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The Cartoon d'Or is the pan-European award for animation short films. It rewards every year the best one since only prize-winning films from Cartoon's partner festivals can compete. Amongst this short list, a jury selects 5 films that will be screened during the Cartoon Forum (in order to promote 5 filmmakers each year) and one film will receive the Cartoon d'Or
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Created in 1991, the Cartoon d'Or is still remaining the only completely European animation prize. This competition aims to "promote the talents of European animation."
Why create such an award?
The Cartoon d'Or was created in order to nourish the European animation industry by work from creative filmmakers. European television series lacked of creativity to compete with programming on offer from the United States and Japan.
Moreover, although major financial support was being given to develop European animation, no special place was made for it at major European festivals and awards (Cannes Film Festival, Berlin, Venice, the European Felix etc.).
The award ceremony
The award ceremony takes place during the Cartoon Forum which gathers all the players in the economic structure of European animation (700 professionals including 250 potential investors, 350 producers, 60 journalists and 40 public funding bodies). Consequently, the Cartoon Forum can act as a pipeline between short film makers and the industry. Indeed, the finalists are often approached by producers to work on series or feature films. Some finalists and prize-winners have themselves gone on to make series or feature films.
Prominent winners
In 1991, the first Cartoon d'Or went to British director Nick Park, still unknown at the time, for his film Creature Comforts. Since then, he has created Wallace & Gromit and Chicken Run. Sylvain Chomet received the Cartoon d'Or in 1997 for his short The Old Lady and the Pigeons. A few years later, he enjoyed success through The Triplets of Belleville, nominated for two Academy Awards. He has now released his second feature, The Illusionist. Jacques-Rémy Girerd walked away with the award in 1998 for Charlie's Christmas. The French director founded an animation studio, Folimage, and released two feature films: Raining Cats and Frogs and Mia & the Migoo. Mark Baker, who created TV series such as The Big Knights and Peppa Pig, Michaël Dudok de Wit for his much acclaimed Father & Daughter and Joanna Quinn for Dreams and desires – Family Ties.