News / 28 Feb 2025
Student film wins Best Animation in the National Student Film Awards 2025
BA (Hons) Animation
BA (Hons) Animation students have won Best Animation in the NAHEMI National Student Film Awards 2025 for their film 'Clucked'.
NAHEMI showcase a selection of students’ productions at national festivals such as Encounters and Aesthetica Short Film Festival. They organise competitions for student filmmakers and live briefs set by the advertising industry.
Animated short film 'Clucked' was chosen as an Official Selection at the festival before going on to win prizes. 'Clucked' was created by BA (Hons) Animation students Dean Hamami (director), Drin Rrahmani (producer) and Troy Wachira (assistant animator).
As well as Best Animation, Clucked also won runner-up in the Sound Design category. The film was voiced by BA (Hons) Graphic Design student Jacob Harris and professional actor Alf White.
Clucked follows the story of broiler chicken, Glenn, who walks us through his short life in a factory farm. The film uses humor to make the hard truths of factory farming more digestible.
Director Dean Hamami tells us: "Balancing comedy with such a serious subject was a challenge, but we knew that making people laugh would also make them listen."
"Seeing Clucked get selected for both RTS and NAHEMI awards has been surreal. Working on this film was a fascinating and insightful experience, learning more about the harsh realities of the poultry industry and finding a way to shed light on it through animation. We had so much fun bringing it to life, and it’s incredible to see it getting this kind of recognition. Big thanks to both RTS and NAHEMI nominators for this opportunity and congratulations to all other selected films—we can’t wait to see them!"
Dean Hamami and Drin Rrahmani, BA (Hons) Animation students
Clucked will be shown nationally at multiple festivals and NAHEMI events throughout the year.
NAHEMI is not the first organisation to have acknowledged the film - Clucked also won Best Factual Short Form film for the regional RTS awards.
"The animation process was intense but incredibly rewarding. We spent months refining Glenn’s character, designing movements and expressions that would make him feel real, relatable, and engaging. There was a lot of trial and error—figuring out how to visually balance the film’s comedic tone with its darker themes. Our animation tutors were incredibly supportive throughout, pushing us to make each scene as strong as possible. Their guidance made a huge difference, and we’re so grateful for their input."
Dean Hamami and Drin Rrahmani, BA (Hons) Animation students