Re-united with director Hope Dickson Leach (The Levelling) to score this film adaptation of the Scottish National Theatre’s original play, along with music from Hudson Mohawke.
Hutch Demouilpied’s elegant, classical score immerses us even deeper into the atmosphere of the 1930s, accompanying Hobbs’ creative experiments and amplifying their expressive allure. While the dinner party the film depicts might have “failed,” The Debutante itself definitely satisfies our appetite for creative animation.
“The Debutante” directed by Elizabeth Hobbes (UK) — Winner
Ellen Jury Statement: “With a masterful, fluid use of ink, paint, collage and witty narration, this bold and humorous animated story unspools an act of rebellion, brilliantly challenging a class-based tradition. From a 1930s story by surrealist artist Lenora Carrington, a spirited woman persuades a hyena from the London Zoo to take her place at a party in her honor. The results are fun and startling.”
ANIMATION
“The Debutante” directed by Elizabeth Hobbs (UK) — Winner
Jury Statement: “This short embodies the highly charged political commentary and witty satire of its source material in its frenetic form, managing to be both uncomfortable and funny as it is incisive.”
“In a unique and unapologetic blast of mixed media animation, this bold, bizarre fairy tale is at once hilarious and casually brutal. It affects deeply with a gestural approach to image and sound, and the layered artistry begs for multiple viewings.”