Negative Space – A film by Ru Kuwahata & Max Porter
Negative Space is an Oscar-nominated short film animation that depicts a father-and-son relationship through the art of packing a suitcase. This film is based on the 150-word poem by Ron Koertge.
Crédits
Director / Writer: Max Porter & Ru Kuwahata
Production: Nidia Santiago & Edwina Liard
Co-production: Jean-Louis Padis
Original poem: Ron Koertge
Set Decoration: Ru Kuwahata, Marion Lacourt, Victoria Tanto, Max Porter
Puppets: Ru Kuwahata, Satoru Yoshida, Tomas Gebcyznski, Max Porter
Animation lead: Sylvain Derosne
Additional animation: Eric Montchaud, Ru Kuwahata
Cinematography lead: Nadine Buss
Additional cinematography: Simon Gesrel, Max Porter
Production / Post-production management: Nidia Santiago & Edwina Liard
Production Assistants: Philippe Baranzini, Walid Païenda, Fred Borja, Lucile Pellerin, Maxime Lebalanc, Juluien Renrad, Willy Fair
Post-Production: Max Porter, Sami Guellai, Pierre Morin, Ru Kuwahata
Editing: Max Porter
Music & Sound Design:Bram Meindersma **posée et enregistrée avec le soutien de la SACEM en association avec Ciclic
Voice:Albert Birney
Voice Recording: Keviln Hill, CAS
Color Grade:Thibaut Pétillon
Sound Mix: Matthieu Langlet
—Studio Providers—
Voice recording facility: Studio Unknown
Decoration: Ciclic Animation
Puppets: Moving Puppets
Animation: Ikki Inc., Manuel Cam Studio, Tiny Inventions
Post production: Ciclic Animation, Ikki Inc.
Color correction: Royal Post
Sound mix: Eclair
Typography: YouWorkForThem
Insurance: Gras Savoye
Bank: CIC
Accountant: Lebrun Audiovisual
Distribution: Miyu Distribution
Publicist: Fumi Kitahara
—Funding—
Avec la participation du Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée – Contribution Financière
Avec la participation d’Arte France – Unité de Programmes Cinéma
Avec le soutien de la Mairie de Paris en partenariat avec le CNC
Avec le soutien du CNC (Nouvelles Technologies en Production)
Avec le soutien de la Procirep et de l’Angoa
Puffin Foundation Ltd.
Marcella Brenner Grants for Faculty Research Development from Maryland Institute College of Art
La Maison des scénaristes
Negative Space has been supported in production by Ciclic-Région Centre Val de Loire, in association with the CNC. It has benefited of the support for original music creation by the SACEM in association with Ciclic. It has been hosted in Vendôme (France) from June 2nd to September 2nd, 2016, and from December 1st to January 31st, 2017. Ciclic is a public institution for cultural cooperation created by the Centre-Val de Loire Region and the French State. www.ciclic.fr.
Date release : 2017
Country : France
Duration : 6 minutes
Awards
Grand Prix
Grand Prix: International Festival of Documentary and Short Film of Bilbao ZINEBI, Spain (’17)
Grand Prix: Anima Mundi, Brazil (’17)
Prix Emile-Reynaud : Association française du cinéma d’animation (‘17)
Grand Prix: Krok Animation Festival, Ukraine (’17)
Grand Prix: Taichung Int Animation Festival, Taiwan (’17)
Grand Prix: Thessaloniki Animation Festival, Greece (’17)
Grand Prix: ReAnimania – International Animation Film & Comics Art Festival of Yerevan, Armenia(‘17)
Grand Prix: Monstra, Portugal (‘18)
Grand Prix: Multivision Festival, Russia (’17)
Grand Prix: Xiamen International Animation Festival, China (‘17)
Grand Prix: Indie Júnior Allianz Festival, Portugal (‘18)
Grand Prix: Tokyo Anime Award Festival, Japan (‘18)
Grand Prix: Cyprus Animation Festival, Cyprus (‘18)
Grand Prix (Short Film): Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival, US (‘18)
Grand Prix (Short FIlm): International Film Festival of Uruguay, Uruguay (’18)
Grand Prix (Short FIlm): Stopmotion Our Fest, Argentina (‘18)
Grand Prix (Short): Chilemonos, Chile (‘18)
Grand Prix (Prix Bernard Jubard):Ciné-Rencontres de Prades, France (‘18)
Grand Prix: Animation NOW!, New Zealand (‘18)
Grand Prix: AnimaSyros, Greece (‘18)
Grand Prix in Animation /Le prix Boutique:Courts Métrages de la Côte Bleue, France (‘19)
Best international short film: 3D Wire, Spain (’17)
Best International Short Film: Kuandu International Animation Festival, Taiwan (’17)
Best International Short film: Festival international du Film de Nancy, France (‘18)
Best Animated Short
Best Animated Short: KLIK Amsterdam Animation Festival, the Netherlands (’17)
Best Animated Short: DC Independent Film Festival, US (‘18)
Best Animated Short: Arizona Film Festival, US (‘18)
Best Animated Short: Richmond International Film Festival, US (‘18)
Best Animated Short: Walla Walla Movie Crush, US (‘18)
Best Animated Short: Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, USA (‘17)
Best Animated Short: Lahore International Children’s Film Festival
Best Animated Short: Provincetown International Film Festival, US (‘18)
Best Animated Short: International Children’s Film Festival of Jaipur, India (‘18)
Best Animation Short: Festival Inventa un Film Lenola Film Festival, Italy (‘18)
Best Animation Short: International Kids Film Festival, India (‘18)
Best Animation: Tampere Film Festival, Finland (‘18)
Best Animation: Festival du Film Court en Armagnac, France (’17)
Best Animation: Festival du Film de Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux, France (’17)
Best Animation: Festival du Film Court de Villeurbanne, France (‘17)
Best Animation: Et Cultura, US (‘17)
Best Animation: Catacumba Film Festival, Spain (‘17)
Best Animation: New Hampshire Film Festival, US (’17)
Best Animation: Corti Da Sogni International Short Film Festival, Italy (‘18)
Best Animation: Rincon International Film Festival, Puerto Rico (‘18)
Best Animation: International Short Film Festival Radio City, Spain (‘18)
Best Animation: Figari Film Fest, Italy (‘18)
Best Animation: DC Shorts Film Festival, US (‘18)
Best Animation: Betina Film Festival, Croatia (‘18)
Best Animation (Golden River): River Film Festival, Italy (‘18)
Best Animation: Sapporo Int Short Film Festival, Japan (‘18)
Best Animation: Way Down Film Festival, US (‘18)
Best Animation: UK Film Festival, UK (‘18)
Best Animation Jury Award: Stop Motion Barcelona Short Film Festival, Spain (’17)
Best Professional film : Festival Stop Motion Montreal, Canada (‘18)
Best Animation Award by Professional Jury: The Budapest Short International Film Festival, Hungary (’17)
Best Animation Award by Student Jury: The Budapest Short International Film Festival, Hungary (’17)
Best Animation Award by Student Jury: Festival Européen du Court Métrage de Bordeaux, France (‘18)
Best Stop Motion Award: SPARK ANIMATION, Canada (’17)
Best Stop Motion Animated Film: Animotion Film Festival, Italy (‘18)
Best International Short Film: Dublin Animation Film Festival, Ireland (‘17)
Best International Animation Film: Festival of Animation Berlin, Germany (‘18)
Best International Animation: Rural Film Fest– El Edén de La Mancha, Spain (‘18)
Best sound track/ use of foley: Dublin Animation Film Festival, Ireland (‘17)
Best Animation Technique : Anima Mundi, Brazil (’17)
Best Picture: Literally Short Film Festival, US (‘18)
1st place / Animation: USA Film Festival, US (‘18)
1st place of Independent Films category: ASIFA-East, US (‘18)
1st Prize (short animation): Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival, US (‘18)
WINNER Children’s Choice – 7 & Up Saturday: Bay Area International Children’s Film Festival, US (‘18)
Winner: Doc SunBack, US (‘18)
BEST FILM made FOR TIER 13-18 yo: Adelaide International Youth Film Festival, Australia (‘18)
Audience Award
Audience Award: Fantoche, Switzerland (’17)
Audience Award: Turku Animated Film Festival, Finland (’17)
Audience Award: New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival, Japan (’17)
Audience Award: Austin Film Festival, USA (‘17)
Audience Award: VOID, Denmark (‘18)
Audience Award: Monstra, Portugal (‘18)
Audience Award: Rincon International Film Festival, Puerto Rico (‘18)
Audience Award: Stuttgart International Festival of Animated Film, Germany (‘18)
Audience Award: Tabor Film Festival, Croatia (‘18)
Audience Award (Best Competing Short): Art Film Fest Kosice, Slovakia (‘18)
Audience Award: DC Shorts Film Festival, US (‘18)
Audience Award: Festival Chacun son Court, France (‘18)
Audience Award: New Orleans Film Festival, US (‘18)
2nd Prix Audience Award: Ciné Court Animé Roanne, France (‘18)
Prix Fipresci : Annecy Animation Festival, France (’17)
André-Martin Special Distinction for a French Short Film: Annecy Animation Festival, France (’17)
Prix Movistar+ : UniFrance, France (’17)
Prix Ur Sveriges : UniFrance, France (’17)
Excellence Award: Japan Media Arts Festival, Japan (‘18)
le Prix des Cinglés du Cinéma: Trois Jours Trop Courts, France (‘18)
Best Script Award: Animakom Festival, Spain (‘18)
Best Direction: Animage, Brazil (‘18)
Best Editing: The Jefferson State Flixx Fest, US (‘18)
Prix de scénario (Script Award): Le Court Nous Tient, France (‘18)
Judge & Audience Award (Competition 2): London International Animation Festival, UK (‘17)
Jury Award (International Competition 2): Melbourne International Animation Festival, Australia (‘18)
Audience Award (International Competition 2): Melbourne International Animation Festival, Australia (‘18)
The Special prize: Insomnia Film Festival, Russia (’17)
Special Jury Distinction: Animanima, Serbia (’17)
Jury special prize: Indie-AniFest, South Korea (’17)
Special Jury award for best storytelling: Linoleum Animation Festival, Ukraine (’17)
Special Jury Award: New Chitose Airport International Animation Festival, Japan (’17)
Special Jury Award by Student Judges: Int Film Festival Etiuda&Anima, Poland (’17)
Special Mention: Encounters Film Festival, UK (’17)
Special Mention
Special Mention: Pixelatl, Mexico (’17)
Special Mention: Animatou, Switzerland (’17)
Special Mention: Anima Cordoba Int Animation Festival, Argentina (’17)
Special Mention: CRAFT International Animation Festival, Indonesia (‘17)
Special Mention: CutOut Festival, Mexico (’17)
Special Mention: Cinema Forum, Poland (’17)
Special Mention: Interfilm Berlin, Germany (‘17)
Special Mention: Taos Shortz Film Fest, US (‘18)
Special Mention: Akbank Short Film Festival, Turkey (‘18)
Special Mention: International Animation Film Festival Tindirinidis, Lithuania (‘17)
Special Mention: O!PLA Animation Festival, Poland (‘18)
Special Mention: Animafest Zagreb, Croatia (‘18)
Special Mention: Festival du Film de Fontenay-le-Comte, France (‘18)
Honorable Mention: Split Film Festival, Croatia (’17)
Honorable Mention: Fargo Film Festival, US (‘18)
Honorable Mention: AnimArte Festival, Brazil (‘19)
Women In Animation Special Mention-Independent: ASIFA-East, US (‘18)
Outstanding Selection: Kaohsiung Film Festival International Short Film Competition, Taiwan (’17)
2nd Prize in Animation: Mecal, Barcelona International Short and Animation Film Festival, Spain (‘18)
Silver in Short Animation: AEAF Awards, Australia (‘18)
3nd Prize: Animator, Poland (‘18)
Excellence in Design merit award: ASIFA-East, US (‘18)
Here Kitty Kitty Prize: Rabbit Heart Poetry Film Festival, USA (‘18)
Le prix PALOMA : Festival Nîmes en Court, France (‘19)
Production notes
A friend of ours posted Ron Koertge’s poem, “Negative Space,” online and we connected with it deeply and personally. The poem has this rare directness, balances the sentimental with humor, and there’s room within the text for multiple interpretations. At 150 words, the poem was also short enough for us to see how animation could bring something new to the story.
The early stage of development for “Negative Space” was relatively quick. We were clear from the beginning how we wanted to restructure the poem cinematically. We knew we wanted to use scale to show the character’s relationship to space over time. The visual metaphors and transitions flowed out in early sketchbook drawings.
Biography
Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata are a filmmaking duo based in Providence, USA. Collaborating for over a decade as “Tiny Inventions”, they have directed short films, TV commercials, music videos and comics. Produced by Ikki Films and Manuel Cam Studio in France, Negative Space is their fourth professional film.
Filmography
Max & Ru (as a team) :
- Porcelain Birds (en pré-production)
- Negative Space (2017)
- Perfect Houseguest (2015)
- Between Times (2014)
- Something Left, Something Taken (2010)
- Electric Car (2009) * music video
- Davy Crockett in Outer Space (2008) * music video
Max Porter:
- POP! (2011)
- Red Things (2003)
Ru Kuwahata:
- Forget Me Not (2005)
- Daikon Ashi (2004)