Manō
GRAND JURY AWARD NOMINEE – BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
US | 11 min. | Guam Premiere
Animation, Cultural, Environmental | GIFF Guide: General Audiences – material suitable for all ages
Synopsis
Manō is a short, animated film illustrating the human impact on sharks and coral reefs, as seen through the eyes of a Tiger Shark in Hawaiian waters over hundreds of millions of years.
The film follows a tiger shark through time cuts spanning hundreds of millions of years, from the creation of the Hawaiian islands, through the first Polynesian settlers, Ancient Hawaiians, Western contact, World War II’s Pearl Harbor attack, the 60s/70s surf/tourist/Waikiki construction explosion, and modern day commercial fishing and shark finning.
The film explores the effects of pollution, climate change, illegal commercial fishing, shark finning, and their devastating results. There is a strong cultural bond between sharks and many Hawaiians families, in which these animals are revered, loved as family, and in need of protection.
Screenings and Awards
International Animation Film Festival Golden Kuker-Sofia
Honorable Mention Prague International Indie Film Festival
Brittany Biggs (Writer, Director)
Brittany Biggs is an animation professional, filmmaker, artist, and educator. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Animation with the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa. Her animation feature film screen credits include DreamWorks’ Trolls, Kung Fu Panda 3, Kung Fu Panda 2, and Turbo. Her independent, short animated films have been recognized in international film festivals, and her film, A Tall Tale, won Best Animated Short in the 2011 Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival. In September 2020, she was selected as one of 102 fellows for the Unreal Fellowship in Virtual Production.
Website: Manō
Christopher Kaipulaumakaniolono Baker
Kaneikoliakawahineika’iukapuomua Baker
Writer, Director, Co-Producer, Animator, Editor, Director of Photography: Brittany Biggs
Co-Producer, Story By: Jeff Chasin
Story Consultants & Hawaiian Cultural Advisors: Mike and Kaikea Nakachi
Hawaiian Language & Cultural Advisor: Hailiʻōpua Baker
Hawaiian Tattoo Designer: Dr. Kona Keala-Quinabo
Composers: Jake Monaco & Brittany Dunton
Sound Designer & Sound Mixer: Steve Maher
Visual Effects Supervisor, Effects Artist, Lighter: Gabriel Paiva Harwat
Artist Manager, Effects Artist: Carol Madrigal
Score Mix: Michael Bouska
Hawaiian Chant Recording Engineer: Lauren Mueller
Additional Camera, Animator, Rigger: Brendan Carroll
Visual Development Artists: Gavin Arucan, Mia Clause
Visual Development Artist, Modeler, Surfacer, Additional Rigging, Additional Animation: Aubrey Gamboa
Visual Development Artist, Modeler, Surfacer, Additional Rigging: Ross Turner
Modeler, Surfacer: Romain Albenque
Modeler, Surfacer, Lighter: Laura Cosner
Modeler, Surfacer: Amanda Estrada
Modeler: Brian Jefcoat, Makar Malitsky
Modeler, Surfacer, Effects Artist, Compositor: Anne Kim
Surfacer: Jessica Woo
Animators: Jessica Ambron, Mícheál Kiely, Ashleigh Thomas
Additional Animation: Molly Tapken
Effects Artists: Michael Chang, Katherine Harris
Impact Producer: Inflatable Film
Graphic Designer: Christina Chang
Funding has been provided to Guam International Film Festival, Inc. from Humanities Guåhan and the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) as part of the federal ARP Act of 2021.