Fantoche is an animation film festival with international participation and takes place each year in the city of Baden, Switzerland.
The first Fantoche took place in 1995 with the goal to enrich the Swiss cultural life with an animation film festival of international reach. Today, Fantoche has become indeed an inter branch meeting point for visual media. All kinds of different animation films, most of them Short films but some feature-length movies as well, are shown in four different cinemas.
The festival sets various priorities like the Swiss film industry, children's film, history, Asia, the US, etc. The competition programme aims to challenge the artistic border of animation film and to push it forward.
Award winner
In 2005 an amount of 23'000 Swiss francs has been awarded in the following categories:
- High Risk – Winner Craig Welch (CA) for Welcome to Kentucky
- Hot Talent – Winner Takashi Kimura (JP) for Striking Daughter
- Best Visual – Winner JJ Villard (US) for Son of Satan
- Best Sound – Winner Dmitrij Geller (RU) for Little Night Symphony
- Best Idea/Best Script – Winner Arash Riahi (AT) for Mississippi
- Audience Award – Winner Laura Neuvonen (FI) for The last Knit and Ivan Maksimov (RU) for The Wind Along the Coast
- Minimotion – Winner Jean-Claude Campell (CH) for Metamorpho
In 2007, the prestigious jury prize was awarded to two Russian movies, which, in accordance to the jury, "particularly point out the innovative character of Russian animation films. The 10'000 francs worth main award was awarded to "Foolish Girl" by the Russian artist Zoija Kirejewa for "the celebration of a strange female character, an unconventional screenplay and its captured universality through brief moments of beautiful drawings, emotions and gestures".
In 2009, Fantoche introduced a Swiss competition with an award ("Best Swiss") and an Audience Award. One year later, the national award "High Swiss Risk" was awarded as well. Furthermore, were there two new awards for children's films after 2009; one jury award (which consisted of a five-headed children's jury) and a children's Audience Award.
Award winners since 2009 by category
International Competition: Best Film:
Year | Film title | Award Winner | Nationality and year |
2009 | Lucía | Cristóbal León, Joaquín Cociña, Niles Atallah | CL 2007 |
2010 | In A Pig's Eye | Atsushi Wada | JP 2010 |
2011 | The External World | David OReilly | DE 2010 |
2012 | Oh Willy... | Emma De Swaef, Marc James Roels | BE/FR/NL 2012 |
2013 | Gloria Victoria | Theodore Ushev | CA 2013 |
2014 | The Bigger Picture | Daisy Jacobs | GB 2014 |
2015 | World of Tomorrow | Don Hertzfeldt | US 2015 |
2016 | Before Love | Igor Kovalyov | RU 2015 |
2017 | The Burden | Niki Lindroth von Bahr | SE 2017 |
Audience Award:
Year | Film title | Award Winner | Nationality and year |
2009 | Muto | Blu | IT 2008 |
2010 | Sinna Mann | Anita Killi | NO 2009 |
2011 | Bon voyage | Fabio Friedli | CH 2011 |
2012 | Chinti | Natalia Mirzoyan | RU 2012 |
2013 | Pandy | Matúš Vizár | SQ/CZ 2013 |
2014 | My Own Personal Mose | Leonid Shmelkov | RU 2013 |
2015 | Changeover | Mehdi Alibeygi | IR 2014 |
2016 | Mr Madila | Rory Waudby-Tolley | GB 2015 |
2017 | Negative Space | Max Porter, Ru Kuwahata | FR 2017 |
High Risk:
Year | Film title | Award Winner | Nationality and year |
2009 | Please Say Something
Ezurbeltzak, una fosa común |
David OReilly
Izibene Oñederra |
DE 2009
ES 2007 |
2010 | Love & Theft | Andreas Hykade | DE 2010 |
2011 | Two | Steven Subotnick | US 2011 |
2012 | Kuhina | Joni Männisto | FI 2011 |
2013 | Futon | Yoriko Mizushiri | JP 2012 |
2014 | Through the Hawthorn | Anna Brenner, Pia Borg, Gemma Burditt | GB 2014 |
2015 | Endgame | Phil Mulloy | GB 2015 |
2016 | Monkey | Jie Shen | CN 2015 |
2017 | Vilaine fille | Ayce Kartal | FR 2017 |
New Talent:
Year | Film title | Award Winner | Nationality and year |
2009 | Noteboek | Evelien Lohbeck | NL 2008 |
2010 | Kuchao | Masaki Okuda | JP 2010 |
2011 | Chroniques de la poisse | Osman Cerfon | FR 2010 |
2012 | Belly | Julia Pott | GB 2011 |
2013 | Ziegenort | Tomasz Popakul | PL 2013 |
2014 | The Wound | Anna Budanova | RU 2013 |
2015 | The Pride of Strathmoor | Einar Baldvin | US 2014 |
2016 | Forever | Zhong Su | CN 2016 |
2017 | Ugly | Nikita Diakur | DE 2017 |
Best Story (awarded till 2013):
Year | Film title | Award Winner | Nationality and year |
2009 | Chainsaw | Dennis Tupicoff | AU 2007 |
2010 | Divers in the Rain | Olga Pärn, Priit Pärn | EE 2010 |
2011 | Tord och Tord | Niki Lindroth von Bahr | SE 2010 |
2012 | The Great Rabbit | Atsushi Wada | FR/JP 2012 |
2013 | Pandy | Matúš Vizár | SQ/CZ 2013 |
Best Visual:
Year | Film title | Award Winner | Nationality and year |
2009 | Madame Tutli-Putli | Chris Lavis, Maciek Szczerbowski | CA 2007 |
2010 | Get Real! | Evert de Beijer | NL 2010 |
2011 | Amar | Isabel Herguera | ES 2010 |
2012 | What happens when children don't eat soup | Pawel Prewencki | PL 2011 |
2013 | Bath | Tomeck Ducki | PL/GB 2013 |
2014 | Wonder | Mirai Mizue | JP/FR 2014 |
2015 | Erlkönig | Georges Schwizgebel | CH 2015 |
2016 | Among the Black Waves | Anna Budanova | RU 2016 |
Best Sound:
Year | Film title | Award Winner | Nationality and year |
2009 | Drux Flux | Theodore Ushev | CA 2008 |
2010 | Divers in the Rain | Olga Pärn, Priit Pärn | EE 2010 |
2011 | Amar | Isabel Herguera | ES 2010 |
2012 | 663114 | Isamu Horabayashi | JP 2012 |
2013 | Sock Skewer Street 8 | Elli Vuorinen | FI 2013 |
2014 | Snow Hut | Yoriko Mizushiri | JP 2013 |
2015 | Rhizome | Boris Labbé | FR 2015 |
2016 | Any Road | Boris Labbé, Daniele Ghisi | FR 2016 |
2017 | Impossible Figures and Other Stories II | Marta Pajek | PL 2016 |
National Competition:
Best Swiss:
Year | Film title | Award Winner | Nationality and year |
2009 | Flowerpots
Retouches |
Rafael Sommerhalder | GB/CH 2008
CH/CA 2008 |
2010 | Miramare | Michaela Müller | HR/CH 2009 |
2011 | Bon voyage | Fabio Friedli | CH 2011 |
2012 | La Nuit de l'Ours | Samuel und Fred Guillaume | CH 2012 |
2013 | Plug & Play | Michael Frei | CH 2013 |
2014 | Oh Wal | Joana Locher | CH 2014 |
2015 | Erlkönig | Georges Schwizgebel | CH 2015 |
2016 | Das Leben ist hart | Simon Schnellmann | DE/CH 2015 |
2017 | Airport | Michaela Müller | CH/HR 2017 |
Audience Award:
Year | Film title | Award Winner | Nationality and year |
2009 | Signalis | Adrian Flückiger | CH 2008 |
2010 | Heimatland | Andrea Schneider, Loretta Arnold, Marius Portmann, Fabio Friedli | CH 2010 |
2011 | Borderline | Dustin Rees | CH 2011 |
2012 | La Nuit de l'Ours | Samuel und Fred Guillaume | CH 2012 |
2013 | The Kiosk | Anete Melece | CH 2013 |
2014 | Aubade | Mauro Carraro | CH 2012 |
2015 | D'ombres et d'ailes | Elice Meng, Eleonora Marinoni | CH/FR 2015 |
2016 | Analysis Paralysis | Anete Melece | CH 2016 |
2017 | In a Nutshell | Fabio Friedli | CH 2017 |
High Swiss Risk:
Year | Film title | Award Winner | Nationality and year |
2010 | Cronache marxiane | Laura Solari | CH 2009 |
2011 | Logged In | Stephanie Cuérel, Joshua Schaub | CH 2010 |
2012 | Zmitzt drin | Cecile Brun | CH 2011 |
2013 | Washed Ashore | Jonas Ott | NL 2012 |
2014 | Cyclopèdes | Mathieu Epiney | CH 2014 |
2015 | Ivan's Need | Veronica L. Montaño, Manuela Leuenberger, Lukas Suter | CH 2015 |
2016 | Analysis Paralysis | Anete Melece | CH 2016 |
2017 | Living Like Heta | Bianca Caderas, Isabella Luu, Kerstin Zemp | CH 2017 |
Award „Best Kids“:
Best Kids:
Year | Film title | Award Winner | Nationality and year |
2009 | The Incredible Story of My Great Grandmother Olive | Alberto Rodriguez | GB 2009 |
2010 | Der präzise Peter | Martin Schmidt | DE 2010 |
2011 | Fluffy Mc Cloud | Conor Finnegan | IE 2010 |
2012 | Zing | Kyra Buschor, Cynthia Collings | DE 2012 |
2013 | Hedgehogs and the City | Evalds Lacis | LV 2013 |
2014 | Pik Pik Pik | Dmitry Vysotskiy | RU 2014 |
2015 | Lila | Carlos Lascano | AR/ES 2014 |
2016 | L'arbre | Lucie Sunkova | FR/CZ 2015 |
2017 | Ethnophobia | Joan Zhonga | AL/GR 2016 |
Children's Audience Award:
Year | Film title | Award Winner | Nationality and year |
2009 | The Incredible Story of My Great Grandmother Olive | Alberto Rodriguez | GB 2009 |
2010 | Der präzise Peter | Martin Schmidt | DE 2010 |
2011 | Fluffy Mc Cloud | Conor Finnegan | IE 2010 |
2012 | Zing | Kyra Buschor, Cynthia Collings | DE 2012 |
2013 | Hedgehogs and the City | Evalds Lacis | LV 2013 |
2014 | Le vélo de l’éléphant | Olesya Shchukina | FR/BE, 2014 |
2015 | Johnny Express | Kyungmin Woo | KR 2014 |
2016 | Taking the Plunge | Elizabeth Ku-Herrero, Nicolas Manfredi, Marie Raoult, Thaddaeus Andreades | US 2015 |
2017 | Ethnophobia | Joan Zhonga | AL/GR 2016 |
Other categories:
Badener Prize of honour:
Year | Film title | Award Winner | Nationality and year |
2015 | Tik Tak | Ülo Pikkov | EE 2015 |
2016 | Blind Vaysha | Theodore Ushev | CA 2016 |
A selection of the films can be watched in different Swiss cities under the name Fantoche on Tour.