KIM Kang-min’s short animation title Deer Flower picked up a special award at the 26th edition of the World Festival of Animated Film – Animafest  Zagreb, which ran over June 6-11. This year’s Grand Prize in Zagreb went to Phil Mulloy’s Endgame and individual jurors were each given the opportunity to hand out one special award. Deer Flower’s prize was bestowed by Phil Lord, the creative director of the famed Aardman Studios.

Director KIM has worked extensively as a stop motion artist, graphic designer and filmmaker in Los Angeles. He previously took part in the student competition in Zagreb in 2010 with his short Deux Regards. While all his films, which also include Visit (2009) and 38-39°C (2011), have drawn claim around the world, Deer Flower has been particularly well-received on the festival circuit.

Following its debut at the Sundance Film Festival, Deer Flower, which features a boy and his family who visit a deer farm in the countryside, won a Special Jury Prize from the Jeonju International Film Festival and the Grand Prix for Best Picture at the Busan International Short Film Festival. The short has also screened at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival as well as the SXSW, Dallas, Edinburg and San Francisco International Film Festivals.

In 2014, JOUNG Yu-mi’s Love Games earned the Grand Prix in Zagreb, while YEON Sang-ho’s The Fake (2013) earned a Special Mention in the festival’s Feature Film Competition last year.