California Institute of the Arts student Anna Scott was one of 15 students recognized by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for her short film, “Onions.”
Scott was awarded the BAFTA Global Student Accommodation award in animation for “Onions,” which follows the journey of two characters moving from one place to another and the “interesting things” they meet in the woods, Scott said.
“It’s a simple story,” she said. “It’s the characters’ adventures through the woods. It was inspired by natures and being outdoors, something I like to do myself. It wasn’t until the film was completed, I realized it was heavily inspired by my move from the East Coast to Santa Clarita.”
Scott moved to Santa Clarita in 2018 to pursue her passion for animated filmmaking. While in the middle of making “Onions,” the COVID-19 pandemic struck, prompting school closures and forcing Scott to continue working on the film in Vermont.
“We were working on it as the pandemic started to hit,” Scott said. “So, I tried doing whatever I could to get it done at school, but it just wasn’t going to happen.”
Scott said she had to continue working on the film from her home in Vermont and relied heavily on the equipment from CalArts to get it finished. She added it was a challenge to get it completed as her team’s communication quickly shifted to online conferences.
There was a big sigh of relief when the film was completed, Scott said, but it didn’t stop there. While at work, Scott said she checked her email and saw her film had made the BAFTA GSA shortlist, then ultimately, was awarded as one of the final 15.
“I checked my email randomly and when I saw the email saying it was a finalist I thought ‘wait, what?’” she said. I was in sort of a denial, like a disbelief, and sometimes I kind of feel like I still am.”
Scott will be recognized by the academy in late July during an award ceremony.
“If it wasn’t for my classmates or teachers — this film wouldn’t have been made without them,” she said.
Scott said she currently works in the film industry and has something in the works with partners. Although she said she was unable to talk about specifics on her next project, she said it’s in the same field as “Onions.”
“Onions” can be viewed on Scott’s YouTube channel at https://bit.ly/3doiB5d.
