Steven Fraser's short documentary Prosopagnosia is currently qualified for the 95th Academy Awards and the voting has begun! The film has been submitted by distribution partner The New York Times in the Best Documentary Short category.
We are very excited to qualify and our keeping everything crossed that this Scottish, Stop Motion Animation and deeply personal account of Prosopagnosia can make it to the Academy Award shortlist and maybe bring a gold trophy home to Glasgow in March 2023.
The film
Steven's film uses expressive animation to investigate intimacy, communication and memory.
Prosopagnosia
Prosopagnosia means face-blindness and to understand this neurodiverse behaviour, the contents of a memory box are intricately explored.
Steven uses his sketchbooks, photographs and diaries to tell a unique, engaging and personal story.
In partnership with the New York Times - you can watch the film via their Op Docs site.
If you are a voting Academy member in documentary - please watch the film and of course - vote for it if you like it.
The film had its International Premiere at the world renowned IDFA Documentary festival in Amsterdam. Steven returned to screen the film again and take part in multiple Q&A sessions as part of the IDFA School Programme Screenings.
Other screenings
Since the premiere, the film has appeared at over 40 International festivals and had many more screenings. It was Grierson nominated and has won multiple awards for best film, experimental awards and a variety of grand jury prizes.
The Sebastopol Documentary Festival was our first Academy Award qualifying festival where the film won the Jury Award.
Sebastopol Jury Note:
“Beautifully shot, edited, and produced.
A warm, uplifting story about resilience and creativity. “A personal, vulnerable, and vibrant exploration of a fascinating yet little known topic – face blindness.
The jury was impressed by the visually rich design and stop motion animation, poignant narration, and profound questions raised.”
North American screenings and successes
The film continued stateside success and won an inaugural Marvels of Media award sponsored by AMC networks. Following this Steven attended the event to pick up his prize and artefacts from the film are now hosted in the Museum of the Moving image (MOMI).
The film is continuing to show across venues in North America across 2022 and 2023 thanks to Reel Abilities.
Watch the trailer
Watch the film online via the New York Times
We were thrilled when we gained support from the New York Times and if you have a subscription - Prosopagnosia is now featured to view on their Op Docs site.
Further information
Developed and supported by the Scottish Documentary Institute's highly acclaimed Bridging the Gap programme and Screen Scotland.
Written, animated and edited by Steven Fraser
Produced by Reece Cargan
Composed, sound designed and mixed by Tom Drew
Colourist: Jack Lang at MTP