Cardiff-based couple Joanna Quinn and Les Mills have announced their happy “shock” at having their film nominated in the Best Animated Short Film category at the Oscars.
Animator Quinn and her partner and producer Mills have been nominated for an Oscar for their short film ‘Affairs of the Art’. It took six years of hard work to create the film which follows the story of art-lover and Welsh factory worker, Beryl. The couple have been making short films for a long time, establishing Beryl Productions back in the ’80s to focus their passion for hand-drawn character animation. It’s not the first major recognition this talented team have received, either, with both having previously received an Oscar nomination for their film ‘Wife of Bath’ (released in 1998), in addition to an Emmy and Bafta award under their belt.
Much suspense will precede the announcement of the winners in the animated short category, with the big reveal scheduled along with the rest of the academy awards at the 94th Oscars ceremony to be held in Hollywood on 27th March.
Speaking on the film, Mills told the BBC: “All of them were made in Wales and they were made with Welsh money, so it’s not a new character, but she’s a well-loved character… She’s the epitome of a Welsh working class woman really and we’ve always kept that kind of quality to her.”
Quinn added that the recognition was very welcomed, saying: “The film took six years to make, so it was worth it…It’s all hand drawn on paper and then scanned into the computer. There are probably about 24,000 drawings.”
The couple plan to attend the 94th Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood and hope to put Wales on the map by nabbing the Oscar. You can see Joanna Quinn and Les Mills speak on the creative process of their work in the video below.
