João Gonzalez' film is one of the 5 nominees for the Oscar of Best Animated Short Film, whose winners will be known on March 12th. It is the first time in the history of Portuguese cinema that a film reaches this stage of the Academy Awards.
Ice Merchants, by João Gonzalez, has a unique journey: it was the first Portuguese animated film to be awarded at Cannes; it was one of the 5 nominees for the European Film Awards; it has taken over 9 Oscar qualifying awards; it has won 45 awards and special mentions at film festivals; it has been part of more than 100 official selections at festivals around the world, in less than a year on the circuit.
And now, for the first time in the history of Portuguese cinema, it is one of the 5 nominees for the Oscar of Best Animated Short Film in the 95th edition of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards. The results were announced today live by the Academy. The final awards ceremony takes place on March 12.
Ice Merchants tells the story of a man and his son, who parachute each day from their cold, vertiginous house stuck on top of a cliff, to go to the village that lies below, where they sell the ice they produce during the night.
. . . . .
Something that has always fascinated me about animation cinema is the freedom it offers us to create something from scratch. Surrealistic and bizarre scenarios and realities that can be used as a metaphorical tool. [...] Ice Merchants covers a humane story about family connection, simple daily rituals and routines, studying them metaphorically as a foundation of human relationships. [...] Aesthetically, I always tend to incorporate my interest in strong shadows, extreme camera angles, and limited colour palettes in my films. There’s also an on-going treatment of the film’s sound- track and sound-design, that I started working on since the beginning of the film’s production. [...] Ice Merchants is a family drama set in an impossible reality, brought to life with the collaboration of the most amazingly talented and hardworking team of artists that I could have asked for.
— João Gonzalez
