2023 Winner: Third Place ($25 Prize)
I (heart) Jack Lalanne: A Cartoon Memoir (2022) – United States
Directed by LeAnn Erickson
The filmmaker, a lesbian, feminist baby boomer, shares her coming out story with the help of exercise guru Jack LaLanne.
I (heart) Jack LaLanne: A Cartoon Memoir uses classic and computer-based animation techniques that serve as the visuals to voiceover storytelling. Original drawing combines with rotoscoping, composited archival video clips float inside retro televisions, while stop-motion vitamins march toward their mark.
Combining animation with the written memoir, I (heart) Jack LaLanne pushes the conventions of documentary film. This LGBTQ coming of age story also addresses a little explored area of the medium, the ramifications of female aging in a society obsessed with youth.
