Wild Summon


Wild Summon is a 2023 eco fantasy animated short film directed by the filmmaking duo Karni Arieli and Saul Freed, also known as 'Karni & Saul', and narrated by British singer Marianne Faithfull in her final film role before her death in 2025. The 14-minute film depicts the life of a female salmon in the human form of a free diver. Wild Summon premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or for Best Short Film. It has been featured in a number of international film festivals, including the Annecy International [Animation Film Festival] and the Raindance Film Festival, where it won an award for Best Short Film. In January 2024, filmmakers Adam McKay, Kevin Messick, Guy Nattiv and Jaime Ray Newman came aboard as executive producers of the film.
On December 21st 2023, the film was shortlisted for the 96th Academy Awards in the category of Academy Award for [Best Animated Short Film|Best Animated Short Film] but ultimately was not nominated.

Summary

Having laid her eggs, a female salmon has died. Weeks later in the river, one of the salmon's offspring, a female, hatches out and begins her life, keeping herself safe among the pebbles.
When the seasons change, the salmon and her siblings migrate to the ocean. Along the way, the salmon gets tagged before being released back into the wild. After swimming for months, the salmon arrives in the ocean where she will grow bigger and stronger for the migration back home.
As the salmon grows into an adult, she survives predators which devour most of her siblings, a plastic bag underwater, fishermen who release her because of her tag, and disease affecting farmed salmon.
After living in the ocean for a few years, the salmon has mated and she and her school migrate back to the river where they were born. Upon successfully coming home, the salmon lays her eggs and dies.
In the water, the salmon's eggs develop, continuing the cycle of life and death.

Production

The film received funding from the British Film Institute and was made with a combination of live footage and 3D computer animation over the course of two years. The live footage was shot in Iceland during the pandemic, and the computer animation, produced by the Bristol-based Sulkybunny Studio, was made primarily with the Autodesk Maya, Arnold and SythnEyes softwares, and the compositing was done using Adobe After Effects.

Reception

Since its release, the film has been selected in various festivals around the world:
YearFestivalsAward/CategoryStatusRef.
2023Cannes International Film FestivalPalme d'Or for Best Short Film
2023Annecy International Animated Film FestivalCristal for Best Short Film
2023Stockholm Film FestivalBronze Horse for Best Short Film
2023Raindance Film FestivalBest Short FilmWon
2023Hamptons International Film FestivalGolden Starfish Award for Best Documentary Short
2023Fantasy FilmfestGet Shorty Award Won
2023Blue Danube Film FestivalBest Animated Film
2023Special Jury Prize for Best Short FilmWon
2023Grand Jury PrizeWon