Asif 2010 – Israeli Animation

If you google “ASIFA Israel” you come up with a name: Tsvika Oren. Animation expert Tsvika Oren, initiator and co-founder of the Israeli chapter of ASIFA (Association Internationale du Film d’Animation) was honored at the Asif 2010 ceremony held on Friday, August 20, as part of the Animix festival at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque. 

The Artistic Director for Asif 2010 is Gilat Pereg and the event was produced by Nony Tal. Animix 2010 Artistic Director is Nissim Hezkiyahu, Curator of Animation is Dudu Shalita, and produced by Galit Berksy. Asif means harvest in Hebrew and this event, held annually since 2000, is a celebration of the diverse harvest of Israeli animation.

The event was moderated by animator Guy Harlap who expressed the thanks of many who became acquainted with animation from abroad due to Oren’s efforts to seek out these films and screen them in Israel. Oren has also devoted time and energy to the preservation and documentation of Israeli animation. Oren recalled the discussions that preceded the first Asif event, coordinated with animator Sharon Gazit of Pilanimation and Yael Milo who had just returned to Israel after working as a producer at Pixar Animation Studios. At the time, Oren said, they were not sure that they would find enough Israeli animated films to show. A year later, when the first screening was held, it was three hours long and the cinematheque hall was full to overflowing with animation enthusiasts!

Avi Ofer was awarded the Gross Prize for Excellence in Animation. Ofer is an independent animator who has created a new film almost every year. A selection of Ofer’s imaginative work, rendered in simple line drawings imbued with quirky humor can be enjoyed on his website. The Rabinovich Foundation for the Arts awarded a development grant to Aya Amikam for “Fress” (Yiddish: to eat), a film that will focus on the relationship of women to food and body image based on interviews and, says Amikam, “notebooks of doodles.”

The love of animators for their work was also expressed in the creation of a prize for Movement and Acting in Animation by illustrator and animator Yossi Abulafia (honoree of Animix 2010). The prize was awarded to Idan Vardi, for his film “Seret Gmar” (graduation film), which describes a difficult mother-child relationship in simple black lines, and the muted colors of an imaginary cityscape.

Asif Prizes were awarded in the following categories:

The Asif Prize for Best Commissioned Film was awarded to Snowball Studios for Round 6, a computer game trailer. Moti Zigman won the prize for Best Animation for Children for his film “Gan Sagur” (based on the children’s song by Jonathan Geffen from the album The 16th Lamb, describing the strange feeling of seeing a pre-school after hours, when it’s closed). The prize for Best Student Film, in memory of Tal Yakobson, was awarded to Ofra Kobliner and Eli Ben David from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, for “BeDeah Zlulah” (translated as “In A Clear Mind”, but alluding to swimming as the Hebrew word “Zalul” meaning “clear” sounds like the verb “to dive” – “lizlol”). The fine line drawings flow in and out of black and white photographic fragments, expressing a woman’s interior reflective journey in relation to the city sounds and images surrounding her.

The prize for Best Independent Animation Film was awarded to Nadav Tal for “Have a Nice Day” a look at a solitary man’s search for quiet, in simple black and white line drawings. Honorable mentions were awarded to two films: Guy Harlap’s colorful and dynamic “Black Swan” a visual interpretation of Thom York’s song by the same name, and Michal and Ori Kranot’s “White Tape” an animated reflection on the occupation. 

Asif 2010 is a celebration of animation, creativity and the desire to create. The unique spirit of the event and its participants is perhaps best revealed in Tsvika Oren’s statement that “everyone in Israel who makes an animated film deserves to see it at least once on a large screen.” Amen.

AYELET DEKEL