The animated film “Eve” by Morten Tšinakov and Lucija Mrzljak has won the Emile Award for best characters and backgrounds in the short animation category at the 2024 European Animation Awards ceremony.
The Emile Awards, presented on 23 September at the opening of the Animasyros International Animation Festival in Greece, were established in 2017 by the European Animation Awards Association to recognise the achievements of talented and independent filmmakers in animation. The awards celebrate not only directors but also other members of a film’s creative team, in both feature-length and short animations.
“Eve” – or “Eeva” in Estonian – is a visually refined, funeral-themed film that made its debut at the 73rd Berlinale in February 2023. It became the first Estonian film to compete in the short film category at one of the world’s largest and most prestigious film festivals.
Since its premiere, “Eve” has participated in nearly a hundred festivals, winning awards at around a quarter of them. These include prestigious festivals in Annecy and Zagreb – two of the most significant festivals of the International Animated Film Association, alongside Ottawa and Hiroshima – as well as the Nashville Film Festival.
In December 2023, “Eve” made it to the shortlist for the 96th Academy Awards in the short animation category, alongside Priit Tender’s “Dog-Apartment”.
Kerdi Oengo, a member of the European Animation Awards Association and a producer at Estonia’s Nukufilm studio, noted that in animation, the artistic design of the visual environment and characters is key to the film’s success. The Emile Award for best characters and backgrounds specifically honours these essential aspects.
Co-director Lucija Mrzljak, originally from Croatia but based in Tallinn, said that receiving the Emile Award was a great honour. “This recognition inspires us for future projects,” she stated.
“Eve” is the third collaboration between Morten Tšinakov and Lucija Mrzljak, following “A Demonstration of Brilliance in Four Acts” (2018) and “The Stork” (2020), all produced by the Estonian studio Eesti Joonisfilm.
The script for “Eve” was written by Tšinakov, with both Tšinakov and Mrzljak serving as directors and designers. The film was produced by Kalev Tamm and Draško Ivezić and was co-produced by Eesti Joonisfilm and the Croatian studio Adriatic Animation. The production was supported by the Estonian Film Institute, the Croatian Audiovisual Centre, and the Cultural Endowment of Estonia.
