Vimeo video festival awards

We love Vimeo. They host all our videos and provide us with a wealth of fantastic, enlightening film footage, free from awful talking dogs, Jackass copycats and serial weirdos. So, when they hosted their Festival Film Awards we took note.

Award judges included James Franco, Radiohead's Colin Greenwood, Snowboarding's Travis Rice, and David Droga, amongst a wealth of other talent.

The awards took place in New York City, handing out gongs over 13 categories, including a best in show which went to 'Symmetry', who received $30,000 for their troubles. You can watch the winning Symmetry video, and the other winners, above. We've also gone to the trouble of reviewing each one below, but we suggest you ignore that and just watch them instead - Far more enjoyable.

You can also find out more about the Vimeo awards here.

Grand Prix Winner: Symmetry

Unexpected, emotional, moving. Really clever mix of footage producing a video that is very unique. We can see why it won.

Advertising: K-Swiss

Ok. there's a lot of swearing in this one, but hat's off to K-Swiss for going with an idea and seeing it through. You need to be very brave to allow this into the public domain, but K-Swiss obviously know their target audience very well, and know that this can only reinforce their brand.

Experimental: Prie Dieu

One word. Insane. No insects were hurt making this one - all effects (including the wires) were added in post-production.

Documentary: Amar (all great achievements require time)

Follows 14 year old Amar, who holds down two jobs to support his family in India, and yet still managed to fit school in some how. Makes out day jobs look positively easy.

Music Video: Manchester Orchestra "Simple Math"

Slightly surreal with but some lovely art direction. Remember: Clunk click on every trip.

Fashion: Mulberry Skirt

Strange, but enjoyable story about a couple moving in together... or at least I think that's whatb it's about!

Action Sports: Dark side of the lens

Incredible short film about life behind the lens of a surf photographer. Worth watching even if you've never even thought about 'hanging ten' in your life (or even know what it means).

Motion Graphics: A History of the Title Sequence

Those of you expecting some computerised special effects video here may be disappointed. This twee little video mixes pin-sharp motion graphics into real life footage so well you'd swear they were really there.

Animation: Umbra

Up against a lot of strong competition, this short film from Malcolm Sutherland, follows the adventures of an explorer in a unknown world.. or so it seems. Slightly weird non the less.

Lyrical: Symmetry

As mentioned above, and hopefully already watched by you.

Captured: Sweatshoppe

New media art studio Sweatshoppe captures live interactive video on walls by painting a transparent wheat paste on to them. 'A what?' you ask. Needs to be seen to understand.

Remix: Rear Window Timelapse

A labour of love this for Jeff Desom. Painstakingly recreating the main scenes from Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock, in a timelapse format. Even if you've not seen the real film, it's still very impressive.

Narrative: Blinky

Starring Max Records (Where the wild things are) this big budget short film about a boy who gets bored of his robot while his parents marriage falls apart is surprisingly touching, and more than a little bit sad for a while.... I won't spoil the ending, but this would have been my winner!

As for next year, who knows, maybe we'll be up there.