I Remember, I Feel, I See, I Am Seen

The Animation Incubator (Animest Association)

Judge's Comments:

It’s hard to put into words what exactly makes I Remember, I Feel, I See, I Am Seen, so

undeniably worthy of our top prize. The beauty of this film goes beyond ideas that can be easily articulated. It somehow portrays deep human emotions, feelings, and concepts that defy language, feelings that we intuitively know as human, but can’t easily describe. This combination of animated images, and sounds, that flow together in a dream like structure gets to the best of what film can do. The fact that it is made by young people gives inspiration, hope and is deeply impressive. We are proud to award it our top prize in the Experimental Category.

AL

Taymaz Ashrafi 

Judge's Comments:

In just one minute and forty-five seconds, AL delivers a powerful statement without uttering a single word. The film is a striking visual journey that not only highlights Taymaz Ashrafi’s strengths as a director and writer, but also reveals a remarkable level of maturity in its carefully constructed narrative. The viewer is pulled almost immediately into an ominous world where real

life consequences feel unavoidable. Subtle details throughout reward multiple viewings, as precise camera angles, visual effects, color grading, and a meticulously crafted audio track establish the tone from the very first frame and never allow the audience to look away. We’re

excited to see what Taymaz creates next—this is clearly a filmmaker with a promising future.

The Absolute Maximum

Hunter Douangsavanh

​Judge's Comments: Hunter Douangsavanh brilliantly blends multiple mediums to tell a heartfelt and engaging story about the challenges of pursuing one’s dreams. The film is full of unexpected moments that draw you in, keep you engaged, and leave you wanting more, as Hunter navigates emotions and experiences that feel universally familiar—regardless of the dream itself—while sharing his personal journey with humor and honesty. Playful, inventive visuals are anchored by a carefully paced script, while layered sound design functions almost as another character, mixed with remarkable precision. That Hunter is credited solo across every discipline speaks volumes about his range and talent, and makes it clear this is a voice we should be excited to see more from.

Kudzu

Reed Hodgkinson

Judge's Comments: 

In a masterful and surehanded way Kudzu raises more questions than it answers. With perhaps a strong influence from David Lynch, the films creates an unsettling and vaguely threating world. Is this world metaphoric? Is it the suffocation of writer’s block? Or perhaps the nagging idea of a past experience that has come back to claim us, one which we desperately want to forget? Filmmaker Reed Hodgkinson leaves these answers up to us, but uses rich imagery and

deceptively complex sound to lead us outside, and down his path. We admire his work and

proudly award him a third-place prize.