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Annecy 2018

Annecy 2020 Online



DOMINIQUE PUTHOD
Chairman, CITIA

MICKAËL MARIN
CEO, CITIA

Since 1960, Annecy’s heart has been beating to the rhythm of the Festival. This year it will have a different rhythm, but it will be beating with the same force.

What you will be discovering during the next two weeks is the result of intense work and the immense mark of respect that we hold for the artists, studios, and all those who work to making animation film a major art form. It is a testimony to a loyalty and commitment, and maybe even a new token of love for a community that we are unfortunately unable to welcome to Annecy this year. We appreciate the work required to create, produce and make a film, and the time needed to develop a company, an editorial line and a catalogue. For these reasons, and for so many others, it was our duty to support these works, celebrate the artists and be the catalyst for industry exchanges.

And we are thrilled in the knowledge that soon, once again, we will be able to see paper planes flying inside the Bonlieu main theatre, feel the Annecy public buzzing and sharing this unique pleasure of being all together inside a cinema theatre. We must also prepare for the life after. This cannot be done without a central place dedicated to Culture and the cinema. Annecy will be there. Through the Festival, the Mifa, and through a panoply of projects led by CITIA, we will multiply our efforts and have the flags flying high for cinema film, and especially for animation film.

We end these few lines with our warm thanks to our founding members, who remained loyally by our sides and knew how to assist us through this unprecedented situation. Thanks also goes to our partners and suppliers who have proven their unwavering solidarity and commitment. Finally, thank you to our entire CITIA team who knew how to be ingenious and pull out all the stops for this project and create a unique offer that will stand out in the history of the Festival and the Mifa.

A festival, like filmmaking, is teamwork. Always remember that the power of a collective and the pursuit of a common interest will always carry us forward to a brighter and better future.

Have a wonderful Festival and Mifa, and see you for real in 2021!

Festival

CITIA

MARCEL JEAN
Artistic Director

As I sit and write these words, it is with enthusiasm and determination that we move forward into the unknown, towards this Annecy Online edition something that was unimaginable just a few short months ago. Our willingness and passion have never wavered, despite our deep deception of not being able to welcome you to Bonlieu, and already saddened at the idea of not seeing the majestic screen rise above the Pâquier next to the lake. 

This Annecy online edition will be memorable, above all because the selection that we are offering you is a testimony to the vitality of contemporary animation as well as to the artists and companies’ solidarity who have remained resolutely by our sides in the torment of this pandemic.

Here I have a very special thought for all the artists, whether they are directors, animators, editors, musicians, sound designers... They have all worked their hearts out and to the limits of their technical expertise, respecting their audiences and their art. Everyone dreamed of a premiere on the big screen, in a theatre kitted out with a projection system calibrated to the industry’s highest standards. Promoting their film online was inconceivable, but then History decided otherwise...

To everyone, beloved creators, honorable friends, I just want to say that the entire Annecy 2020 team has pulled out all the stops so that what we shall experience together will do justice to your talents. We will be in the presence of the big screens again soon, the Annecy team will be there to support your efforts and we will do everything possible to ensure that the 2020 award-winning films reach audiences in theaters.

The Annecy 2020 Online’s programming is remarkable in more ways than one. You will have two weeks to discover its richness, diversity, and audacity. Hopefully the freedom that the web provides will let you, as festivalgoers, explore more of the sections that you are less used to seeing. Beloved festivalgoers, take the plunge! Stay creative!

Minister of Culture

FRANCK RIESTER
Minister of Culture

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival has been around for 60 years! Unfortunately we will celebrate this anniversary next year. However the Festival will be holding an online edition to bring animation to life and showcase all the creative riches.

The history of animation comes together with the Annecy Festival and its Market, which is established as the most important event in the profession, both in France and internationally.

In thirty years French animation has become a worldwide artistic reference, a decisive asset for the film and audiovisual economy, and beyond that, for our culture’s international reach. The recent success of French animation films, or those directed in France, shows the extraordinary quality of our skills and our creators. Backed by the public authorities and supported by a dynamic network of businesses, the professionals demonstrated boldness and inventiveness, renewed formats and stories, and won over the hearts of a very wide audience.

The entire Government, and of course most importantly the Minister of Culture, will be at their sides to support them during this ordeal that the health crisis represents for everyone in culture.   

Bravo to the Festival and their teams, for knowing how to adapt in this exceptional time worldwide, and we wish you an excellent online edition!

CNC

DOMINIQUE BOUTONNAT
Chairman of the CNC

As I write this, the world is launched in a determined, yet uncertain battle with the coronavirus. We have never known a phenomenon of such magnitude or brutality, and the repercussions on the cinema, and on audiovisual creation are immense. Behind the statistics, thousands of people’s lives have been turned upside down. But, the French have shown that by resuming reading habits, watching films and audiovisual works at home that culture plays an essential role in our life’s balance. 

Another beneficial lesson we have learned is, as human beings, we consist of mind and body, neither of which survives independently. Thus the call to the public authority was unanimous, and the CNC ensured its public service missions by continuing its activity and by putting into effect emergency measures for the entire sector. These measures have strengthened government support systems for businesses and temporary workers, to avoid industrial and human disasters in our sector. Thanks to all this, the worst has been avoided.

By saving these jobs and these projects, we save ourselves. We are now in the recovery phase and together we will invent new avenues for creation in the future.

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region

LAURENT WAUQUIEZ
Chairman of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region

We are France’s esteemed cinematic region. The 7th art was born here, let’s live up to this fine heritage. The Annecy International Animation Film Festival is the perfect example of this by being the most important global meeting place in the animation film industry, and also a sector of excellence in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

Last year I had the opportunity to go there and announce that the Region was strengthening its financial support in the animation sector. As from now we are positioned as the foremost region of France to support animation film production. Along with Florence Verney-Carron, our Regional Vice-President, responsible for Culture and Heritage, we are providing the means for this industry to have an increased impact on an international level.

I also know how many festivals are being impacted by the health crisis that we are experiencing. I would like to express to the organisers that they can count on us for our full support. As such, successfully maintaining the Festival, even in a digital form, it is quite a feat. Congratulations to the entire team!

I hope everyone has an excellent Annecy 2020 Online, and that it will be a wonderful film celebration. We certainly all need one.

Haute-Savoie Department

CHRISTIAN MONTEIL
Chairman of the Department

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival is 60 years old this year. In the meantime, whilst we wait to celebrate this special year due to the current exceptional health crisis that we are going through, the Annecy Festival decided to fulfill your expectations by offering a 2020 online edition from 15th to 30th June.

Therefore, via the www.annecy.org website and a special video platform, you will have access to most of the films in competition, exclusives, unreleased films, and masterclasses. The Mifa has scheduled a programme to support animation professionals around the world to organize their online meetings to guarantee exchanges and give birth to new projects.

The Departmental Council is a loyal Festival partner. The very history of its commitment reflects what the community had hoped for over and above the event, in terms of jobs, development and economic opportunities for young people and businesses. Through their support the community shows its willingness to see the animation market, with its international reach, develop in their region and highlight an economic action that is gradually forging its place on our territory. 

Annecy Town Hall

THE MAYOR OF ANNECY

2020 is a paradoxical year, with the promise of an exceptional edition to mark the 60th anniversary of the International Animation Film Festival, and this promise undermined by an historical public health crisis.

Hence, in full solidarity with all of CITIA’s partners, at the beginning of April and with deep sadness we took the decision to cancel organising the 60th anniversary, but fear not, we will celebrate it in 2021.

Convinced that this great event couldn’t take place within such a context, with such tight restrictions, we were equally convinced that Annecy’s soul, its identity, should continue to vibrate to the rhythm of all the creators and artists that give birth to animation films, and enrichen this marvelous ecosystem of the moving image every day. 

This is where the desire erupted for a unique 2020 edition, "reinvented" and ONLINE, enabling animation enthusiasts and professionals to access the Festival and Market’s offers in a digital form: competition films, making of, meetings, and more.

I praise the unlimited enthusiasm and energy of CITIA’s team, who are skillfully preparing this virtual gathering that will take place between 15th and 30th June. 

For the Annecy people, loyal to the general public events that usually punctuate the Festival, if health conditions allow, we will have open-air screenings in the Annecy region.

Animation film is an inherent part of Annecy’s cultural DNA; it is up to us to support and promote its development, to acknowledge and draw out its talents, and to continue cultivating it into the region’s economic sector.

This Online Festival will make history.

In the meantime, as Annecy awaits to welcome you again, and in person, in 2021, I hope the curious and passionate enjoy this incredible digital 2020 edition of the International Animation Film Festival.

France Télévisions

DELPHINE ERNOTTE CUNCI
President Director General of France Télévisions

2020 will definitely not look like any other year. Not only is it the first time ever, due to its context, that the International Animation Film Festival and its Market will be held virtually, and temporarily be absent from Annecy, it is also a year marked by a special event in the public’s and animation world’s interest: the birth of Okoo, the new, unique and emblematic public service brand for children.

Launched this year, just a few weeks before the exceptional events unravelled, the new offer from France Télévisions quickly acknowledged a new audience and fulfilled the expectations of the youngest audience among us. Now there are more than 3 million children, per week, in contact with Okoo, a testimony to their allegiance to a public service.

With its innovative stance this offer is adapted to contemporary uses and is at the forefront of state-of-the-art digital TV. It is already considered a European benchmark. Its creativity provides a platform for showcasing the best French creation and animation, thus highlighting our country’s excellence in this sector. By adding, rather than opposing, linear TV’s strength to digital’s depth and diversity, they knew how to get the best out of the entire television’s scope.

This launch is above all a reflection of the partnership that exists between public television and the animation sector. A partnership that enables France Télévisions to continue being a powerful and loyal investor. A partnership that particularly means they can showcase French animation across the world. A partnership that also constitutes an essential legitimate basis for a public group, which aims to support spectators who are essentially citizens in the making.

The genesis behind Okoo is an ambitious editorial project: to continue maintaining a link that connects public service with children and subsequently supports the future generations in a shared imaginative world.

Mifa

CITIA

VÉRONIQUE ENCRENAZ
Head of Mifa

17th March – 15th June 2020: three months have gone by since the team were placed in lockdown, three months that seem like an eternity, where life, work, relationships, and future prospects have all been turned upside down.

Three months to reinvent ourselves and pull out all the stops! Because we are walking on virgin territory, who would be able to predict the result of such an undertaking, of an adventure that no one has ever tried before until now?

Mirroring the rest of the world’s current feelings, a mixture of concern and adrenalin has taken hold of the Annecy Festival and Mifa team, as even though there’s this fear that COVID-19 touches a colleague, parent, or friend, there is also the feeling that we are a part of an unprecedented event that is taking us on an extraordinary adventure. Due to this we have discussed a great deal with you, and established the Mifa 2020 Online programme.

The Annecy Network is now packed with virtual stands from individual companies, but also pavilions so that delegations can pool their industry, support and solidarity, all the essentials for this post-lockdown period. A tool for organizing meetings and a video platform complete our selection of tools, to maintain the events that you elect each year: Mifa Pitches and Pitching Territory Focus, live Share With sessions with Q&As or individual meetings, matchmaking with the Meet the…, Industry Territory Focus, or Mifa Special Events, Mifa Campus and Press Conferences. Not forgetting the video library and its 500 programmes.

Let’s take advantage of this unprecedented time together, online yes, but the new tools have proved throughout this lockdown that they don’t alter creativity but encourage it, and push each individual to express with heightened dynamism and audacity the current disconcerting feelings and sensations that we are all experiencing.

We hope you enjoy these two weeks brimming with discoveries and meetings, make the most of the fortnight, wholeheartedly! And let’s look forward to meeting lakeside at Annecy, 15th to 18th June 2021, for a phenomenal Mifa that will be celebrating African animation!

CNC

DOMINIQUE BOUTONNAT
Chairman of the CNC

As I write this, the world is launched in a determined, yet uncertain battle with the coronavirus. We have never known a phenomenon of such magnitude or brutality, and the repercussions on the cinema, and on audiovisual creation are immense. Behind the statistics, thousands of people’s lives have been turned upside down. But, the French have shown that by resuming reading habits, watching films and audiovisual works at home that culture plays an essential role in our life’s balance. 

Another beneficial lesson we have learned is, as human beings, we consist of mind and body, neither of which survives independently. Thus the call to the public authority was unanimous, and the CNC ensured its public service missions by continuing its activity and by putting into effect emergency measures for the entire sector. These measures have strengthened government support systems for businesses and temporary workers, to avoid industrial and human disasters in our sector. Thanks to all this, the worst has been avoided.

By saving these jobs and these projects, we save ourselves. We are now in the recovery phase and together we will invent new avenues for creation in the future.

European Commission

LUCÍA RECALDE
Head of Unit – Audiovisual Industry and Media Support Programmes, European Commission – Directorate General for Communications Networks, Content & Technology (DG CONNECT)

Animation has always been a key part of the European audiovisual industry and it has witnessed substantial growth in the last decade. That said, these promising trends are now threatened by the COVID-19 outbreak and its impact on the film industry. This new landscape will entail important challenges for the sector but also potential opportunities because, in a moment when several productions were forced to stop, animation could come up as the solution for some of the projects.

Creative Europe MEDIA will continue to support the sector both in mitigating the impact of the crisis and in helping seizing the opportunities that this new scenario might offer. In fact, building a stronger European animation sector was already foreseen in the planning of the new programme after 2020, in which the main objective is to strengthen the European audiovisual sector to offer high quality content that has international appeal and market potential.

Despite 2020 being an online edition, Mifa in Annecy remains a crucial strategic event where we will have the chance to listen to the professionals and discuss together how we can best support the sector in such challenging times.

France Télévisions

TIPHAINE DE RAGUENEL
Head of Youth Programming and Animation

This year we may not have the pleasure of meeting on Annecy’s lakeside at the Impérial Palace, Bonlieu, or in the Chardon d’Écosse, but we can share the passion for animation that unites us. Thanks to the commitment of CITIA’s team, instead we will be meeting at a virtual Festival and Market.

We would like to share this passion for animation with an animation offer promoting original creation and adapted to each audience.

Animation programmes are the key to Okoo’s success with its new public service for children aged 3 to 12. Launched in December 2019, Okoo is already enjoyed by 3 million children with almost 40 million videos viewed each week. The children’s favourite heroes include: Simon, Jean-Michel Super Caribou, Grizzy and the Lemmings, Oscar and Malika and Mike, une vie de chien, all of which come from this proactive policy promoting animated creations. Likewise, the innovative and educative content specifically created for digital like Les Comptines d’Okoo, Patamuse, and 1001 Moyen-Âges, are very popular with children.

Thanks to its policy of supporting animation creation, France Télévisions is also drawing an editorial line focused on new animation audiences. By introducing teenagers to adult animation with daring forms of humour. Out of all of France.tv/slash genres this year the new seasons of La Petite Mort and M. Flap were among the biggest successes. The series Brazen inspired a work by Pénélope Bagieu, which was also viewed by more than 10 million France Télévisions viewers.

In a period of heightened competition and accelerated changes in media consumption patterns, France Télévisions is centre-stage. As the leading investor in the French sector, we create programmes that are both educational and entertaining providing a variety of offerings, universes and representation models for the public interest.

Meetings

CITIA

ARNAUD MIQUEL
Head of Professional Meetings

Annecy is a celebration.

For 60 years, Annecy has been this timeless bubble where the entire animation industry’s creativity, dynamism and generosity are celebrated next to the lake. Like the Festival and the Mifa, the Meetings were preparing for this exceptional anniversary edition.

The last few months’ upheavals have forced us to review our copy and adapt, just like the rest of the sector. Thanks to the unfaltering support from our partners, whom we warmly thank for their trust, we are proud to present the new programme to you, as discerning and qualitative as ever, and be able to offer it to all badgeholders, without limited seating, badges or border restrictions.

The format may be different, but the Annecy Meetings spirit remains unchanged, pursuing its aim to share knowledge, inspiration and highlight future projects.

With all these same values we already look forward to seeing you in 2021 to learn from this ordeal and together prepare a productive and virtuous future.  

We can’t wait to meet up with you again, and long live animation!