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Glenna Burmer won first place (Golden Award) as Best Music Composer from the Tokyo Film Awards for the original music she composed for the short animated film, Nana korobi, Ya oki.  The film also won a third place (Bronze Award) for Best Animation.

Nana korobi, Ya oki, or Seven Falls, tells the inspirational story of a young girl who undergoes seven challenges to save a dear friend from the cold. Created by music producer and filmmaker Glenna Burmer, the film was produced and animated by a team from Deep Sky, led by art director Gaby Breiter. The film’s title is from a Japanese proverb:  “Seven times you may fall, but get up the eighth.”  

Most films are animated first and then musically scored, but Nana korobi is primarily a musical story. Burmer envisioned the movie as she was writing the score; the animation was created about a year later.

Burmer explained the process further: “Nana korobi was composed primarily as a woodwind piece with orchestral accompaniment,” she said. “It’s divided into sections, each telling a story of the seven challenges faced by the protagonist. For example, flute arpeggios depict snow falling; the character of the bear is represented by the low sonority of a bassoon. Various combinations of instruments illustrate other struggles faced by the protagonist – an ice storm, wolves, crows and so forth.

“As the obstacles she encounters increase in intensity, the composition becomes more dissonant. Not to give away too much of the plot, but at the end of the piece, when the girl rescues herself and her friend, the sun comes out and the music reflects a more pastoral scene.”

Tokyo Film Awards is a unique film competition organized by professionals working in the film and television industries. The competition focuses on short films, which festival organizers see as the best way to promote new and upcoming talent. It’s considered one of the top short-film competitions in the world.

Since it was completed in spring 2021, Burmer’s animated film has won more than 50 festival awards. Among top honors were awards won at several prominent Pacific Northwest festivals, such as the Seattle Film Festival and the Oregon Short Film Festival, as well as recognition from festivals worldwide from India to Istanbul, Spain to Singapore.

What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas!

That’s the case with Glenna Burmer’s short animated film, Nana korobi, Ya oki, which became one of the most talked-about films at the Vegas Movie Awards in January.

Calling the film “a beautiful project,” Vegas Movie Award organizers recognized Nana korobi with an Award of Excellence for Best Animation. This is the top award in that creative category.

Burmer also won two Awards of Merit — Best Experimental Film and Best Visual Effects. The film was one of five semi-finalists selected as the “Best of the Month” from Vegas Movie Awards for January 2023.

Nana korobi, Ya oki, or Seven Falls, tells the inspirational story of a young girl who undergoes seven challenges to save a dear friend from the cold. The film’s title is from a Japanese proverb which says:  “Seven times you may fall, but get up the eighth.”  

The film was created by music producer and filmmaker Glenna Burmer and produced and animated by Deep Sky, led by art director Gaby Breiter. The original music featuring woodwinds and strings was composed by Glenna Burmer. Not only is it a female-led film in the areas of production, musical score and on-screen animation, it was also inspired by Burmer’s mother who was a sumi-e artist.

Burmer’s animated film has won more than 50 festival awards worldwide since it was completed in spring 2021. Among top honors were awards won at several prominent Pacific Northwest festivals, such as the Seattle Film Festival and the Oregon Short Film Festival, as well as recognition from festivals worldwide from India to Istanbul, Spain to Singapore.

Nana korobi, Ya oki , a short animated film with original music and story by Glenna Burmer, was nominated for a 2022 Motion Award in the Open Format/Short Film category. Only five films were short-listed for this category.

Motion Awards are sponsored by Motionographer, a key resource for the art, design and animation community since 2006. For the awards, organizers enlist some 200 judges from across six continents representing the best talent in design, animation and visual storytelling. Film entries are judged for craftsmanship, clarity of messaging, and originality.

View Nana korobi, Ya oki and the other four nominees in the Open Format/Short Film category for the 2022 Motion Awards.

Since its release in spring 2021, Nana korobi, Ya oki has won more than 50 awards worldwide. Some of the top honors include several prominent Pacific Northwest festivals, such as the Seattle Film Festival and the Oregon Short Film Festival.  In the last six months, the film has won awards for Best Animation at the New York Movie Awards, Spain’s CLIMAX Film Festival, and the 2022 Tokyo Sensei FilmFest.

Nana korobi, Ya oki was created by music producer and filmmaker Glenna Burmer and produced and animated by Deep Sky, led by art director Gaby Breiter. The original music featuring woodwinds and strings was composed by Glenna Burmer. Not only is it a female-led film in the areas of production, musical score and on-screen animation, it was also inspired by Burmer’s mother who was a sumi-e artist.

The film tells the inspirational story of a young girl who undergoes seven challenges to save a dear friend from the cold. The title is from a Japanese proverb that says:  “Seven times you may fall, but get up the eighth.”  

Nana korobi, Ya oki , a short animated film with original music and story by Glenna Burmer, won the Best Animated Film award at the 2022 Tokyo Sensei FIlmfest this month.

Judges at the Sensei Filmfest were enthralled with the film: “The beauty with which these directors paint each scene is typical of the great impressionist painters Renoir, Monet and Manet. [The film] is a picturesque story that moves and intrigues you in equal parts. You will never forget it.”

Nana korobi, Ya oki was also nominated in three other categories: Best Original Animation Style, Best Created Environment, and Best Action, Sci-Fi or Fantasy Film. The film was judged against 1,499 submissions from countries around the world, including Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.  

The Tokyo Sensei Filmfest not only recognizes independent film directors and content creators for their high-caliber work but also creates a festival experience that is empowering, making independent filmmakers feel like superheroes. All winning films, including Nana korobi, Ya oki, will be available to screen online at the Sensei Filmfest for a limited time.

Screen the film here.

Nana korobi, Ya oki, or Seven Falls, tells the inspirational story of a young girl who undergoes seven challenges to save a dear friend from the cold. The film’s title is from a Japanese proverb which says:  “Seven times you may fall, but get up the eighth.”  

Created by music producer and filmmaker Glenna Burmer, the film was produced and animated by Deep Sky, led by art director Gaby Breiter. The original music featuring woodwinds and strings was composed by Glenna Burmer. Not only is it a female-led film in the areas of production, musical score and on-screen animation, but it was also inspired by Burmer’s mother who was a sumi-e artist. This makes the Sensei FIlmfest’s comparison to an impressionist work of art particularly apt.

Burmer’s animated film has won more than 50 festival awards worldwide since it was completed in spring 2021. Among top honors were awards won at several prominent Pacific Northwest festivals, such as the Seattle Film Festival and the Oregon Short Film Festival, as well as recognition from festivals worldwide from India to Istanbul, Singapore to Spain.

“Tributum for Celtic Bagpipes and Orchestra,” originally created for the Celebrate World Music Concert produced by Burmer Music and The Composition Lab, recently won a silver medal at the 2022 Global Music Awards. The composition was created by local composer Nan Avant and first appeared in a CD concert compilation recorded at Studio X in Seattle. In 2021, it was recorded on the Navona Records label for full orchestra with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in Glasgow, Scotland.

The Global Music Awards, established in 2011, is an international competition celebrating independent musicians. The music is evaluated on its merits, not on record sales or fan base.  Judging is a multi-layered process that includes listener impact, technical quality, uniqueness and styling.

The Celebrate World Music concert, which presented world-premiere works that highlighted instruments and rhythms from around the globe, was a sell-out event at Benaroya Hall when it premiered in spring 2013. On the stage that day were eight composers (including Avant), 11 solo artists, more than a dozen traditional instruments from around the world, one Grammy-winning conductor, and a top symphonic orchestra.

To prepare for the concert, each composer was invited to create an original work for an instrument associated with a particular country or culture. The instruments were selected based on their seminal role in the music and dance of that region. 

Avant chose Scotland and Ireland because “I love the music of these countries and the dramatic tone of the drones,” she said. “I was familiar with the Great Highland Bagpipes of Scotland because my husband had been taking bagpipe lessons for several years.  Then I heard recordings of the Uilleann Pipe from Ireland, which I was not as familiar with. But the music of Ireland, the lyrical folk tunes and heartfelt storytelling really resonated with me.  As I began the composing process, I researched these instruments and learned from experts in the field.”

In addition to the Global Music Awards, the Celebrate World Music concert CD was named a winner in the Contemporary Classical category of the 13th Independent Music Awards Vox Pop poll, the fan-determined portion of the prestigious international award program for independent artists. A second IMA Vox Pop award that same year went to Avant for the “Tributum” composition.

“Composing ‘Tributum for Celtic Bagpipes and Orchestra’ was an inspiring, satisfying and rewarding time,” said Avant. “With a great deal of research and study into these unfamiliar instruments, excellent guidance from skilled pipers, the music flowed freely and the melodies are poignant. ‘Tributum’ is exactly how it was meant to be.”