Award for VUC student

Margrethe Danielsen made an exclusive list when she got special mentions by the jury at the Animafest Zagreb.

Danielsen’s film «Pearl Driver» is part of her studies in Master in Media Practices at Volda University College (VUC). Hers was one of four student films recieving a special mention by the jury in Zagreb. 

The jury wrote: Pearl Diver is a subtle, bittersweet portrait of separation and miscommunication with a great sense of timing, Airhead! perfectly mixes mathematics and daydreaming, while Survival HK displays a great sense of space and balance between the inside and the outside world, between a boring English test and a fascinating Typhoon – wrote the jury. 

The Animafest in Zagreb is on of «the big four» animation festivals in the world, together with Annecy, Ottawa and Hiroshima. 

- Hard to get accepted - amazing achievement

This is the second time a student at VUC recieves an award in Zagreb. The experimental animated movie Professor (by Jan Otto Ertesvåg, 1995) was the first exam film from Volda to recieve an international award. 

– Animafest has screened several films from VUC, but it’s tough to even get accepted. There are so many talented students and animation schools all over the world trying to get their films shown in Zagreb. A special mention here is in other words an amazing achievement, says Gunnar Strøm, well known animation professor at VUC, now retired. 

Margrethe Danielsen also did her Bachelor studies in Animation at Volda University College. 

- This is a reminder for the world’s animation community on the quality on the animation studies here at Volda University College, says Strøm. 

Not the first award

Margrethe Danielsen should get used to recieving awards, it seems: She recently won the award for best student film during Animation Volda.

The Norwegian film magazine Z wrote the following about «Pearl Driver» after seeing it at the short film festival at Grimstad: 
«Nice, surprisingly melancholy pastel colored animated film – without dialogue – reminding of Tove Janssons universe with it’s minimalistic expression and melancholy tones. The stop-motion-animation is intricate and worked through, with a seemless mixture of textures and effects./…/A film providing a reflected experience for both adults and kids».