Atheist's stop-motion animated film wins Tony Blair's Faith Shorts film awards

By Digital Arts Staff on November 27, 2012

The winners of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation's global film competition, Faith Shorts, were announced at BAFTA last night. The films were based around the premise of 'Let me show you how my faith inspires me'. Ironically, the overall winner was created by an atheist.

The competition aims to counter prejudices and extremist views by building understanding about different religions and cultures through short films produced by young people. The three winning filmmakers from Israel, the Philippines and India received their award from Tony Blair in front of an audience that included members of the judging panel, the film industry and religious figures.

The overall winner was Death Bed the Musical by Liat Har-Gil from Rosh Ha'ayen, Israel. The first stop-motion 'claymation' entry the competition has received, the film features a dying man and his nurse debating the existence of god and the meaning of life. Death Bed the Musical also won the category for 18-27-year-old filmmakers.

“I myself am not a religious person but I believe that promoting an understanding between different religions is very important and should be celebrated," says Liat. "I am grateful that the Foundation understood the message of my movie: the dangers of religious intolerance and selected me for this award. Building bridges between different religious communities is important. We must show the different sides of faith through a new medium, like film."

http://vimeo.com/28711172