Kate Bush wins animation award at Welsh film festival for anti-war short

Kate Bush has won an animation prize at a Welsh film festival for her anti-war short film inspired by the conflict in Ukraine.

Little Shrew (Snowflake) picked up the Animation prize at this year’s Carmarthen Bay Film Festival. Released in 2024, the four-minute animation is the Grammy-nominated singer’s directorial debut.

Bush said: “How wonderful! Little Shrew is incredibly excited that she’s been awarded such a huge honour. Thank you so very much from her, myself and all the team. We are over the moon!”

The singer first decided to create Little Shrew in 2022 when news broke out about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, writing on her website that “In particular, I hoped to draw attention to the children caught up in war.”

The film follows a Caucasian pygmy shrew as she explores a war-torn city in search of Hope, represented by a yellow will-o’-the-wisp. It is soundtracked by ‘Snowflake’, a song Bush wrote for her son when he was a child.

Original designs for the film were created by Jim Kay, with animation by Nicolette Van Gendt, Alan Kerswell and James Gifford from Inkubus.

“It has been enormous fun working with this incredibly talented team, and part of that was the unusual opportunity to work with such a small company,” Bush explained.

“Working on this has been a fascinating process. I love being creative in the visual medium as well as in audio. Working directly with the animators has been surprisingly similar in many ways to working with musicians, where you are creating through someone else’s hands.”

Bush also requested that anyone who views the film make a donation to War Child, or any charity that supports children during wartime, saying: “War can be an unimaginable horror for a child. You could be hope for that child caught up in war. You could make a real difference.”

The film took five months to create, and since release has screened at several BAFTA-qualifying events, including at Carmarthen Bay Film Festival.

The festival took place from 18 to 21 May 2026, culminating in an awards gala hosted by presenter and the festival’s Creative Producer, Stifyn Parri, at Ffwrnes Theatre in Llanelli.

Stifyn Parri said: “What an incredible year it has been for the Carmarthen Bay Film Festival. This year’s success has been beyond anything I could have imagined—most notably because a lifelong inspiration of mine, Kate Bush, shared her remarkable work with us by entering her film.

“​Congratulations to Kate, and to every single winner and nominee with us tonight. It is the calibre of your incredible artistry that secures our place as Wales’s premier film festival. Cheers to you all, and congratulations! Llongyfarchiadau!”

The awards showcased both international and homegrown talent, with Anthony D’Ambrosio’s Triumph of the Heart taking the Feature Film prize, while Aaron Wheeler’s The Edge of Existence claimed the Feature Documentary award.

Ian Puleston-Davies earned the Short Film Made in Wales honour for Box of Frogs, and the Rising Star Award went to Isaac Thornton and Danny Taylor for The Cards We’re Dealt.

Festival Director Simon Howlett said: “The quality and diversity of films submitted to CBFF this year has been truly exceptional. Our judges had an incredibly difficult task selecting winners from such a strong field of nominees.

“We are proud to celebrate filmmakers whose passion, creativity, and dedication continue to inspire audiences and demonstrate the strength of independent filmmaking worldwide.”

Since its inaugural edition in 2011, CBFF has grown from 35 submissions to over 800 entries annually, representing filmmakers from more than 64 countries. For the full list of 2026 winners, visit the festival’s site here.