TEHRAN – Iranian short movie “Our Uniform” has won the Jean-Luc Xiberras Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market.

The prestigious French event gives the award to a directorial debut.

Directed by Yeganeh Moqaddam, “Our Uniform” is about an Iranian girl who unfolds her school memories through the wrinkled fabric of her old uniform. She admits that she’s nothing but a “female” and explores the roots of this idea in her school years.

The festival announced the winners on Saturday while “Linda Veut du Poulet!” (“Linda wants chicken!”), a French-Italian co-production by Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach, was named best feature film.

In this film, Paulette feels guilty after unjustly punishing her daughter Linda and would do anything to make it up to her. She would even make chicken with peppers, even though she doesn't know how to cook. But where will she find a chicken on the day the whole country is on strike?

The film also won the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution.

The jury award was given to “Gan Foundation Award for Distribution” by Hungarian director Áron Gauder.

The animation is about Native American teenagers who confront an oil pipeline project, which is just down the hill from their ancestral land. The grandfather evokes the ancient tale of their Creation, reminding all of us that we need to find our place in the great circle of creatures.

The Japanese animation “The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes” by Tomohisa Taguchi was given the Paul Grimault Award.

“Sirocco and the Kingdom of Air Streams”, a co-production between Belgium and France, won the audience award.

Directed by Benoit Chieux, the film tells the story of two sisters, 4-year-old Juliette and 8-year-old Carmen, who discover a passage between their world and a book’s, “The Kingdom of Air Streams”. To come back they need to find Sirocco, a terrifying character who can control the wind.

The Contrechamp Grand Prix was awarded to “Robot Dreams” by Pablo Berger, while “Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light” by Filip Posivac won the Contrechamp Jury Award.

In the short film competition, “Drijf” by Belgian director Levi Stoops received the jury award, while “Eeva” by Morten Tsinakov and Lucija Mrzljak won the Alexeïeff – Parker Award.

The Off-Limits Award was given to “Is Heaven Blue? #2” by Menno de Nooijer and Paul de Nooijer.

Dozens of films were also awarded in the side sections of the festival.

Photo: “Our Uniform” by Yeganeh Moqaddam.

MMS/YAW