Stoptrik is an international festival dedicated to stop motion animation that was born in Maribor’s squatter alternative culture centre in 2011. Since 2012, the festival includes two-stage professional stop-motion animation workshops and an international competition for animated shorts.
The student jury award in the stop-motion animation category went to Julia Orlik’s I’m Here. The protagonist of this extremely moving film is an elderly man who’s looking after his paralysed wife. Despite his old age and own health issues, he tries his best to alleviate her suffering, which is getting more severe every day. He is aided by his daughter, who tries to reconcile the care given to her mother with her own work at the hospital and her personal life. Each of them has different views on how the woman should be looked after, which leads to many arguments.
In turn, Daria Kopiec’s Your Own Bullshit received a special award from Vassilis Kroustallis (Zippy Frames, Greece / Estonia). The director takes a look at family dinners. However, they resemble a looped scenario that keeps repeating itself endlessly forcing you to swallow the words of your loved ones in between every bite. At times they’re bitter. At times so repetitive that it makes you want to throw up. Recited with unwavering tenacity for many long years.
The list of all awarded films can be found here.