Bestia
Directed byHugo Covarrubias
Screenplay byHugo Covarrubias
Martín Erazo
CinematographyHugo Covarrubias
Music byÁngela Acuña
Camilo Salinas
Production
companies
Maleza Studio
Trébol 3
Release date
June 14, 2021 (Annecy)
Running time
15 minutes
CountryChile
LanguageSpanish

Bestia (Spanish: Bestia) is a 2021 Chilean stop-motion animated short film directed by Hugo Covarrubias and co-written with Martín Erazo. The film won Best Animated Short Subject at the 49th Annie Awards. It also made the shortlist for Best Animated Short Film at the 94th Academy Awards, later achieving the nomination, becoming the second Chilean animated short film to be nominated for an Oscar after Bear Story in 2016, which won the award.[1]

Synopsis

The main character is inspired by Íngrid Olderöck, a police major and DINA agent during the Chilean military dictatorship, responsible for human rights violations in that period.[2] According to Covarrubias, the objective of the film is not a biography of Olderöck but:[3]

A visit to her secret life, her relationship with her dog, her fears and frustrations, which are ultimately the x-ray of a country that is fractured, a country that it is full of wounds that are not even close to healing yet.

— Covarrubias on the film's topic, Solomonos

Release

The film screened at the 2021 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where it competed in the Short Films section and won the Festival Connexion Award.

Production

Bestia is the third animated short film directed by Hugo Covarrubias, after El almohadón de pluma (2007) and La noche boca arriba (2012).[4] The idea arose with the intention of addressing part of the history of Chile "with lesser-known characters, less official and darker".[5] Although the original objective was to produce an animated series, Covarrubias decided to focus on one of those stories to make a unitary short film.[6]

The technique used was stop motion animation, which was done by Covarrubias and Matías Delgado. The design of the protagonist was based on the aesthetics of porcelain dolls, to convey the inexpressiveness and coldness of the character.[3] The character was created with polyurethane resin bathed in crystal resin, to give her face a texture similar to ceramic. Meanwhile, the sets and decorations were made with different opaque cardboards to create a contrast with the brightness of the resin.[7]

The short film was produced by Tevo Díaz, through the company Trébol 3, while Cecilia Toro worked as a costume designer and art producer. Its financing came from the "Audiovisual Development Fund" of the Ministry of Cultures, Arts, and Heritage of Chile.[8]

Accolades

Year Ceremony Award/Category Status[9][10]
2018 ANIMA LATINA: Festival de Cine de Animación Latinoamericano Best Latin American Short Film Won
2021 ANIMA - Córdoba International Animation Festival Best Latin American Short Film - Best Animation Won
Best Animated Short Film - Gran Jury Prize Won
ANIMARIO - International Contemporary Animation Festival of Madrid Best Shortfilm Won
Annecy International Animated Film Festival Festivals Connexion Award Won
Annecy Crystal (Best Short Film) Nominated
ANTOFACINE International Film Festival Best International Shortfilm Won
Best Shortfilm Young Jury Won
BITBANG Fest First Jury Mention Won
Berlin Interfilm Festival Best Animation - International Competition Won
Confrontations Online Award- 2nd Prize Won
Bucheon International Animation Film Festival Best International Short Film Won
Chilemonos International Animation Film Festival Best Latin American Short Film Won
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival Best Animation - International Competition Won
Grand Prix - International Competition Nominated
Fam de Todos Best Short Film Won
Viña del Mar International Film Festival Best Short Film Won
Guadalajara International Film Festival Best Animated Short Film Won
Imaginaria Film Festival Best Animated Short Film Won
Ottawa International Animation Festival Independent Short Animation Nominated
StopTrik International Film Festival Audience Grand Prix Won
Best Shortfilm LODZ edition. Won
Special Mention Yiorgos Tsangaris Won
Students Special Mention Won
Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival Best Animation Short Won
Vila do Conde International Short Film Festival Great Prize Cidade Vila do Conde Nominated
2022 Annie Awards Best Animated Short Subject Won
Academy Awards Best Animated Short Film Nominated
Quirino Awards[11] Best Animated Short Film Won
Best Visual Development (Hugo Covarrubias, Constanza Wette, Pablo Castillo, Cecilia Toro) Won
Best Animation Design (Hugo Covarrubias, Matias Delgado) Nominated
Best Sound Design and Original Music (Roberto Espinoza, Roberto Zúñiga, Ángela Acuña, Camilo Salinas) Nominated

See also

References

  1. ^ Dove, Steve. "Oscars 2022 Shortlists In 10 Award Categories Announced". ABC. Retrieved 23 December 2021.
  2. ^ "Cortometraje chileno "Bestia" es preseleccionado en los premios Oscar 2022". CNN Chile (in Spanish). December 22, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Herrera, Francisca (July 29, 2021). "Bestia: un cortometraje que va más allá de la historia que todos conocemos". solomonos.com (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-01-02. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  4. ^ Chilemonos, Festival (February 13, 2022). "Bestia - Estreno nacional". chilemonos.cl (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-01-02.
  5. ^ Becerra, Abril (July 27, 2022). "Hugo Covarrubias, director del cortometraje Bestia: "Los festivales de cine todavía tienen que interesarse más por la animación"". radio.uchile.cl (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-07-28. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  6. ^ ""Bestia" Revisitando la historia a través del Stop-Motion". www.chileananimation.cl (in Spanish). February 13, 2022. Archived from the original on 2021-06-18.
  7. ^ Bogolasky, Galia (November 17, 2021). "ANTOFACINE Entrevista a director de "Bestia", Hugo Covarrubias: "Siempre he pensado que todos tenemos alguna historia para contar"". culturizarte.cl (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-11-17. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  8. ^ El Mostrador (December 27, 2021). ""Bestia", el premiado corto chileno, se instala en la carrera de los Oscar". El Mostrador (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-12-27. Retrieved February 13, 2022.
  9. ^ 2022|Oscars.org
  10. ^ BESTIA - Shortfilm (February 13, 2022). "Bestia- Awards". Bestia-shortfilm.com. Archived from the original on 2021-09-15.
  11. ^ Jiménez, Jesús (May 15, 2022). "'Bestia', el corto sobre las torturas de Pinochet que ha ganado los premios Quirino". RTVE (in Spanish). Retrieved August 6, 2023.

External links

Annie Award for Best Animated Short Subject
Categories