Malayalam animated short Kandittund! wins at Fantasia International Film Festival

The 12-minute Malayalam animated short film Kandittund! (Seen It!) has won the Satoshi Kon award for Excellence in Animation at the Fantasia International Film Festival (FIFF) awards 2021.

The jury citation for the film said, 'This film instantly stuck to me in terms of its graphic style. Lovely visuals and brilliant portrayal of haunting experiences with the use of humour.'

The jury was presided over by Hefang Wei (animator, Weilaï Productions co-founder, Kazak Productions art director) and comprised Ashkan Rahgozar (author, director, founder and CEO of Hoorakhsh Studios) and Kalp Sanghvi (director, writer, co-founder of Ghost Animation Collective).

Directed by Adithi Krishnadas and produced by Nilima Eriyat, the short film features PNK Panicker and his encounters with the supernatural. Panicker is the father of Eeksaurus Studio founder Suresh Eriyat. The hand-drawn animated short is in monochrome and presents Panicker's account of his terribly real and horribly frightening ghost sightings!

Academy Award-winner Resul Pookutty has done the sound design for the short film along with Vijaykumar.

The Fantasia festival was held in a hybrid format from 5–25 August this year in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. In-person screenings were held at Montreal’s historic Cinéma Impérial and the Cinéma du Musée.