Torino, Italy – During the build-up to the 97th Academy Awards,
VIEW Conference is thrilled to announce a free virtual panel featuring this year’s contenders for the Best Animated Short Film Oscar.
Registration for this special online event provides audiences a unique opportunity to hear the directors of all five nominated films discussing their movies. A virtual Q&A allows all those attending the event to put their questions to the panel.
Moderated by Dan Sarto, editor-in-chief of Animation World Network, this live one-hour session brings together a unique group of talented filmmakers for an entertaining and insightful discussion. The panel takes place Thursday, February 27, 2025, at 9:00am PST / 5:00pm UK / 18:00 CET.
“Oscar Contenders for Best Animated Short Film” – Register for the FREE Online Panel:
Featuring the directors of all five films nominated for Best Animated Short Film:
- • “Beautiful Men” – Nicolas Keppens
- • “Wander to Wonder” – Nina Gantz
- • “Yuck!” – Loïc Espuche
- • “In The Shadow of the Cypress” – Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi
-
• “Magic Candies” – Daisuke Nishio
Watch the Oscar-nominated Animated Short films on The Animation Showcase Platform*:
*Instructions below
“Awards season is such an exciting time of year!” says Conference Director Dr. Maria Elena Gutierrez. “I am delighted that VIEW Conference is hosting this exclusive panel of nominees for this year’s Best Animated Short Film Oscar. It is an absolute privilege to welcome the talented directors of these five extraordinary films on to our virtual stage.”
The 97th Academy Awards takes place at Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, Sunday, March 2, 2025, honoring movies released in 2024.
About the Directors
Nicolas Keppens
Nicolas Keppens studied film and animation at KASK Ghent and perfected his skills at the film academy of Luca School of Arts Brussels. His credits include the short films 'Superstars' (2012), 'Wildebeest' (2017) and 'Easter Eggs' (2020), an animated short film about finding extraordinary things in ordinary places.
Nina Gantz
Nina Gantz is a Dutch London-based animation director. After graduating at the St. Joost Art School in Breda, Gantz began a Masters in directing animation at the National Film and Television School where she completed her first stop-motion film EDMOND in 2015. EDMOND has received 38 awards including the BIFA for best short film, the Best Short Animation award at Sundance and a BAFTA for best animated short. Gantz has been working freelance on a variety of projects and she is signed to London production company BlinkInk. WANDER TO WONDER will be her next independent stop motion animation.
Loïc Espuche
Loïc Espuche is a French animation film director born in Villeurbanne in 1989. After graduating in visual communication at La Martinière in Lyon, he trained in animation and filmmaking at EMCA and Ecole de La Poudrière. During his studies, he made funny yet sensitive films that were well received at festivals: I’ll come back in a few days (2013) was selected at Clermont-Ferrand, Annecy and the Sommets du cinéma d'animation in Montreal, among others. In 2015, he won Canal J's Prix des Espoirs de l'animation with Les Chocottes. His graduation film, Tombés du nid (Fallen from the Nest), was pre-purchased by ARTE and, in addition to its numerous selections, received the Audience Award at Premiers plans d'Angers, the Best Student Film Award at Meknès and the SACD Award at the Festival national du film d'animation de Bruz. In 2016, Loïc took part in season 3 of En sortant de l'école devoted to Guillaume Apollinaire and adapted the poem "Mutation". He has also held various positions (director, animation supervisor, storyboarder) on series, feature films and shorts.
Shirin Sohani
After completing an M.A. in animation directing (Tehran University of Art) Shirin Sohani started her professional career in 2012 and has worked as a Concept artist, Background artist, Script writer & Production manager. In the Shadow of the Cypress is her first professional film. Her graduation animated film, The Fan (2014) won both national & international awards.
Hossein Molayemi
After completing an M.A. in animation directing (Tehran University of Art) Hossein Molayemi started his professional career in 2004. His work includes Directing, character design, storyboard artist, animator and university lecturer. In the Shadow of the Cypress is his 2ndprofessional film. His 1stfilm, Run Rostam Run (2017) was selected at Annecy, Warsaw and several other Oscar qualifying film festivals and won national & international awards. He is a board member of Asifa Iran & Animation Filmmakers Guild of Iran.
Daisuke Nishio
Born in Hiroshima, Japan in 1959, Daisuke Nishio joined Toei Animation in 1981 and debuted with the TV series DR. SLUMP -ARALE-. His representative works as a series director include DRAGON BALL Z, GE-GE-GE NO KITARO 4, and YOUNG KINDAICHI'S CASE BOOK. In 2004, he launched PRETTY CURE, a long-running series that has continued for over 20 years. He is highly regarded for his remarkable talent in capturing dynamic actions grounded in martial arts. He has also showcased his versatile talent by directing a variety of genres such as AIRMASTER, INTERSTELLA 5555, and Halo Legends – Odd One Out.
How to watch the Oscar-Nominated Animated Short films on The Animation Showcase Platform:
2.Login with your email; your pre-defined Password received by email (if work proof approved)
3.Once you've activated your account, you will be able to access the platform on your TV via “The Animation Showcase” Apps on Apple TV, Roku, Fire Stick or directly via the Web
Save the Date – VIEW Conference 2025
VIEW Conference is pleased to announce 12-17 October, 2025, as the official dates for this year’s VIEW Conference. Tickets are now available. Visit the official website to register:
https://www.viewconference.it
About VIEW Conference
An English language event, VIEW Conference 2025 takes place from October 12-17, 2025, in the beautiful baroque city of Turin, Italy. Enjoy this unrivaled opportunity to network with award-winning film directors, animators, artists and game designers as they deliver an incredible program of keynotes, panels, talks, workshops and masterclasses. Explore cutting-edge thinking in a wide range of creative and technology-based fields as a stellar line-up of stars from Hollywood and Silicon Valley. Celebrate the latest achievements in Animation, VFX and Games and share unforgettable visions of the future.
The conference’s vibrant and inclusive atmosphere is designed to enlighten and inspire, with an extensive live program of talks, presentations, workshops and masterclasses embracing cutting-edge thinking on such diverse topics as Storytelling, Virtual Production, Computer Graphics, Interactive & Immersive Media, VR/AR/Mixed Reality and the Metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, Real-Time Rendering and much, much more.