The Women’s International Film Television Showcase (TheWIFTS), and TheWIFTS Foundation International Visionary Awards has announced the Honorees of its Sixth Annual 2013 event celebrating the work of women from the global community in the fields of Film and Television, Business, The Arts and Humanities. Taking Indian Animation to up one level, Illustrator and Animator Shilpa Ranade, Director of The World of Goopi and Bagha, has won TheWIFTS Foundation 2013 Inaugural Animation Award for her feature length presentation of this classic and colorful Indian children’s story.
TheWIFTS Foundation International Visionary Awards 2013 Honors Women in Film and Television, Business, the Arts and Humanities. ‘Women as Individuals’ is the mission cornerstone of The Women’s International Film & Television Showcase and TheWIFTS Foundation International Visionary Awards. This 6th Annual Event Celebrates Women from twenty five women from five continents,New Zealand, South Africa, Mexico, India, Hong Kong, Germany, Great Britain, Canada and USA.
AnimationXpress.com asked Shilpa about how she feels after receiving an overwhelming response for the movie and she says, “I was always hoping for a good response to all the work we had put in to make the film in a manner that was personal and different, the awards are certainly a bonus and helps our work get noticed more widely.”
This award comes as the third for this 78 minute animated movie as it had already bagged Asifa India’s Award of Excellence and Jury Prize for Best Artwork at 18th International Children’s Film Festival India. The movie will also play at New York and Dubai Film Festivals.
The movie has also been nominated for the APSA award in Brisbane Australia alongside some of the world’s best animation films from the Asia Pacific, which takes place next week
“I was told by the WIFTS foundation that they enjoyed my film immensely and that they laud efforts of women who have been working in areas related to film and television over a period of time, to recognize their contribution and efforts and talent. The animation award I have been conferred is the inaugural one and as the first honoree I feel pleased and welcome the recognition while acknowledging the many wonderful people who have contributed to my work over the years and especially to my film.”
The film first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and was the Opening film at the 18th International Children’s Film Festival. Shilpa feels that Good animation is more about having the right temperament and the talent and aptitude to tell engaging stories in ways that challenge the norms of the real world and real time, taking image making, storytelling and movement to newer realms each time.
So what is Shilpa’s plan after receiving these accolades? “The appreciation is heartening and we are now more enthused to take the film to a wider audience, mainly children; it is a film for them so it is our responsibility to now disseminate as widely as possible. We are now exploring possibilities of releasing the film and using contemporary media platforms to carry the film to as many viewers as possible.”
“I will continue my efforts in making as much animation as possible, and it take it to as many people as possible. My work emphasizes an engagement with indigenous images and narratives and this has always been my primary aim, I want Indian animation to find its identity and mark its presence worldwide.” concludes, Shilpa
Here is the complete list of awards:
FILM AND TELEVISION AWARDS:
• Antonia Prebble (New Zealand) – The Barbara Tipple Best Actress Award – for Antonia’s performance in White Lies as Rebecca, a privileged European woman who seeks the help of Maori Medicine Woman Paraiti to hide a secret that can destroy her position in New Zealand settler society
• Dana Rotberg (New Zealand) – TheWIFTS Best Director Award – Director and screenwriter of White Lies, Dana is honored for demonstrating through her skill in directing the simple truth that choosing creation over destruction and tolerance instead of oppression is the only possible way to redemption. White Lies is New Zealand’s entry for consideration by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Foreign Language Film.
• Amma Asante (UK) – The Adrianne Fancey Best Film Award – An accomplished actress and screenwriter, Amma is honored for her work as director on her second feature length film Belle. The film, set in the 18th century, is based on the life of Dido Elizabeth Belle, daughter of a British Naval officer and an African Caribbean woman, whose life story inspired a landmark decision by Britain’s Supreme Court to put an end to slavery.
• Shilpa Ranade (India) – Inaugural Animation Award – The World of Goopi and Bagha – Illustrator and animator Shilpa Ranade is the recipient of the foundation’s inaugural Animation Award for her feature length presentation of the classic and colorful Indian children’s story The World of Goopi and Bagha.
• Analeine Cal y Mayor (Mexico) – Screenwriters Award – for her coming of age teen comedy The Boy Who Smells Like Fish. Ms. Cal y Mayor is also the film’s director.
• Flora Lau (Hong Kong) – Jury Award – Director Flora Lau is honored Bends, a deeply moving drama of loneliness and crossing boundaries. Ms. Lau is also the film’s screenwriter.
• Susan R. Rodgers – (USA) – Producer Award – for her extraordinary and immense body of work as a producer in numerous sectors of the film and television industry.
• Jordan Canning – (Canada) – Best Short Film Award – for her diverse body of work in the Short Film Genre.
DOCUMENTARY AWARDS:
TheWIFTS Foundation International Visionary Documentary Awards honor those filmmakers whose stories reflect social and political change, family values, an awareness to protect the environment and cultural shifts in today’s ever changing world.
• Alex Warren (USA) – Producer, writer and director Alex Warren is honored for Losing The West, a vivid portrait of the diminishing effects of overpopulation on the landscape and people of the American West.
• Sarah McCarthy (UK) is honored for The Dark Matter of Love, a deft examination of parent child bonding and the significant impact of conditioning on human emotional development.
• Kristy Guevara Flanagan (USA) is honored for Wonder Women: The Untold Story of American Super Heroines which traces the influence on society and the evolution of the comic book character created by William Moulton Marston.
• Producers Elkin Antoniou, writer/producer and Caroline McGraw, producer, (USA) are honored for Never A Neverland, an enlightening expose of the dramatic effects of the AIDS Virus on the dwindling population of Africa’s last remaining monarchy, the Kingdom of Swaziland.
• Documentary filmmaker Alanis Obamsawin (Canada) – Lifetime Achievement Award in Filmmaking – for her dedication to documenting the lives and concerns of First Nations people in Canada.
TECHNICAL AWARDS:
TheWIFTS Foundation International Visionary Awards Technical Awards are chosen on the basis of the continued excellence in a given field.
• Cristina Aragon (UK) – Inaugural Best Sound Award – London based Cristina Aragon is recognized with the inaugural Best Sound Award for her contributions in post production technology to the process of sound to picture and in engineering sound into a vision on the big and small screen.
• Birgit Gudjonsdottir (Germany) – Cinematographer Award – for her consummate understanding of how cinematography illustrates nuances of a story beyond spoken dialogue and as an educator in the field of contemporary cinematography.
• Diane Cilliers (South Africa) – Costume designer Diane Cilliers is honored for her mastery of the impact costume design imparts to a film’s character development as exhibited in her extensive filmography which includes Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom and District 9.
• Penka Kouvena (USA) – Los Angeles based composer Penka Kouvena is the recipient of this year’s Music Award for her compositions and orchestrations for feature films which includes Elysium and Enders Game. As a lead orchestrator and score producer, Penka has been instrumental in nurturing the careers of many rising talents. She is renowned in Hollywood for mentoring many young composers and creating career opportunities for talented musicians.
BUSINESS AWARDS:
TheWIFTS Foundation honors the work of women in the business field whose acumen and innovative practices bring about dynamic change in the corporate world of business.
• Annie Roney (USA) – Career Achievement Award – Founder and CEO of ro* co films and its four divisions, Annie Roney has been chosen for her success in distributing and financing documentary films in the worldwide marketplace and advancing audience appreciation of the documentary film genre.
• Hannah Brown (USA) – Lifetime Achievement Award for Business – for her lifelong business accomplishments and her contributions to community advocacy.
• Inga Ellzey (USA) – Elizabeth Grant Entrepreneur Award – in recognition of the excellence and success Inga has manifested in her business career and her equally successful foray into the dramatically different world of fiction writing with her debut novel The Exchange.
THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES AWARDS:
TheWIFTS Foundation acknowledges a talented and diverse group of individuals who have demonstrated outstanding commitment and creative skills in the arts and humanities.
• Jane F. Barry (USA) – Humanitarian Award – for her passionate activism in support of human rights, peace, security and gender related issues.
• Lisa Kristine (USA) – Visionary Award – Photographer Lisa Kristine, dedicated to raising awareness of social causes, has been chosen for her purpose-driven interactions with diverse cultures, her passionate sensitivity about the human condition, and her finely-tuned craft producing truthful, profound images of the beauty, suffering, compassion – and above all – the dignity of men, women and children around our world.
• Ta’Kaiya Blaney (Canada) – IT Award – From the Sliammon Nation of British Columbia, Ta’Kaiya’s passion from an early age has contributed to support Canada’s First Nation people through the media of tv, radio and the Internet and for championing respect for and judicious use of Mother Earth’s gifts, the betterment of the environment and the preservation of marine and coastal life.
• Quinn Simpson (UK) – Arts Advocate Award – for her dedicated work in Ghana, Israel, Mexico and Mongolia, with Akosia the not for profit organization which involves artistic professionals – filmmakers, musicians, writers, artists – and teachers in its projects to build an environment in which the children and women are guided through a creative process while being encouraged to respond to their own initiatives and ideas.
An exclusive Honoree Luncheon Event to celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of the 2013 honorees will be held in West Hollywood, Los Angeles on December 6, 2013.
TheWIFTS Foundation produces TheWIFTS Foundation International Visionary Awards, The Women’s International Film & Television Showcase (TheWIFTS), The Women’s International Feature Documentary Showcase (TheWIFDS) and The Women’s International Short Film Showcase (TheWIFSS). It is the mission of TheWIFTS Showcase to recognize & promote innovative women filmmakers and keep the ideals of equality flowing by fostering the promotion of women in all sectors of society through the Art form of Film, the visual communicator of the 21st century.
Sponsors for this year’s event include Elizabeth Grant, Inc.(Canada), sponsor of the Elizabeth Grant Entrepreneur Award; Barbara Tipple(UK), sponsor of The Barbara Tipple Best Actress Award; Adrianne Fancey,(1933 -2013) sponsor of the Adrianne Fancey Best Film Award; Patrick Moulin (Bourges, France); M.Mitcallef (Grasse, France); Sylvie Nissan Galleries, (Cannes, France); Jennifer Miller Studios (USA); Paradigm Shift Worldwide (USA); Theatre for Humans (USA); The Business of Film (UK); LeParc Suites Hotel West Hollywood; TheWIFTS Foundation is honored that TheWIFTS awards are produced and sponsored by Pillivuyt, the oldest and most highly regarded House of porcelain in France. TheWIFTS Awards, unique in the award world by virtue of the fact that they are crafted in porcelain, were designed by Patrick Moulin from a concept by Elspeth Tavares.