Sixteen South takes honours with pre-school award win

The British Animation Awards celebrate the finest quality in animation and Driftwood Bay saw off stiff competition from the Clangers and more than 100 other entries.

Driftwood Bay has a star studded cast including Stephen Fry, Peter Mullan, Jane Horrocks and Richard Dormer who join Lily, voiced by local girl Orlagh O’Keefe. The show has also won an IFTA, an Irish Animation Award, Broadcast Award, Parent’s Choice Award and been nominated for a BAFTA, a Bulldog Award, a Chicago International Film and Television Festival Award.

“The BAAs are awards for our industry by our industry and for our peers to recognise our work like this is so special,” said Sixteen South founder and creative director Colin Williams.

“It takes over 90 people more than two years to bring a series of Lily’s Driftwood Bay to life so this award has been earned by the whole Sixteen South family.”

Judges said that given the strong line-up they were persuaded by the combination of aesthetic, voice performances and music in Lily’s Driftwood Bay and they paid particular credit to the brave and sensitive handling of the story told in the episode.

“Our winning episode, ‘Goodbye Seabird’ deals with the subject of death when Bull’s friend, Old Razorbill is washed up by the sea.

“It explores the need to mourn loss but more importantly to celebrate life and good times.

“We made this show to be a mirror to the real lives of children and reflect the world that they live in.”