing, connecting and simultaneously shaping the young protagonist’s nascent identity.”

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain will be released by GKIDS, which is a co-presenter of Animation Is Film, in U.S. theaters on November 7. The pic premiered at Cannes in the Special Screenings section. You can read more about the making of this poignant tale of childhood discovery in the December ’25 / Award Season Kick-Off issue of Animation Magazine, available soon.

Honoring the late industry publicist, the Fumi Kitahara Special Jury Prize went to Decorado, the latest feature film from Spanish auteur Alberto Vázquez (Birdboy: The Forgotten Children, Unicorn Wars). The jury described this existential crisis fantasy so: “Set in a dystopian reality where authoritarian forces control every aspect of the individual’s life, Decorado cleverly explores how we adapt and push back against accepted normalcy. Though it unflinchingly tackles timely and mature sociopolitical themes, it does so through satirical humor and fantastical characters — including the protagonist couple, Arnold and Maria — making it a wholly unexpected experience.”

Decorado, which is based on a previous short film by Vázquez, is also highlighted in Animation Magazine‘s Award Season Kick-Off issue. The film opens in Spanish theaters on October 24.

Comic-book artist Ugo Bienvenu’s debut animated feature Arco (France) received the Audience Award.  You guessed it: Arco is another fascinating feature story in Animation Magazine‘s Awards Season Kick-Off issue! NEON (Flee) will release the Cannes premiere pic in U.S. theaters on November 14.

In the short film competition, the Shorts Grand Jury Prize went to Cynthia Calvi’s Gigi, a digital 2D tale of gender transition which has qualified for Academy Awards consideration by winning the animated short prize at the New Orleans Film Festival. The jury described the heartfelt and humorous film as “a deeply intimate, conversational chronicle of the title character’s gender transition. Gigi’s strong visual metaphors ably enrich a story of inherent personal authenticity. It is a film that works on every level.”

The Special Jury Prize for short film went to the in-house Cartoon Saloon (Wolfwalkers, Song of the Sea) production Éiru, directed by Giovanna Ferrari and produced by Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner). “With visually stunning use of light and color, this rousing adventure set in ancient Ireland unfolds as a tale of mortal courage and divine reckoning, elevated by its breathtaking technical execution,” the jury remarked.

The lore behind Éiru is revealed in a short film spotlight story in the Animation Magazine Awards Season Kick-Off issue! U.S. audiences can catch the red-headed warrior screening with GKIDS’ presentation of Little Amélie or the Character of Rain in theaters next month.