“Breadwinner” Helmer Nora Twomey to Be Recognized at Women in Animation’s Diversity Awards
Director and animator Nora Twomey will be among the honorees at Women in Animation’s first WIA Diversity Awards, which recognize artists and organizations dedicated to building a more inclusive animation industry. Per Variety, WIA is celebrating Twomey “for depicting cultural differences and gender gaps in today’s world” in her latest feature, “The Breadwinner.” Twomey and her fellow winners will receive their awards Thursday night at Spark Animation 2017 in Vancouver.
“The Breadwinner” made its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and recently screened at the London Film Festival. It follows Parvana (voiced by Saara Chaudry) as she poses as a boy in order to support her family in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.
Twomey, Paul Young, and Tomm Moore launched animation studio Cartoon Saloon in 1999. The Ireland-based company has produced shorts, TV projects, and feature films. Twomey and Moore teamed up in 2009 to direct “Secret of Kells,” an Oscar-nominated feature about a young boy who goes on an epic adventure with the help of a master illuminator and an ancient book. Twomey has also directed the shorts “From Darkness” and “Backwards Boy.”
TV movie “Eddie of the Realms Eternal,” series “Puffin Rock,” and short “Somewhere Down the Line” are among Twomey’s producing credits.
“Animation is a very unique medium which allows complex ideas to be explored through multiple conscious layers, yet it can appear simple,” Twomey told us about “The Breadwinner.” “The thoughts of basing an animated feature around this character, this environment, this complex set of circumstances, felt like something I had to take on. There are few times in my career I’ve felt so certain about something — this film is quite special to me.”
“The Breadwinner” is set to screen at Spark Animation, which takes place this Thursday through Sunday. The film hits theaters November 17.
