The Portuguese director Marta Reis Andrade won, on Saturday night, the Cinanima Grand Prix with the short film based on real events “Alone Dog”thus guaranteeing access to pre-selection of the animated films that are candidates for the Oscars. The announcement was made during the event by Espinho Animation Cinema.
The work prevailed among the 30 competitors in competition, distinguishing itself for its “very distinct and original visual style”highlighted the organization.
At about 13 minutes,”Alone Dog”premiered this year, part of a true story: that of a dog left abandoned in his own house, at a time when the director’s grandfather was beginning to face widowhood. The narrative also intersects with another personal memory — Marta’s return to Portugal, after a period in London marked by a deep feeling of loneliness.
This year’s edition of Cinnamon counted on 110 films in competitionselected from more than two thousand applications from 148 countries. “Alone Dog”co-production between Portugal and France, fits into the main theme chosen by the festival: memory as a starting point to reinterpret the present. This is precisely what the film does, by intertwine the story of the abandoned dog with intimate moments from the director’s life.
The short film’s trajectory confirms its growing reception. Add it now 40 selections at festivals, 48 official exhibitions e 12 prizesinside and outside Portugal.
Marta Reis Andradeborn in 1991, studied at the Escola Superior de Teatro e Cinema and completed her degree at FAMUin Prague. His first films, “Come to Me”toured international festivals, and “The Village Game”, end-of-course work, was part of the pre-selected list of BAFTA Student Awards.
Before returning to Portugal in 2018, he worked in London for the BBC, Google and CNN. Today it integrates the BAP Animation Studioswhere he developed “Alone Dog”in partnership with Ikki Films and the producer by Olivier Catherin.