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Nana korobi, Ya oki , a short animated film with original music and story by Glenna Burmer, just received the award for Outstanding Animated Film at the 10^th annual Short Circuit Pacific Rim Festival in Victoria, British Columbia. The film was judged against 10 other contenders in the “Brought to Life” category.

The Pacific Rim Film Festival runs through the month of May.  From May 1-7, the films could be seen in person at The Vic Theatre. Now through the end of May, 50 films in all eight screening categories can be viewed online.  Get tickets here.

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

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 the film female-led in the areas of production, musical score and on-screen animation, but it was inspired by Burmer’s mother who was a sumi-e artist, a genre that influenced the film’s dreamy animation style.

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.”  

Nana korobi, Ya oki , an animated short film with original music and story by Glenna Burmer, is part of the line-up at the 2022 Short Circuit Pacific Rim Film Festival in Victoria, British Columbia.

This year, the festival will be a hybrid model. Films can be seen in-person at The Vic Theatre from May 1-7. Starting May 8, 50 films in eight screening categories can be viewed online through May 31. Nana korobi, Ya oki will be screened with 10 other animated films in the “Brought to Life” category.

Get more information on the Victoria screening here.

Burmer’s animated short has won more than 50 film festival awards worldwide since it was completed in spring 2021, including top honors in several prominent Pacific Northwest festivals, such as the Seattle Film Festival and the Oregon Short Film Festival.

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. As a female-led film in three areas — production, musical score and on-screen — it’s a beautifully animated story inspired by Burmer’s mother who was a sumi-e artist.

Deep Sky has posted a series on Instagram with a behind-the-scenes look at the film that can be viewed 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. It illustrates having the courage and determination to overcome obstacles in order to do the right thing.  

The film’s title is from a Japanese proverb which says:  “Seven times you may fall, but get up the eighth.”  

Nana korobi, Ya oki , which won a Best Animation award in the Women Over 50 Film Festival recently, was added to the WOFFF Best of the Fest tour for 2022. WOFFF officials are still working out the details as to where and when, but organizers hope to tour virtually as well as in person next year.

The animated short — written, created and produced by Glenna Burmer with assistance from artistic director Gaby Breiter of Deep Sky Studios in Portland, Ore. — got rave reviews from WOFFF film judges Linda McCarthy and Jen Hall. Both women work in animation, McCarthy as a film creator and Hall as the founder and producer of the Manchester Animation Festival.

Sharing their comments with Burmer, the two judges commented on Nana korobi’s animation style, story arc and musical score:

“This film is accomplished and beautiful. The animation and drawing style is excellent and the story arc flowed nicely. The journey has a good combination of menace and resolve with a surprise at the end. The music was lovely and complemented the film.”

Women Over 50 Film Festival showcases the work of women over 50 on screen or behind the camera. This year’s festival was held September 25 – October 2, 2021, in Brighton, England. WOFFF was created in 2014 by Nuala O’Sullivan who wanted to offer a positive and practical response to a lack of visibility that often greets women entering the film world.

Nana korobi, Ya oki, or Seven Falls, tells the story of a young Japanese girl who overcomes seven trials to save an orphan during a snowstorm. The film’s title is from a Japanese proverb which says:  “Seven times you may fall, but get up the eighth.”

The original music, cited in the WOFFF judges’ comments, was composed by Glenna Burmer and recorded by Dynamedion in Germany.

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.