Last night, GIPHY — the five-year-old database and search engine for GIFs — hosted the inaugural GIPHY Film Festival in New York City in a bid to celebrate short-form content creators and video works no longer than 18 seconds.
The event was emceed by actor/writers John Early (30 Rock) and Kate Bernet, and the evening’s biggest winner was Ani Acopian (pictured above) — a self-proclaimed “visual storyteller” — who took home the Grand Prize for her GIF titled Washed Up (see below). The stunning 14-second film is set in Iceland and was created alongside fellow artist Cody Guilfoyle. Shot from overhead, Washed Up sees Guilfoyle laying on the beach as waves gently crash over his body.
“Video doesn’t need to be long to get across an emotion, concept or story,” Acopian — who has also been recognized by The Shorty Awards and the Tribeca Film Festival — said in a statement. “I’m excited GIPHY wanted to do something to celebrate that.” Acopian’s Grand Prize winnings included a cash prize of $10,000 and a five-year website subscription from Squarespace, which sponsored the event.