11.11.2017 In Portugal, at CINANIMA, one of the world’s oldest animated film festivals, the animated film Man and Woman: A Votian Story, based on a Votic story, completed in cooperation between the studio Eesti Joonisfilm, design agency Velvet and the Estonian National Museum, won the Alves Costa award for best film in the category of short films up to 5 minutes in length.
Mait Laas: ‘I am happy to share hope, that even though there may only be one human soul in the world who carries on a unique culture, it may and can touch people in the wider world and offer them something that they need.’
Mait Laas’ Man and Woman: A Votian Story was completed in 2016 for the animated film series, based on nine Finno-Ugric folktales, which is part of the Finno-Ugric permanent exhibition Echo of the Urals at the Estonian National Museum. Mythological works in the Veps, Udmurd, Sami, Komi, Ersa, Vadja, Mari, Handi and Mansi languages, the authors of which are various producers, are associated with the world view of the Finno-Ugric peoples, which are both enigmatic as well as familiar.
The grand prize at the CINANIMA festival was presented to Negulici Sergiu’s film The Blissful Accidental Death.
Man and Woman: A Votian Story can be seen from 21–26 November at the PÖFF Shorts screening of ‘New Estonian Animation’, where Olga and Priit Pärna’s Blind Hunter: A Handi Story and Ülo Pikkov’s Old Man and Woman: An Ersa Story, part of the Eesti Joonisfilm series produced for the Estonian National Museum, will also be shown.
The producer of the animated film Man and Woman: A Votian Story is Mait Laas, the animator is Lucija Mrzljak, the narrator is Nikita Djatškov, the sound designer is Horret Kuus, the operator is Ravio Möllits and the producer is Kalev Tamm.
Additional information about the CINANIMA festival:
http://cinanima.pt/en/