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Last week, the 2024 ESMA jury was held in Montpellier, France. About 260 students and 1,200 attendees participated in the graduation ceremony—ESMA thinks big!
3DVF was part of the jury, and here is an overview of the event, the trends emerging from the 32 films presented, our thoughts, and the awards!
Table of contents
How does the jury decide which are the best short films?
Watching 32 short films obviously requires specific organization. The jury takes place over three days: a first day of viewing, a second with another screening alongside the students and their families, and finally, a job dating day.
We arrived on Wednesday to discover the 2024 projects with the other jury members. Represented were French and international studios such as Illumination, Fortiche, Supamonks, MPC, Ubisoft, Rodeo FX, nWave, TAT, Ellipse, Framestore, Menhir FX, IntheBox, Locksmith, Atlantis Animation, DNEG, and more. Depending on the studio, representatives included ESMA alumni, hiring specialists, or even executives.
In addition to the studios, other experts like Pierre Hénon, a CG history specialist, and Progiss, a partner of 3DVF that assists ESMA with its software and computer systems (they are also the French resellers for Pixar’s RenderMan, used at ESMA), were present. The jury was chaired by Mark Flanagan from Animal Logic (owned by Netflix).
The variety of jury members—ranging from generalists to specialists from studios of different sizes—ensured that the students were judged by a diverse panel.
But now, it’s time for the screening at the school… Let the films begin!
The first screening offered the chance to form initial impressions of the shorts’ strengths and weaknesses. Jury members took notes on the films, though opinions were still provisional at this stage.
Discussions among the jury began, exchanging thoughts on technical qualities, narrative elements, and any concerns or doubts. These exchanges continued into the evening and the following morning.
Thursday noon marked the start of the big ceremony. In several movie theaters, the jury, school staff, students, and their families gathered to watch the films on the big screen throughout the afternoon. During the event, the school thanked the students’ families and celebrated the 20th graduating class from ESMA!
For the jury, this was a chance to rewatch the films, refine their opinions, and make decisions. Once compiled, the scores helped create a ranking. But the process wasn’t over. Before the graduation evening, the jury gathered for deliberations—should additional awards be given? Had some films been unfairly overlooked? After passionate debates, the final podium was decided.
The Awards!
Finally, the awards were announced in front of an electric audience. Here are the winning films:
Audience Award: Le Mélès by Léonore Bialet, Samy Achard, Nèfyse Delavier, Leo Cubero, Agathe Casoliva, Medhi Simonnet, Clémence Honorez, Célia Tempestini.
The dark legend of a creature lurking in the woods…
Jury’s Favorite – Story: Tricot de corps by Pierre-Marie Bavay, Laurie Beldent, Joan Haubois, Maëlle Le Bris, Camille Lequeux, Malo Lescop, Clara Navoizat, Emma Rateau.
An emotional film about the pain of losing a loved one, with a dual-rendering style of black and white stylized visuals combined with more realistic color elements.
Jury’s Favorite – Technical Skills: Dawn by Marie Pradeilles, Lucas Jonckheere, Apolline Royer, Noah Mercier, Matthieu Dejoux, Maxime Forestier, Lorys Stora, Yu Fang Chang.
A turtle is born on a beach, but predators lurk…
3rd Prize (tied): Cartagène and Sleeping With Fishes.
Cartagène is a short film directed by Léa Berbach, Fabien Bernard, Lou Buisson, Paola Couturier, Marine La Villa, Theo Nouare, Marie Pacreau, Abla Saigh.
Inspired by the grandfather of one of the team members, the film follows a boy and his camera in the countryside of southern France.
Sleeping With Fishes is a short film directed by Nicolas Knoll, Lucas Wallez, Manon Seve, Camille Colonna D’Istria, Giulia Gigante, Justine Gault, Noa Lavino, Marion Robe.
A dark film inspired in part by Peter Pan…
2nd Prize: Reven by Hugo Babey, Victor Barreau, Line Bossard, Chloé Hurard, Coralie Monnier, Mathilde Morin, Léna Ripoche, Tanguy Salaun.
In a school where everyone stands perfectly straight—well, almost everyone…
1st Prize: Trash by Gregory Bouzid, Maxime Crançon, Robin Delaporte, Matteo Durand, Romain Fleischer, Alexis Le Ral, Margaux Lutz, Fanny Vecchie.
In the depths of a city, two animals try to find food, surrounded by the unfiltered reality of human life.
Visual diversity, from stylized to realistic
It’s impossible to highlight all 32 films here, but the diversity of the projects was remarkable. We strongly suggest you take a look at the full list of teasers on Youtube.
From photorealism, Pixar-inspired renders, styles influenced by studios like Fortiche, or even the recent Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem by Mikros Animation, to 2D-inspired approaches, the films covered a wide spectrum of visual styles. Genres ranged from comedies and fairy tales to dramas and horror, with some experimental approaches, like Allégeance, which omitted backgrounds to focus solely on character animation.
Tribute to José Vicente
A word on sound, a crucial component of any film. Whether it’s recording voices and music, adjusting the mix, or scoring, sound can heighten the atmosphere and enhance the emotion.
Since 2005, ESMA has relied on the Studio des Aviateurs, founded by José Vicente, to handle this work. Unfortunately, José Vicente passed away this summer, and the school paid tribute to him. Several actors, including Philippe Peythieu and Véronique Augereau (the French voices of Marge and Homer Simpson), honored his work.
The emotion was palpable, and several student teams mentioned his name during the awards ceremony.
What’s next?
Last Friday, the 2024 graduates met with studios and will now continue their job searches. As we discussed earlier this summer, the industry is far from booming, but there are signs of recovery at the end of 2024 or early 2025.
Meanwhile, the films will be making their rounds in festivals before being posted online in about a year.
We will continue to monitor these developments and will share the short films when the time comes. In the meantime, feel free to follow us on social media: Facebook, X/Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
For the now ex-students, if you don’t know us yet, we invite you to discover our latest news and interviews on animation, VFX, VR/XR, video games, and much more: Pixar contest, French companies at SIGGRAPH, behind the scenes of the upcoming series Secret Level, our video interview with Fortiche, a meeting with VFX supervisor Guillaume Rocheron, and updates on union activities in the animation industry (in French only).
For those seeking a job, feel free to check the job listings regularly highlighted on the 3DVF homepage, as well as our map and list of studios—you might just find the perfect company for your profile.
