After an incredibly closely contested battle between several of the world's top emerging filmmakers, Maxim Neafit Bujnicki's "The Obstacle" took home the prize, narrowly beating runner-up Stephan Eidt's animated short film "Italian Neighbours" to the finish line.

Chief Operating Officer of PutItOn.com Max Fraser praised Bujnicki for his "daring and innovative" film. "It was particularly hard choosing a winner from such a strong pool of candidates this year but "The Obstacle" stood out for me by ticking almost every box. This is a film that is wonderfully well executed from every technical standpoint, with a tremendous amount of emphasis placed on lighting, camera work, music and the black and white visuals that make it all so striking and set such a great tone. Furthermore and perhaps more importantly, the subject matter is daring and innovative in the sense that it defies convention by meshing a children's story with themes associated with the more despicable parts of adulthood - wanton violence, uncomfortable sexual chemistry and betrayal amongst friends.
A brilliantly made film which at once provokes thought while also inviting the viewer into the strange and uncomfortable world of the children who reside in it, we are delighted to declare "The Obstacle" the worthy winner of the 2011 PutItOn Picture Show." We will be getting Maxim's reaction in the next few days so please stay tuned.

Congratulations to him and of course a big thank you to all those who participated in the contest this year. We invite you all to start your preparations early this year for next year's Festival.