The Grand Book

(trailer)

The Grand Book (2023) – 19:59 min

A young woman lives on the streets in a city that, in style and development, is reminiscent of the 1920s. The city has an inescapable surveillance system, as invasive as our world of Big Tech. The main character learns that the only place to escape from this can be in the world of her dreams.

Written and directed by Arjan Brentjes

Produced by Valk Productions

Performance capture actor - Anne-May de Lijser

Performance capture technician - Edwin van het Bolscher

Art design, 3D animation and editing by Arjan Brentjes

2D animated backgrounds by Dana Alink

Additional 3D modelling by Renske Peeters Weem

Music produced, arranged and mixed by Jasper Boeke

Music compostion by Arjan Brentjes

Audio master by Bob Kommer Studios

This film was supported by The Netherlands Film Fund, AFK and Norma

Distribution by KABOOM DISTRIBUTION ursula@kaboomfestival.nl

Awards and nominations

-Best Animation Short at Red Rock Film Festival Award Night, Cedar City, USA (Apr 2025)

-1st Αnimation Marathon Award, Animation Marathon, online, Greece (Nov 2024)

-Jury Mention at ÉCU, European Independent Film Festival, Paris, France (Apr 2024)

-Grand Prix “Athena” at Athens Animfest, Greece (March 2024)

-Music Award at Athens Animfest, Greece (March 2024)

-Best Animation Award at Boomtown Film & Music Festival, Beaumont, USA (Feb 2024)

-Best Animation Audience Award at SF Indiefest, San Francisco, USA (Feb 2024)

-Nominated for Best Animation at Shortcutz Amsterdam, Annual Awards, Netherlands (Jan 2024)

-Nominated Best Animation at Rome International Film Festival, Rome, Georgia, USA (Nov 2023)

Screenings

Nov 2024 - Animation Marathon, Athens, Greece

Nov 2024 - Alter-Native International Film Festival, Targu-Mures, Romania

Nov 2024 - Tokyo International Short Film Festival, Tokyo, Japan

Oct 2024 - Seoul International Short Film Festival, Seoul, South-Korea

Sep 2024 - Torino Underground Cinefest, Torino, Italy

Sep 2024 - Red Rock Film Festival, Cedar City, USA

Aug 2024 - NewFilmmakers Los Angeles, InFocus: International Animation, Los Angeles, USA

Jun 2024 - PSIAF Palm Springs Animation Festival, Palm Springs, USA

Jun 2024 - Film Maudit 2.0, Santa Monica, CA, USA

Jun 2024 - River Film Festival, Padua, Italy

May 2024 - Golden Kuker, Int Animation Festival, Sofia, Bulgaria

May 2024 - Radical Frame Film Festival, Berlin, Germany

Apr 2024 - EKO International Film Festival, Lagos, Nigeria

Apr 2024 - ÉCU, The European Independent Film Festival, Paris, France

Apr 2024 - Filmfest Bremen, Bremen, Germany

Mar 2024 - Athens Animfest, Athens, Greece

Mar 2024 - Lanterna Mágica, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil

Feb 2024 - Findecoin IISFF, Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela

Feb 2024 - Boomtown Film & Music Festival, Beaumont, USA

Feb 2024 - Love Your Shorts Film Festival, Sanford, USA

Feb 2024 - SF Indiefest, San Francisco, USA

Feb 2024 - Jaipur International Film Festival, Jaipur, India

Nov 2023 - Shortcutz Amsterdam, Netherlands

Nov 2023 - RIFF Awards, Rome Independent Film Festival, Rome, Italy

Nov 2023 - Shorts Not Pants, Toronto, Canada

Nov 2023 - Rome International Film Festival, Rome (Georgia), USA

Oct 2023 - Raindance Film Festival, London, UK

Oct 2023 - International Animation Festival AJAYU, Puno, Peru

Oct 2023 - Videomedeja, Novi Sad, Serbia

Sep 2023 - Animasyros, Syros, Greece

Sep 2023 - Dutch Film Festival, Utrecht, Netherlands

Musicians

Jelte van Andel – double bass

Vera van der Bie - violin and viola

Daniel Cross - percussion

Koen Kaptijn - trombone

Jonas Pap - cello

Jur de Vries - cello