Burmer selected for Seattle Filmmaker Award; Nana korobi wins Best Animated Short (Drama) at Seattle Film Festival

Glenna Burmer was selected for the Seattle Filmmaker Award by the Seattle Film Festival, an honor given to “the best local filmmaker for special contributions to film making.” She shares the award with artistic director Gaby Breiter of Deep Sky Studios in Portland, Ore. The animated short, Nana korobi, Ya oki, also won top honors at the same festival in the category of Best Animated Short Film (Drama).

This film tells the story of a young Japanese girl who overcomes seven trials to save an orphan during a snowstorm. Its title is taken from a Japanese proverb that says: “Seven times you may fall, but get up the eighth.”

View the 2-minute preview of Nana korobi, Ya oki on Vimeo.

The Seattle Film Festival, founded in 2013 as an alternative to the Seattle International Film Festival, focuses on short films and documentaries, and is a popular festival for showcasing independent filmmakers. This year’s festival was held July 2 and 3.

Nana korobi, Ya oki, or Seven Falls, was created and produced by Glenna Burmer with assistance from Breiter and Deep Sky Studios. The original music was composed by Glenna Burmer and recorded by Dynamedion in Germany.

The film has been winning awards this spring and summer, including best animation, best female composer and outstanding achievement awards. It will be released to the public this fall.

Glenna Burmer is a composer and artist who produces live concerts, music and dance programs that feature original music, choreography and video. As president of Burmer Music LLC for the past decade, she has produced six contemporary classical music CDs or music compilations, including three concerts at Benaroya Hall in Seattle and a ballet at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, Wash. Nana korobi, Ya oki is her first animated film.