Annecy International Animation Festival 8 – 14 June 2025 - Annecy, France

Overload Your Senses

Annecy is definitely an overload of the senses. With 18,200 accredited badge holders from 118 countries, the normally quiet resort town was bursting at the seams with people this year. Add to that 4,500 students attending the festival, and 6,550 people attending MIFA (Marché International du Film d’ Animation), and at least nine screening rooms (I am not sure if I counted correctly or not), it was still difficult to get tickets to many screenings and events.

I also spent too much time at MIFA this year, but there are people there who never get to the Bonlieu. The Imperial Palace Hotel, next to the massive two-story MIFA tent, also had industry panels, press conferences, MIFA pitches, and Partner pitches, which I wanted to attend. It felt like I spent most of the week running from one place to another.

After a very early flight from Zagreb on Sunday morning, Nik and I arrived in Annecy in time to pick up our opening night tickets. For the past few years, the opening night screening has usually been a mediocre feature film. This year, we were treated to a diverse program of short films, which was a treat. It took me back to the days when short animation was king at the festival.

Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, the duo who created the marvelous Madam Tutli-Putli, have made another magnificently crafted stop-motion film. Set primarily in 1910 Montreal, The Girl Who Cried Pearls is the story of a boy and the girl he falls in love with, and greed. Love doesn’t conquer all when greed rears its ugly head.

The film, with puppets made of silicone and painted in a realistic style, opens in the present. The major part of the film is a flashback, and the almost expressionless handmade characters resemble religious icons.

The attention to detail in the 17-minute film is amazing, with exterior sets that recreate early 1900s Montreal down to tiny details. The interior of the pawn shop is so full of interesting objects that it is impossible to take them all in with just one viewing of the film. The beautiful music, composed by Chris and Maciek’s long time collaborator, Patrick Watson, heightens the romantic atmosphere of the film.

The Girl Who Cried Pearls received the Benshi Award at Annecy. The award is given by the benshi.fr online children’s film platform. Created on the initiative of the Studio des Ursulines, an independent Parisian cinema specializing in a program of arthouse films for young audiences, Benshi is an independent site designed for parents and children aged 2 to 11. It is involved in presenting school screenings, where primary and middle school students vote for their favorite short film from the festival’s official selection. I am happy to see that young French students have such good taste. It bodes well for the future of well-crafted animation.

After a foray into directing live-action film, Theodore Ushev has returned to animation with Life With An Idiot (Le Vie Avec un Idiot). Based on a short story of the same name by Russian writer Victor Erofeyev, the story is a postmodern look at the absurdities and realities of Soviet Life.

The film, which is just as relevant today as when it was written, is the story of Vladimir, who is accused by “the authorities” of not working hard enough. As punishment, he is forced to live with an idiot, whom he chooses from an asylum. His name is Vova, and he can only pronounce one syllable: ooh. The 15-minute film is done in 2D with brush and India ink, and watercolor.

Of his latest film, Ushev has said, “If you follow an imbecile, the chance you’ll become an imbecile is very high; if you admire an idiot, your risk of becoming an idiot is very high”. When introduced on stage, Theodore said, “Fuck Putin, fuck Trump, and fuck the fascists”. The packed theatre burst into applause.

All was not doom and gloom on opening night. 9 Million Colors by Bara Anna Stejskalova is a 15-minute musical that asks the age-old question, “Can love conquer all?” The Czech/Norwegian co-production is set deep in the Ocean, combining stop-motion animation with 3D.

To the beautiful shrimp Fran, the ocean floor is a Garden of Eden. To Milva, a small eyeless fish, the ocean is a dangerous place where she spends her days struggling to survive and escape the perils that await her there. Fran sees Milva as beautiful and wants the ocean to be a beautiful place for Milva, too.

Because of her love for Fran, Milva tries, but she just can’t see what Fran sees, no matter what pair of eyes Fran sticks in her head. Can the pair overcome their differences and stay together? You have to watch 9 Million Colors to find out.

These three opening night films alone totaled 47 minutes. Granted, I thought that all three of them were worth the time I put in watching them, but I think, in general, short films have gotten too long. I watch films for festival selection committees, and I also program, and I see too many 20-minute films that would make a nice 7 to 10-minute film if they had an editor. I think the trend began during COVID, when in many cases filmmakers were working alone, had plenty of time, and not much money.

Filmmakers are generally shooting themselves in the foot by making longer and longer films. A festival can’t have a competition program made up of three 20-minute films. End of rant!

At the opening night ceremony, the fabulous Joanna Quinn received a well-deserved Lifetime Achievement Cristal. Joanna is the champion of the “every woman”. Her iconic character Beryl, a working-class Welsh housewife with artistic aspirations, is a role model for strong, independent women everywhere.

Three of Joanna’s award-winning short films, Famous Fred (1996), The Wife of Bath (1998), and Affairs of the Art (2021) have been nominated for the Oscar. Her first film, Girl’s Night Out, won three prizes at Annecy and brought her to the attention of the animation community as someone to watch. Along with making wonderful films, Joanna is committed to education and gives numerous workshops and masterclasses. At Annecy, she gave a masterclass, and a selection of her short films was screened as part of a program celebrating women in animation.

 Joanna and her films have won numerous awards, and now her trophy case includes the Annecy Lifetime Achievement Award. Joanna lives in Wales with Les Mills, who is her scriptwriter, producer, and partner.

On stage at the opening night ceremony, Joanna, upon receiving her award, dedicated it to animator Haneen Koraz, who runs animation workshops for displaced children in Gaza. In doing so, she said, “One day, she’ll (Koraz) be standing here, holding one of these (pointing to her Cristal Award), hint, hint. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the kids could come here and watch their films?” I think it would be wonderful if we could all see the children’s films with them at Annecy.

You can watch some of the children’s films at: https://www.patreon.com/c/AnimationStories

Joanna herself is involved with helping children in Gaza and has launched a project called To Gaza With Love: A Global Anijam. The project helps to raise money for Koraz’s workshops and encourages animators from around the world to create short messages of love and support for the Palestinian people. A curated collection of the films created for Anijam will be touring animation festivals this Fall.

You can see films that the international community has made to support Gaza on Joanna’s Instagram Page:   https://www.Instagram.com/joannaquinn/

Two other Lifetime Achievement Awards were handed out at other events during the festival to Matt Groening and Michael Gondry. Unless you have been under a rock for several decades, you know who Matt Groening is. The American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator is best known as the creator of the television series The Simpsons, one of the longest-running television programs in the United States (1989 to the present). He also developed Futurrama, an animated series about life in the year 3000, as well as a new series for Netflix, Disenchantment.

During the festival, Groening participated in a Master Class with fellow Simpsons writer and executive producer Matt Selman, and animator/director  David Silverman. They talked about the show's creative process and its ability to blend different types of humor and incorporate personal anecdotes. They also joked about the show’s knack for predicting the future.

French Director Michel Gondry is known for his handmade stop motion used in music videos for such artists as Bjork, The White Stripes, and Daft Punk. In 2004, he won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay as one of the writers of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

Along with receiving his Lifetime Achievement Award, Gondry was at Annecy to present his first fully animated feature film, Maya, Give Me Another Title. The film is a stop-motion collaboration with his daughter Maya.

For six years, beginning when Maya was four years old, she would think up titles for movie adventures and he would use them as the basis for short stop-motion films. Maya, Give Me Another Title premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, where it won the Children’s Jury Award for Best Film. In addition to the screening, Gondry also gave a Master Class.

Many years ago, I was introduced to When Apples Roll on a visit to Riga Films in Latvia. The seven-minute film by Reinis Kalnaellis is the story of how the Cat Vilhelm discovered the baby penguin Thelma in The Green Forest, where they live with Mouse Sophia. They take her in until they can reunite Thelma with her family. I love the story and the characters, and I still watch the DVD I have of the film.

At the festival this year, producer Vilnis Kalnaellis, owner of Riga Films and Reinis’ father, gave me a ticket to see Thelma’s Perfect Birthday. It is the new feature film starring Thelma and many of the loveable characters from When Apples Roll.

Thelma is growing up, but she is not like other penguins. She doesn’t like cold weather or snow. However, she lives in a frozen land of ice in a community where every penguin’s life is governed by strict rules and traditions.

Thelma is about to turn five years old. Native customs say that she must take The Great Leap, a ritual that will mark her transformation into a “perfect penguin”. What she really longs for is a birthday party with all of her friends there.

As the big day approaches, Thelma receives a letter from her old friends in the Green Forest, and so begins an unforgettable adventure with Cat Vilhelm and Sophie the Mouse. Although the film starts out with a child wanting the perfect birthday, really, it is about the pressures many children feel to “be perfect”.

On Thelma’s magical adventure, she learns how to let go, and that she doesn’t always have to be perfect to be loved by her family and friends. It is a journey of self-discovery.

The film’s visual style is inspired by watercolor and soft pencil textures. Thelma’s Perfect Birthday‘s target audience is 5 to 12 year olds, but as I sat in the theatre watching the 71-minute film, I felt like I was seven years old again, entering a magical world. The film was like finding old friends that I hadn’t seen for a long time, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

This year, Hungarian animation was spotlighted. Along with numerous screenings of recent and classic animation from their country, animation director Daniel Huszar came up with a unique way to bring Hungarian animation to the people. His Hunimation Hits The Streets was a city-wide installation and street art exhibition. You might come across characters from iconic and contemporary Hungarian films in the parks, restaurants, on exterior walls, and everywhere. Information boards accompanying the artwork offered information about the films and the various artists who created the outdoor gallery.

Nk and I did a book signing in the Bonlieu along with Joanna Quinn, who created the beautiful front and back covers for my book, On the Animation Trail, 20 Years of Animation Festival History. We were only scheduled to be there for one hour, but the line was so long that we were there for two hours. I have no illusions that the crowd was there to get my autograph. They were all there to meet Joanna and to get a signed drawing from her. We three had a really good time together.

Many years ago, Joanna asked if she could initiate a Rounders Game at our annual Annecy Saturday picnic. We had no idea what Rounders was, but of course, we said, “Why not!” as we welcome any participation at our picnic. She had not been to the festival for several years, so it was great fun having her back to organize and officiate the Rounders game. In years that Joanna is not there, Jamie Badminton, founder and creative director of Karrot Animation (think Sara and Duck, Peppa Pig, among other much-loved series), takes over running the game and awards the trophy and champagne that Joanna provides to the person selected as the most valuable player in the game. Rounders, by the way, is a bat and ball game played between two teams. It is popular in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Joanna explained it to me as softball for dummies.

Aside from being a wonderful animator, David Silverman is an excellent tuba player. He always brings a tuba to festivals. When he and Nik get together, they play and play. Our picnic was treated to an entire afternoon of wonderful music thanks to David and Nik.

The picnic has grown so large that I don’t know who some of the people are who are there, but that is fine because everyone is welcome. Since people bring food and drink to share, there is always more than enough to go around.

For years, we had a paddle boat race at the picnic, but the festival has gotten so large that it is almost impossible for everyone who wants to race to get boats at the same time. There are children’s horse and cart peddle rides right next to where we have the picnic. Just so no one’s peddling legs get out of shape, we are going to be peddling on horses next year.

Annecy usually begins the day after Animafest Zagreb ends; however, next year it will be a week later, 21 – 27 June. Mifa will take place from the 23^rd through the 26^th. This is a change from the dates that were announced at the closing night ceremony, because on the 17^th of June, the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, announced that the next G7 Summit will be held in the Haute-Savoie Region, where Annecy is located, on the date that was officially scheduled for the festival. As I mentioned earlier, Annecy is already overcrowded with the festival, so it's unlikely that we could all be there at the same time. As usual, politics takes precedence over art and culture.

You can read more about the Annecy International Animation Festival at:

Annecyfestival.com

2025 WINNING FILMS

Feature Films

• Cristal Award for Best Feature Film: Arco – Ugo Bienvenu (France)

• Jury Award: ChaO – Studio 4°C (Japan)

• Contrechamp Grand Prix: Endless Cookie – Seth & Pete Scriver (Canada)

• Contrechamp Jury Award: The Square – Bo-Sol Kim (South Korea)

• Gan Foundation Award for Distribution: Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake – International co-production

• Audience Award: Little Amélie or the Character of Rain – Maïlys Vallade (France)

• Paul Grimault Award: Dandelion's Odyssey – Momoko Seto (France)

Short Films

• Cristal Award: The Night Boots – Pierre-Luc Granjon (France)

• Jury Prize: Les Bétes – USA

• Audience Award: The Night Boots – France

• Off-Limits Award: The Graffiti – Japan

• Jean-Luc Xiberras Award (First Feature): Murmuration – Netherlands/Belgium

• Alexeieff–Parker Award: Sappho Award – Brazil

TV & Commissioned Productions

• Cristal for TV Production: Christo The Civilized Barbarian – “Hunting Party” (USA)

• Cristal for Commissioned Production: Naive New Beaters, Star Feminine Band – “Ye Kou Si Kuo” (France)

• Jury Prize (TV Series): Lena's Farm – “Volles Nest” (Germany/Croatia)

• Jury Prize (Special): An Almost Christmas Story (USA)

• Jury Prize (Commissioned): Desi Oon (India)

• Audience Award: Freaked Out – “Major Decision” (Belgium/France)

Graduation Films

• Cristal Award: Zootrope – France

• Jury Award: Between the Gaps – France

• Lotte Reiniger Award: Q – Japan

VR & Special Awards

• Cristal for Best VR Work: Fragile Home – Czech Republic

• France TV Award (Short Film): At Night – Iran

• SACEM Awards (Soundtrack):

  • Short Film: Dollhouse Elephant – Finland

  • Feature Film: Arco – France

  • Jury Special Distinction: Death Does Not Exist – Canada/France

• CANAL+ Junior Jury Award: Forevergreen – USA

• Young Audience Award: The Great Annual Party of the Creatures of the Moon – Canada

• André Martin Award (French Short): The Night Boots – France

• Festivals Connexion Award (VR): Fragile Home – Czech Republic

• XPPen Award (Graduation Film): Won’t Be Here – China

• Vimeo Staff Pick Award: Les Bétes – USA

• City of Annecy Award: Ibuka, Justice – Canada

• City of Annecy Jury Special Distinction: Psychonauts – Croatia