Glenna Burmer’s newest animated short, Yokaitopia, received awards in March for Best Animated film in four film festivals around the globe.
In Europe, the film garnered first-place awards at the Florence (Italy) Film Awards, Paris Film Awards and Mannheim (Germany) Arts and Film Festival. Yokaitopia also took home the Best Animated Film Award from the New York Movie Awards film festival.
Jurors at the Paris, New York and Florence festivals select films monthly with a selection to be screened in theaters as well. In New York, screenings are at the Kraine Theater in the East Village, and in Florence, the screenings are held at Scuola di Cinema Immagina, a film school.
The Mannheim Arts and Film Festival, an independent cultural festival in Mannheim, known as the “city of inventions,” welcomes filmmakers and artists from Germany and abroad to present their work, share experiences and discover new perspectives.
Yokaitopia tells the story of a boy who crosses over into the supernatural world of Yokai — mysterious Japanese spirits ranging from benign to malevolent that inhabit all people, objects and places. In a secluded house at the edge of a forest, he finds broken toys trapped inside by the snow demon Yuki-Onna. He repairs them and then outwits the demon, breaking the spell and freeing the toys. This act of kindness will have unexpected lifelong ramifications.
The animated short is the third film produced by the multi-award-winning collaboration between Glenna Burmer and the animation studio Deep Sky. Unlike most films where the music is composed after filming ends, Burmer’s original music drives the plot. In her creative process, she envisions the storyline, composes the music to relay that narrative, and creates its distinctive characters, then brings it to the animation studio to visually translate the music’s style and atmosphere.
Deep Sky’s design and post-production team perfectly capture the supernatural world of Yokai. The creative team, led by art and animation director Gaby West and creative director Barret Thompson, blended visual effects, lush colors and innovative graphics to provide a visual experience unique in its scope and originality.