BA (Hons) Animation Production graduate film Why Won’t Anyone Eat Me? has come away from this year’s Royal Television Society (RTS) Southern Television Awards with the Best Student Animation award.
This comes off the back of the film’s earlier victory at the RTS Southern Centre Student Awards in March. At these awards, all three nomination slots in the Student Animation category were taken up by Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) projects.
Why Won’t Anyone Eat Me?, along with This is the Life and Is Anybody Out There? were all recognised in the shortlist at a ceremony held at the Utilita Bowl, Southampton.
“'Why Won't Anyone Eat Me?' is about a young chef with a passion for cooking her own scabs,” explains BA (Hons) Animation Production graduate Lewis Macaulay, who directed the film. “She wants the validation of her idol, Le Grande Louche, the experimental TV chef who is seemingly the only person she thinks will accept her scab cooking.
“But after revealing to him the dish’s main ingredient, she is violently rejected once again, and walks the streets of Paris where she discovers that to be happy, she has to accept herself, with no concern of what others might think.”
“As I oversaw the production process, I'm acutely aware of the effort, determination and dedication every member of the team put into their work,” explains Vittoria Draghi, producer of the project.
“I think I speak on behalf of everyone on the team when I say that our main goal was to create a visually stunning, conceptually unique, and interesting (if not, slightly gross) film, so to have won the RTS Southern Award feels extremely rewarding.”
Lewis adds, “There are other industry practitioners who have visited more festivals than I could in a lifetime who have told me that our film stood out, and that never stops feeling incredible.”
Alongside the victories in the RTS awards, Why Won't Anyone Eat Me? has also received festival recognition, having been selected for the Paris International Animation Film Festival earlier in the year.
The graduate films produced by BA (Hons) Animation Production students at AUB are a collaborative effort, set up to accurately mirror what they can expect in the industry.
“The collaboration fostered at AUB was one of my favourite aspects of the course,” says Vittoria. “I think the most obvious reflection of this is the graduate film itself; I don't think we would've been able to put together films quite as interesting or developed as we did if not for the teamwork-based nature of the course.
“Being part of the cohort at the tail end of lockdown, I think this aspect of the course suffered a bit; in-person collaboration within a studio really brings people together and allows you to get to know your peers better in the lead-up to graduate films, I can only imagine how effective this must be now as the course is 100% in-person again!”
After graduating from AUB in 2024, Vittoria went on to intern at the London-based animation studio Golden Wolf, having been selected from over 4,000 applicants. In her four months there, she contributed to a range of projects, from adverts to experiential projects, and even a clip for a feature film.
“Since my internship I have worked as a freelancer on some more projects at Golden Wolf but have been also developing my own work and commissions,” she explains. “Beyond animation I've also been honing my skills as a producer, attending networking events and seeking out opportunities in the field.”
Lewis also works as a freelance animator, but says his main goal is to move to Japan, to “be surrounded by artists I can learn from – Yuasa Masaki, Megumi Ishitani, Shinya Ohira, Hiroyuki Imaishi, etc.”
The achievements of Why Won’t Anyone Eat Me? are only the latest in a string of successes for BA (Hons) Animation Production students and alumni this academic year.
Back in November, The Elevator, by 2024 AUB graduate Oliver Mottram, came away with a prize and laurels at the Purbeck Film Festival, taking home the Audience Prize for Best Animated Short.
Meanwhile, Madeline’s House was selected for the London International Film Festival, where was screened as part of the Into the Dark programme at The Garden Cinema.
