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
Hebrewמכתב לחזיר
Directed byTal Kantor
Written byTal Kantor
Produced by
Edited byEfrat Berger
Music byPierre Oberkampf
Production
companies
  • The Hive Studio (Israel)[1]
  • Miyu Productions (France)[2]
Release dates
[3]
Running time
17 minutes
Countries
  • Israel
  • France
LanguageHebrew

Plot

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On '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

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The 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

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Since 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

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  1. ^ "Short Film LETTER TO A PIG". The Hive Studio official website. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  2. ^ "Letter to a Pig". Miyu Productions official website (in French). Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  3. ^ "SFFILM Announces Full Lineup for 2022 San Francisco International Film Festival". San Francisco International Film Festival official website. Retrieved 2024-02-20.
  4. ^ Lang, Jamie (2022-06-01). "'Letter to a Pig' Trailer Drops Ahead Of Annecy Competition Screening". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  5. ^ a b "JFF 2022 Winners". Jerusalem Film Festival. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  6. ^ a b c "OIAF 2022 Awards | Ottawa International Animation Festival". Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  7. ^ a b "Annecy > About > Archives > 2022 > Official Selection". www.annecyfestival.com. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  8. ^ a b "CICFF39 Awards | FACETS". 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  9. ^ 2024|Oscars.org
  10. ^ Duncan, Keltie (2022-08-23). "9 Animated Shorts That Are Oscar Hopefuls For 2023". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  11. ^ Verhoeven, Beatrice (2023-12-04). "15 Animated Shorts Vying for an Oscar". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  12. ^ "Letter to a pig". Miyu Production. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  13. ^ "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.
  14. ^ 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.
  15. ^ "Shorts 4". SFFILM. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  16. ^ 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.
  17. ^ "La Sélection Officielle Court Métrage d'Animation César 2023". Académie des César (in French). Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  18. ^ a b "animafest.hr". www.animafest.hr. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  19. ^ "SFFILM Announces Full Lineup for 2022 San Francisco International Film Festival". SFFILM. 2022-03-30. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  20. ^ "Letter to a Pig". GLAS 2022. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  21. ^ "Letter to a Pig". festivalregard.com. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  22. ^ Economou, Vassilis (2023-01-30). "Letter to a Pig wins at the 16th Kustendorf Film and Music Festival". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  23. ^ "ANIMA 2023 - Awards". Anima Festival – 23 February - 03 March 2024. 2023-02-26. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  24. ^ "Behind the Line Work of Animation is Film 2023's Grand Prize Winners". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  25. ^ "Award Winners - Aesthetica Short Film Festival". 2022-04-28. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
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