Letter to a Pig (Hebrew: מכתב לחזיר) is a 2022 Israeli-French animated short film written and directed by Tal Kantor.[4] The 17-minute animated film about generational trauma has been awarded in various international film festivals, including the Jerusalem Film Festival,[5] the Ottawa International Animation Festival,[6] the Annecy International Animation Film Festival[7] and the Chicago International Children's Film Festival.[8] The film was nominated for the 2024 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.[9]
| Letter to a Pig | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Hebrew | מכתב לחזיר |
| Directed by | Tal Kantor |
| Written by | Tal Kantor |
| Produced by |
|
| Edited by | Efrat Berger |
| Music by | Pierre Oberkampf |
Production companies | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 17 minutes |
| Countries |
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| Language | Hebrew |
Plot
editOn 'Memorial Day', a Holocaust survivor reads a letter he wrote to the pig who saved his life to a classroom full of teenagers.[10][11]
Whilst listening to his testimony, a young schoolgirl sinks into a twisted dream where she confronts questions of collective trauma, memory and identity.[12][13]
Release
editThe 17-minute short about collective memory and identity[14] premiered as part of the 2022 San Francisco International Film Festival[15] and won the Award for Best Short Film at the 2022 Israeli Film Academy Awards.[16] The film was shortlisted at the 2023 César Awards[17] and has been featured in a number of international film festivals, receiving accolades such as the Grand Prize for Best Narrative Short Animation at the Ottawa International Animation Festival[6] and the Zlatko Grgic Award at the 2022 Zagreb World Festival of Animated Films.[18]
Accolades
editSince its release, the film has been selected in various festivals around the world:
| Year | Festivals | Award/Category | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Zagreb World Festival of Animated Films | Zlatko Grgic Award[18] | Won |
| Grand Prize: Short Films Competition | Nominated | ||
| San Francisco International Film Festival | Golden Gate Award for Best Animated Short[19] | Nominated | |
| Ottawa International Animation Festival | Grand Prize for Best Narrative Short[6] | Won | |
| Chicago International Children's Film Festival | Liv Ullman Peace Prize (Short Film)[8] | Won | |
| Jerusalem Film Festival | The Jerusalem Development Authority Award for Best Animation Film[5] | Won | |
| Award for Israeli Cinema | Nominated | ||
| Israeli Film Academy Awards | Best Short Film[16] | Won | |
| Annecy International Animated Film Festival | Cristal for Best Short[7] | Nominated | |
| GLAS Animation | Grand Prix[20] | Nominated | |
| 2023 | Regard: Saguenay International Short Film Festival | Grand Prix: International Competition[21] | Nominated |
| Kustendorf International Film and Music Festival | The Golden Egg Festival Prize[22] | Won | |
| Anima - Brussels Animation Film Festival | Grand Prize for Best international Short Film[23] | Won | |
| Animation Is Film Festival | Best Short Film[24] | Won | |
| Aesthetica Short Film Festival | Best Animation[25] | Won |
References
edit- ^ "Short Film LETTER TO A PIG". The Hive Studio official website. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- ^ "Letter to a Pig". Miyu Productions official website (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- ^ "SFFILM Announces Full Lineup for 2022 San Francisco International Film Festival". San Francisco International Film Festival official website. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
- ^ Lang, Jamie (2022-06-01). "'Letter to a Pig' Trailer Drops Ahead Of Annecy Competition Screening". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ a b "JFF 2022 Winners". Jerusalem Film Festival. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ a b c "OIAF 2022 Awards | Ottawa International Animation Festival". Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ a b "Annecy > About > Archives > 2022 > Official Selection". www.annecyfestival.com. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ a b "CICFF39 Awards | FACETS". 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ 2024|Oscars.org
- ^ Duncan, Keltie (2022-08-23). "9 Animated Shorts That Are Oscar Hopefuls For 2023". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Verhoeven, Beatrice (2023-12-04). "15 Animated Shorts Vying for an Oscar". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
- ^ "Letter to a pig". Miyu Production. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "I Wanted to Walk Out of Kantor's 'Letter to a Pig': But This is Not What You Think". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Bobrowska, Olga (2023-04-05). "'Letter to a Pig' by Tal Kantor Film Review: Or How Do We Remember, Suppress, and Narrate Holocaust 80 Years Later". Zippy Frames. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "Shorts 4". SFFILM. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ a b Steinberg, Jessica. "Animator's award-winning debut mixes mediums for a Holocaust film about a savior pig". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "La Sélection Officielle Court Métrage d'Animation César 2023". Académie des César (in French). Retrieved 2023-09-13.
- ^ a b "animafest.hr". www.animafest.hr. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "SFFILM Announces Full Lineup for 2022 San Francisco International Film Festival". SFFILM. 2022-03-30. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "Letter to a Pig". GLAS 2022. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "Letter to a Pig". festivalregard.com. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ Economou, Vassilis (2023-01-30). "Letter to a Pig wins at the 16th Kustendorf Film and Music Festival". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "ANIMA 2023 - Awards". Anima Festival – 23 February - 03 March 2024. 2023-02-26. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
- ^ "Behind the Line Work of Animation is Film 2023's Grand Prize Winners". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "Award Winners - Aesthetica Short Film Festival". 2022-04-28. Retrieved 2023-11-15.