Cartoonist Extraordinaire
Don Hertzfeldt was born August 1, 1976 in the California Bay Area. His love for drawing, and crude stick figures, was revealed in a 1993 short titled Escape is Still Impossible. In addition to being Don's first work, Escape managed to take home four awards, most notably an AFI prize. Hertzfeldt Graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in film studies in 1998. As part of his studies, he was able to release one 16mm film short per year. After graduating, new opportunities opened up, namely a 35mm studio where Bitter Films, Hertzfeldt's self made production studio, is currently located.
Hertzfeldt's work is a well balanced helping of brilliance and neurosis. The spoken lines, all spoken by Hertzfeldt and his acquaintances, often give depth to the unstable cartoons (Hertzfeldt refuses to use computers in post-production, thus adding an edgey "scrawl" appearance to his work) with intonation and inflection.
Hertzfeldt currently has written, drawn, and produced six cartoon shorts, with a DVD to be including an all new short in the works. His most impressive trophy in his young carreer has been landing an Academy Award Nomination for Best Animated Short Film. He continues to live in the California Bay Area.
Filmography
Escape is Still Impossible (1993)
Ah, L'Amour (1995)
Genre (1996)
Lily and Jim (1997)
Billy's Balloon (1998)
Rejected (2000)
Awards
1996
For Genre:
Best Short Film--UCSB Corwin-Metropolitan Theaters Award
First Place, Animation - UFVA Student Film Festival
The Lumiere Award - New Orleans Film Festival
First Place, Animated Short Subject
New York Empire State Exhibitions
Most Promising Filmmaker - Sinking Creek Film Festival
Silver Plaque, Animation - Chicago International Film Festival
Second Place, Animation - Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
1997
For Genre:
Best Santa Barbara Filmmaker
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Gold Medal, Best Animation - Carolina Film Festival
Audience Choice Award, Best Animated Short -
Filmfest New Haven
Jury Award for Humor - Ann Arbor Film Festival
Jury Award - Surprise International Film Festival, Taiwan
Second Place, Student Animation
World Animation Celebration
Bronze Plaque - Columbus International Film Festival
Finalist Award - Worldfest Houston
Honorable Mention - Humboldt State Film Festival
Honorable Mention - Atlanta Film Festival
For Lily and Jim:
Grand Prize, Best of Festival - New Orleans Film Festival
Best Animated Film - New Frontiers Film Festival
Best Animated Film - Athens Film Festival, GA
Gold Plaque, Best Student Animation,
Chicago International Film Festival
Second Place Animation,
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
1998
For Ah, L'Amour:
World Animation Celebration/ HBO Comedy Arts Festival Grand Prize Award for "World's Funniest Cartoon"
For Lily and Jim:
Grand Prize, Best of Festival and Best Animated Film,
USA Film Festival, TX
Best Animated Film - Carolina Film Festival
Best Animated Film - Brandywine Film Festival
the Golden Knight Award - Golden Knight Festival, Malta
Silver Award, Animation - New York Short Film Expo
Silver Award, Animation - Worldfest Houston
Silver Award, Animation - Crested Butte Reel Fest
Trophy Winner - Rochester Film Festival
Second Place, Animation - Nextframe Film Festival
Second Place, Animation - Palm Springs Film Festival
Second Place, Animation - Central Florida Film Festival
Jury Honorable Mention - Big Muddy Film Festival
Audience Award Honorable Mention - Filmfest New Haven
Bronze Plaque - Columbus International Film Festival
Award of Excellence - Joey Awards
The Golden Elmo - UCSB Film Studies Award
1999
For Lily and Jim:
Best Animated Film - Canyonlands Film Festival
Jury Citation for Humor - New York Animation Festival
Animation Honorable Mention - Pacific Coast Film Festival
For Billy's Balloon:
Grand Jury Award for Best Short Film - Slamdance Film Festival
The Skidmore Award, Best Short Animation -
New York Animation Festival
Grand Prize (tie) - Matita Animation Film Festival, Italy
Best Animated Film -
Sanitago International Short Film Festival, Chile
Best Animated Film - Kudzu Film Festival, Athens GA
Best Animated Film - Freaky Film Festival, Urbana IL
Special Jury Prize - Sydney Comedy Short Film Festival, Australia
Silver Spike - Valladolid International Film Festival, Spain
Silver Award, Animation - Atlantic City Film Festival
Silver Plaque, Animation - Worldfest Flagstaff
Award of Merit - San Francisco International Film Festival
Trophy Winner - Rochester International Film Festival
Best Animated Film Runner Up - Santa Barbara Int'l Film Festival
Best Animated Film Runner Up - Humboldt State Int'l Film Festival
Second Place, Best Animated Film - San Luis Obispo Film Festival
Judges Special Recognition Award, "Way Cool Animation" - Microcinefest, MD
Special Recognition Award - Arizona Int'l Film Festival
Jury Award for Animation - New York Expo of Short Film
Animation Honorable Mention - Pacific Coast Film Festival
Animation Honorable Mention - Atlanta Film Festival
Finalist Award - Worldfest Houston
2000
For Billy's Balloon:
Director's Choice Award - Black Maria Film Festival, NJ
The Audience Award - Mediawave Film Festival, Hungary
Second Place, Best Animated Work under Five Minutes -
World Animation Celebration, CA
Best Comedy Short - Hi Mom Film Festival, NC
Best Animated Film - Long Island International Film Expo
Best Animated Film - Tube Film Festival, CA
Audience Choice Award, Best Animated Short and
Teen Pick Award, Favorite Animation -
Bare Bones Film Festival, OK
Best Animated Short and Audience Favorite -
Saguaro Int'l Film Festival, AZ
Second Place, Animation and Second Place, Comedy -
Flo Film Festival, FL
Youth Jury Award, Honorable Mention - Dresden Film Festival
Nomination - Best Short Film - Ohio Independent Film Festival
For Rejected:
the Gold Hugo - Chicago International Film Festival
Best Animated Film - Kudzu Film Festival, Athens GA
the Lumiere Award - New Orleans Film Festival
Special Achievement in Animation - Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, AL
Best Animated Film - Freaky Film Festival, IL
First Place - Cripple Creek Film Festival, CO
First Place, Audience Choice Award, Best Short Film and
Judge's Extra Special "Too Cool" Award
- MicroCineFest, Baltimore
"Cinematexas Spirit" Award, Cinematexas Film Festival, Austin
Second Place, Animated Film - Pacific Coast Film Festival, CA
Second Place, Experimental Film - Smogdance Film Festival, CA
2001
For Billy's Balloon:
Flying Gherkin International Award for Creativity -
Melbourne International Animation Festival (tied with Rejected)
For Rejected:
Academy Award Nomination, Best Animated Short Film
Best Foreign Film - Reykjavik Short Film Festival, Iceland
Special Jury Prize - I Castelli Animati Festival, Rome
Citizens' Award for Best Short Film - Puchon Fantastic Film Festival, Korea
Best Short Film - Newport International Film Festival, RI
Best Short Film - Texas Film Festival
Best Animated Film - New York Underground Film Festival
Flying Gherkin International Award for Creativity -
Melbourne International Animation Festival (tied with Billy's Balloon)
Animated Short Audience Award - Dahlonega Film Festival
Best Animation - Hardacre Film Festival
Juror's Choice Award - Convergence Film Festival
Silver Star, Best Traditionally Animated Film, CA Sun Animation Festival
Staff Prize, Best Short Film - San Francisco Indie Film Festival
Bronze Award, Animated Short Subject - Worldfest Houston
Second Place - International Festival Animation, Valencia, Spain
Third Place, Best Film - Anima Mundi Animation Festival, Brazil
Nominee - Annie Award, Animated Short Film
Sources:
www.awn.com/oscars01/animrejected.php3
www.bitterfilms.com