Annecy

2012 Programme is now online

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 +0200

Discover the times of all the screenings: shorts and features in and out of competition, sneak previews, etc.

From 29^th May to 9^th June, you can reserve your screenings online via the online ticket reservation service.

From 10^th May to 22^nd May, the general public can buy a Week Pass.

You can also find the programmes for:

Consult the full programme

Illegal use of the Mifa name to extract a subscription

Mon, 07 May 2012 00:00:00 +0200

Watch Out!
If you are contacted by Expo-Guide, Fair Guide or Registre Internet Français for a listing in their publication, do not respond!

This Mexican company, with whom we have no connection, takes advantage of the participation of industry professionals in events such as Mifa by trying to extract a 3-year subscription fee to their guide of 1,181 EUR. Many legal procedures have already been taken out against this company throughout Europe as these practises are strictly against the law.

Call for Projects Selection 2012

Tue, 01 May 2012 00:00:00 +0200

25 Call for Projects have been selected. 273 have been submitted this year. .

Find out which ones.

The prizewinners will be announced during the Call for Projects presentations, which take place at the Creative Focus:

Tuesday 5^th June, 6-7:30 pm: Feature films
Wednesday 6^th June, 10 am-12:30 pm: Short films
Thursday 7^th June, 10 am-12:30 pm: TV series
Friday 8^th June, 9:30 am-1 pm: Cross-media followed the Mifa GMC networking sessions

During the Creative Focus, the consultation terminals will allow producers in search of new projects to view all those submitted, classified by target market and techniques.

Contact Stéphanie Launay to reserve your time slot.

Discover the features in competition

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0200

10 feature films have been selected in competition and 8 out of competition, among 82 films received.

Check out the official selection

Programme details will be available at the beginning of May.

Find out the winners at Annecy 2012 from 4^th to 9^th June.

Features in competition

Arrugas (Wrinkles), Ignacio Ferreras, Spain
Asura, Keiichi Sato, Japan
Couleur de peau : miel (Approved for Adoption), Laurent Boileau, Jung, France, Belgium
Crulic – drumul spre dincolo (Crulic – The Path to Beyond), Anca Damian, Poland, Roumania
Eun-sil-yee (The Dearest), Sun-ah Kim, Se-hee Park, South Korea
Voyage vers Agartha (Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below), Makoto Shinkai, Japan
Le Tableau, Jean-François Laguionie, Belgium, France
Ronal Barbaren (Ronal the Barbarian), Thorbjørn Christoffersen, Kresten Vestbjerg Andersen, Denmark
Tad, the Lost Explorer, Enrique Gato, Spain
Zarafa, Rémi Bezançon, Jean-Christophe Lie, France, Belgium

Features out of competition

Anima Buenos Aires, Argentina, Spain (presented in a WIP session in 2009)
Delhi Safari, India
Berserk: Ougon Jidai-Hen I "Haou No Tamago" (Berserk: The Golden Age Arc I "The High King's Egg"), Japan
Jean de La Lune (Moon Man), Germany, France
Momo e no Tegami (A Letter to Momo), Japan
Selkirk, el verdadero Robinson Crusoe, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay
The King of Pigs, Sang-ho Yeun, South Korea
Zambezia, South Africa

Sneak previews

The Suicide Shop, presented in a WIP session in 2010 and as opening film in 2012
Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted
The Day of the Crows, presented in 2008 in the Call for Projects (Creative Focus) and in a WIP session in 2011.
Dr Seuss' The Lorax
Ernest & Celestine, presented in a WIP session in 2011

Take a look at the interview with Max Howard

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 00:00:00 +0200

Producer Max Howard has produced films including The Hero of Color City, due for release in 2013.

You can see the interview on the Festival YouTube channel.

Official selection and Annecy 2012 poster

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Discover the Festival poster and the shorts, graduation films and TV and commissioned films in the official competition this year.

The International Animation Film Festival poster has been revealed. Check it out.

2,374 films (not including features) were submitted this year, which represents around 300 hours of screening time.

In competition:

49 short films
55 graduation films
60 TV and commissioned films (including 21 TV series, 2 TV specials and 37 commissioned films)

Out of competition:

40 short films selected

Check out the 204 films in the official selection for 2012.

Watch this space at the end of April to find out which features are in competition.

What are the writing codes for animation series?

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Get ready for the Master class about writing series to appeal to the whole family by taking part in a breakfast debate, presented by Patrick Eveno, in Paris on 15^th March 2012.

A breakfast debate, "Fiction and Animation series: Standardising Writing Techniques", will take place from 8:30 to 10:30 am, 15^th March 2012, Media Club (Paris).

There have been recent developments in writing fiction series to try and make them appeal to a wider audience. How does the animation series stand in this?

Are standards in writing techniques appearing that will work for both fiction and animation?

The panel: Patrick Eveno, CEO, CITIA, organiser of the International Animation Film Festival, the Mifa and the Forum Blanc (professional conferences about new uses and content), Jean-Pierre Dusseaux, fiction producer (Vab Production), David Michel, animation series producer, (Marathon Media), Jean-Marc Auclair, fiction writer and Franck Ekinci, animation writer, (Je Suis Bien Content)

The debate: the different writing codes in fiction and animation.

Please note that places are limited. Sign up

For more info on the Master class "From animated feature to series: writing for the family", Annecy, 4^th and 5^th June 2012

Kawamoto – Norstein : le marionnettiste et le peintre-animateur

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Discover the tribute to Kawamoto – Norstein: le marionnettiste et le peintre-animateur at the Forum des images on 23^rd, 24^th and 25^th March

On the programme: a screening of short and feature films by Kawamoto, and a conference about his work and a meeting with Norstein.

More info

Create an animation series for all the family

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 +0100

A 2-day Master class, held on 4^th and 5^th June, to get to grips with writing for series, features etc. that will interest the whole family!

What's the secret of writing a series or a feature film that will appeal to all the family?

You'll find the answer to this question during the Master class "From animated feature to series: writing for the family", set up by the Media Faculty, Gulli and with support from the SPFA.

The programme will include case studies of such international successes as Shrek 3, Puss in Boots or Scènes de ménage, with pointers on the writing techniques used to double or even triple the way of reading and cater to the entire family.

All participants in this Master class will have preferential rates for Mifa accreditation up to 15^th May 2012 (355 €).

Check out all the details about the Master class "From animated feature to series: writing for the family" and sign up.

César and Oscar results for best animation

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

The Rabbi's Cat was rewarded with the César for best animated film, while the Oscar went to Rango, and The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore picked up the statuette for best short.

It's interesting to note that two of these films also received nods at Annecy 2011: The Rabbi's Cat received the Cristal for best feature and Rango was spotlighted in a Making of session.

Annecy 2012: preview

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

To date (15^th February), over 2,350 films from 84 countries have been submitted for selection.
Check this space around 19^th March to discover the results of the official selection.

Annecy 2012 will be presenting programmes devoted to Ireland, guest country at this year's event.

Don't forget that you have till 15^th March to send in submissions for the feature competition.

Results will be published at the end of April.

International Animation Film Festival 2012

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Methods and factors concerning the film selection process, how the Festival functions, trends for 2012 etc.
Find out more by reading CITIA CEO Patrick Eveno's interview.

This interview was requested by Fous d'Anim following diverse questions and thoughts that appeared on their forum.

Extract from CITIA CEO Patrick Eveno's interview with Fous d'Anim.

About the selection process:

1/- Apparently this year the Annecy Festival has given up inviting an independent panel to choose the films in competition. Why make this decision and why at this particular moment?

The unquestionable competence and legitimacy of the team from the Creative Contents department at CITIA (headed by Laurent Million) led us to give them the task of choosing the films in competition from the four categories, working in close collaboration with the Festival's Artistic Director, Serge Bromberg.

It is also true to say that it was becoming more and more difficult to bring together 12 professional selectors during such a long period (10 days for the short films) in February or March. The situation had been under discussion at CITIA for a long time and the proven experience of our team was the deciding factor for our choice, which is more in keeping with the majority of well known international festivals.

2/- The decision to have an external panel was final, do you not think that by internalising the process, the Festival could be subjected to some "friendly pressure" from studios or regulars with a financial or personal interest to see their films in competition?

I will certainly vouch for the independence of this new selection panel, if the need arises. Their integrity is incontestable. The CITIA team, under my responsibility, will protect them from any pressure. There's nothing to say that this "friendly pressure" didn't exist before anyway. I remember that previously if someone was unhappy about not being selected they would blame or criticise the Festival rather than the selection committees.

About the premises:

3/- There was talk about renovations to Bonlieu, which were off then on again. It looks like the Festival will be taking place at Bonlieu after all, due to a delay in the asbestos removal work on the car park. Can you give us an update?

Annecy 2012 will be taking place at Bonlieu. In all likelihood, the work is due to begin around mid-June.

4/- Will this year's Festival be affected by this work?

No.

5/- How is the back-up plan for 2013 going?

Last autumn CITIA commissioned a study to find solutions for organising the Festival in 2013 and 2014. Technical and financial studies for the construction of temporary structures for screening and receiving the public, the press and partners have already been well defined. A number of locations have been evaluated for what they can offer and their proximity to Bonlieu. Our public partners have rallied together to meet these exceptional needs and final decisions will be made next summer depending on how the work is progressing.

About the Festival:

6/- Why has the creation of the Festival poster now become a competition that is part of a debatable system of non remuneration for the creator and graphic designer? Will this system continue?

We have merely made the consultation into a Call for Projects and we will be finalising the questions of copyrights and payment next year. It's a shame we can't allocate more money to this creative project, but it's yet another case that is affected by budget restrictions.

7/- Will the Festival continue to develop the mainstream angle it has been concentrating on for the past few years (guest international studios, voice actors etc.) at the expense of the auteur/art-house film?

The Festival will be continuing this "mainstream" angle, as you put it, but certainly not at the expense of auteur/art-house films. It's all about balance and I really think this balance is important. Over the past few years we've been giving feature films more space, but not at the expense of other formats. We must accept the fact that the feature film is part of an economy where the marketing is decisive and the lights are brighter. However, the Festival also chooses a diverse selection of films to show (opening films, sneak previews, Work in Progress etc.).

8/- Do you think the AnnecyOFF festival, created last year (and intended to replace Annecy Plus, created by Bill Plympton), is a threat, worrying for the visibility of the Festival, or confusing for festival-goers and professionals?

All the while AnnecyOFF remained AnnecyOFF everything was fine and we looked positively on this initiative created by a teenager for teenagers and young adults. But now, AnnecyOFF has become an alternative to the Festival that creates confusion with professionals who don't know who is contacting them and for what reasons. Frankly, we also have to say that this is a private operation that has to find funding and which, like us, is looking for sponsors. This creates a risk for the visibility of our event and its credibility in the eyes of the professionals and private partners (public partners have already clearly reaffirmed their exclusive support to CITIA). All this led us to send out a message, which can still be seen on our website, warning our loyal sponsors and organisations. Moreover, and in my opinion, AnnecyOFF in no way replaces Bill Plympton's Annecy Plus.

9/- A topic or guest for Annecy 2012?

Ireland is the guest country, and the artistic project and different topics for this year's Festival will be revealed later.

10/- Will there be any changes or new trends in the Festival editorial policy?

This is always a matter for debate. Of course there are going to be changes to our editorial policy in the future for the simple reason that our environment is in constant development.

11/- When will we get to see the Annecy 2012 visual?

When part of the official selection is announced in mid-March.

A Cat in Paris, interview

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:00:00 +0100

Check out the video about some of the secrets of production from the Work in Progress sessions at Annecy 2010.

A Cat in Paris has been nominated for an Oscar in the best animated feature category: results 26^th February,

Look at the video