The ASIFA-East 2026 festival, held in New York, awarded its top prize to Shapes as Best in Show. Additionally, it introduced the Cartoon Brew Award for Excellence in Cinema, which was given to Not Alone by Momo Cao. This piece stands out for its visual identity and emotional narrative without dialogue, reinforcing the event's support for independent and local animation.
Animation without words: the technical challenge of telling stories with shapes and silences 🎬
In Not Alone, Cao dispenses with dialogue and bets on a 2D animation with loose strokes and a reduced palette. Expressiveness relies on body language and editing rhythm. The team used limited interpolation techniques to maintain fluidity without losing the roughness of the sketch. The soundtrack, composed with acoustic instruments, reinforces each emotional transition. This minimalist approach requires meticulous storyboarding: every gesture must carry the information that others resolve with words.
Meanwhile, Shapes took home the big prize without having to speak 🏆
Shapes won the main award, confirming that, in animation, a blue circle with existential problems can beat any script with deep dialogue. Festival attendees applauded, although some confessed they didn't know if the work was about geometry, loneliness, or a mislabeled After Effects tutorial. Be that as it may, the jury was clear that less is more, especially when the less includes a prize and a statuette.