Tal Kantor is an Israeli animation filmmaker and visual artist. She is a lecturer in the Screen-based Arts Department at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design.[1] She is mostly known for her graduation short film In Other Words[2] and for her debut short film Letter to a Pig (2022)[3], winner of several awards including the Grand Prix in Anima Brussels[4] and the Ophir Award at the Israel Academy Awards.[5]

Tal Kantor
Born (1988-11-19) November 19, 1988 (age 35)
CitizenshipIsraeli
Alma materBezalel Academy of Arts and Design
Occupations
  • Film director
  • animator
Known forLetter to a Pig

Kantor is known for her unique filmmaking technique which combines drawing, photography, video, painting, and animation.[6][7] On January 23rd 2024, she was nominated for the 96th Academy Awards with her film Letter to a Pig (2022).[8]

Career edit

Kantor studied at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design (Screen-Based Arts Department), where she graduated with a Bachelor's degree in 2015.[1] After graduation, Kantor pursued a career as artist and independent filmmaker and animator,[1] working on several documentary feature films as animation director and art director.[9] She has also written, directed and animated several short films, including Letter to a Pig (2022) and Yellow Light (2023).[10]

Kantor has participated in several artist residencies, including the CICLIC ANIMATION residency in Vendôme, France;[11] the Aesthetics and Bias residency in Krakow, Poland and Jerusalem, Israel;[12] the New Arrivals residency in Nijmegen, Netherlands. Her work has also been featured in several exhibitions, including the group exhibition at Miraikan National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation in Tokyo, presenting the films and art originals of the Japan Media Arts Festival winners.[13] Since 2019, Kantor is also a lecturer at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design.[1]

Filmography edit

  • 2015: Under The Small Sun (short film) - co-writer & director with Shahar Davis[14]
  • 2016: In Other Words (short film) - writer & director[15]
  • 2019: Advocate (documentary feature) - animation art director[16]
  • 2021: On This Happy Note (documentary feature) - animation art director[17]
  • 2022: Letter to a Pig (short film) - writer & director[18]
  • 2022: Five Studies (dance short film) - animation art director & animator[19]
  • 2023: Inbal Perlmutter – If You Let Me Go (documentary feature) - art director[9]
  • 2023: Yellow Light (short film) - writer & director[20]

Recognition edit

Her graduation short film In Other Words (2016) has won 17 awards and was officially selected in over 100 festivals worldwide.[6]

In December 2023, Kantor's film Letter to a Pig (2022) was shortlisted for the 96th Academy Awards®.[21] The film has won over 40 awards Including the Grand Prix in Anima Brussels, the Ophir Award at the Israel Academy Awards,[5] the Grand Prize for Best Narrative Short at the Ottawa International Animation Festival,[22] Liv Ullman Peace Prize at Chicago International Children's Film Festival,[23] Grand Prize at Animation Is Film festival.[24]

The documentary feature Advocate (2019), on which Kantor was the animation and art director, won the Emmy Award for Best Documentary at the 42nd News and Documentary Emmy Awards and the 2020 Ophir Award for Best Documentary.[16] The film was also nominated for Best Short Animated Film at the 92nd Academy Awards.[25]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d "Tal Kantor". Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Jerusalem. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  2. ^ MarBelle (2017-11-20). "Exploring Memory & Missed Opportunities in Tal Kantor's In Other Words". Directors Notes. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  3. ^ Lang, Jamie (2023-10-05). "2024 Oscars Short Film Contenders: 'Letter To A Pig' Director Tal Kantor". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  4. ^ "ANIMA 2023 - Awards". Anima Festival – 23 February - 03 March 2024. 2023-02-26. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  5. ^ a b Steinberg, Jessica. "Animator's award-winning debut mixes mediums for a Holocaust film about a savior pig". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  6. ^ a b "Tal Kantor : "On refait encore et encore toujours le même film"". Format Court (in French). 2017-11-25. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  7. ^ "Top 5: Innovative Use of the Rotoscope Technique". Submarine Channel. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  8. ^ "2024 | Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences". www.oscars.org. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  9. ^ a b Dekel, Shachaf (2023-12-06). "Tal Kantor's Animation Bridges Reality, Memory, and Imagination". Culture Treasures. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  10. ^ "Tal Kantor". All About Artists. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  11. ^ "CITIA | Ciclic". Animation EN (in French). Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  12. ^ "Aesthetics & Bias / Sztuka i Uprzedzenia - Wydział Intermediów" (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  13. ^ 編集部, ISRAERU (2022-05-17). "Israeli Artist Commended at the 25th Japan Media Arts Festival". ISRAERUウェブマガジン (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-01-19.
  14. ^ Guest (2016-05-23). "Tal Kantor & Shahar Davis Consider the Materiality of Things in Stop Motion Short 'Under The Small Sun'". Directors Notes. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  15. ^ Paez, Danny (2017-10-30). "CB Fest Premiere: 'In Other Words' by Tal Kantor". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  16. ^ a b ""לאה צמל, עורכת דין" זכה בפרס האמי לסרט התיעודי הטוב ביותר - וואלה! תרבות". וואלה! (in Hebrew). 2021-09-30. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  17. ^ "On This Happy Note". go2films. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  18. ^ "Letter to a Pig - A Short Film by Tal Kantor". Short of the Week. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  19. ^ Team, Z. F. (2022-12-19). "Combining Live Action With Animation: Tal Kantor at Animateka Festival (Gocritic! Review)". Zippy Frames. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  20. ^ "animafest.hr". www.animafest.hr. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  21. ^ "96TH OSCARS® SHORTLISTS IN 10 AWARD CATEGORIES ANNOUNCED". press.oscars.org. Retrieved 2024-01-15.
  22. ^ "OIAF 2022 Awards | Ottawa International Animation Festival". Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  23. ^ "CICFF39 Awards | FACETS". 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2023-09-07.
  24. ^ "Behind the Line Work of Animation is Film 2023's Grand Prize Winners". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  25. ^ "Israeli film 'Advocate' makes Oscar shortlist". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 2019-12-17. Retrieved 2024-01-15.

External links edit