Constantine Krystallis is a Greek animator and a good one at that. His latest short Mariza has received several award nominations and was recently submitted to the Nickelodeon Animation Festival where it has made it as a finalist.
The 5-minute animated short is about an old fisherman who is trying to convince his donkey, Mariza, to climb a steep and winding road on a Greek island.
Mariza is stubborn and refuses to pursue the climb; however the old man finds a way to lure the donkey to the top with upbeat rhythms from Zorba’s Dance.
There is an Australian connection to Mariza as the piece was created as the final project for the Masters of Animation that Constantine Krystallis undertook at the University of Technology, Sydney in 2008.
The 3D animation has already received a number of awards including; the Audience Award from Athens Animfest 2009, Best Animated Film and Audience Award from the Naoussa International Film Festival, a nod from the NYC Greek Film Festival 2009, and a prestigious selection for opening night of the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival 2009.
Nickelodeon is an American cable television channel. The brand has expanded into Europe, the Middle East, Russia and Asia and is aimed at programming shows for children aged between 3 and 12 years of age.
This year has brought with it various new endeavours for the brand, including the launch of new Nickelodeon DVDs, a fresh logo, an Australian branch, and of course the debut of the Nickelodeon Animation Festival for which Krystallis’ work has been nominated.