Annecy

The Festival Poster is revealed!

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 00:00:00 +0100

Energy, joy and a luminous horizon for the 2021 Annecy Festival and Mifa poster!

The Annecy Festival really wanted to call upon Jean-Charles Mbotti Malolo again to do the 2021 poster.

After a completely online 2020 edition, the tribute to animation from the African continent and the Festival’s 60th anniversary were rescheduled for this year, we wanted this explosion of colours and energy again that brought the lakeside to life in our poster last year. Let’s hope they can once again vibrate throughout the city this June!

"Annecy loves supporting creators. It’s an integral part of our DNA. Jean-Charles Mbotti Malolo is a regular at Annecy and his latest film Make It Soul, presented at the 2018 Festival, summarised the festive and energetic spirit of the event. We will remember when Jean-Charles and his friends invaded the stage to dance joyously as the credits finished rolling out, carrying the spectators along for the ride. This poster is also a reminder of this magical moment that only Annecy holds the secret."
Marcel Jean, Artistic Director

"I am immensely honoured to work on the poster again for the 2021 edition.
I would really have loved to collaborate a second time with Simon Roussin, like last year, but he was already committed to a personal project.
I felt the need to do this poster on paper, maybe to push myself to return to a more traditional art form on a daily basis, but also because screens have taken up even more place in our lives since the current health crisis began.
The theme is similar to 2020, so I kept to our guideline, the pantsula, a traditional South African dance that symbolises the modern view I have of Africa.
I wanted to link this with a unique character: an older woman, independent, free and joyous, who is enjoying the sun’s rays reflecting on the lake.
Last year’s Festival was online, let’s hope we can all join the pantsula dancers on the Annecy pontoons this June 2021!"

Biography

Jean-Charles Mbotti Malolo

Born in Lyon in 1984, Jean-Charles studied at the École Émile Cohl in the filmmakers’ section and graduated in 2007 with a commendation from the jury.
His graduation film The Heart is a Metronome won the prize for Best First Film at the Hiroshima Festival in 2008.
Drawing is his prime passion, but dance has always been a part of his means of expression. He joins the Stylistik dance company in 2008. In June 2012, Jean-Charles learns sign language so he can write and direct The Sense of Touch, under the friendly watchful eye of Emmanuelle Laborit. This second short film, combining the aesthetics of dance and sign language, receives more than 20 international awards, among over 60 festival official selections.
Les Mots is the first stage show choreographed by Jean-Charles – a solo for two performers – that sees the light of day in early 2017. He continues this working journey using non-verbal communication.
His last film, Make It Soul, with Simon Roussin’s graphics, is designed to pay tribute to the essence of African-American music, by reviving Solomon Burke and James Brown. It was nominated for the César for Best Short Animation Film 2020.
He is currently working on a hybrid documentary series (animation and live shots).

Download the Annecy 2021 Poster

The Annecy Festival team is working on a hybrid edition that will be held from 14^th to 19^th June. We are in the process of finalising the on-site and online offers, and various access formulas that will be presented when accreditations open in April.

Call for Projects Meet the Composers

Mon, 15 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0100

Directors and producers, do you have a 50% financed animation project and you need to complete its musical universe?
Don’t delay, register your projects and meet the composers at the 2021 Mifa!

The Mifa and the Aubagne International Film Festival, in partnership with the Sacem, are providing support to producers and directors looking for a musical universe for their next animation film.

During the 2021 Mifa, 15^th to 18^th June, you can meet the appropriate composers during dedicated meetings.

This scheme aims to:

Support the production of original music for animation film
Accompany young composers devoting themselves to composing music for images towards professional integration
Facilitate meetings and future collaborations

Don’t delay, you have until 15^th March 2021 to register your projects!

> Registration and terms and conditions
If you have any questions, contact us at this address: meetthecomposers2021@citia.org

The Annecy Festival Residency’s Winning Writers

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0100

The three projects, chosen for the Annecy Festival Residency dedicated to animated feature film, were revealed recently. Let’s now learn a little more about the writers.

In April, CITIA will launch its first Annecy Festival Residency focused on "Graphic Development for Animated Feature Films". After a call for projects, the selection committee decided on three promising projects that were unveiled in November: Piece, Heirloom and Le Cœur à danser.

Today, we would like you to discover these future animation feature film writers who will be joining the Residency in Annecy for three months starting in April. They will be assisted in the development of their graphics to enrich their narratives.

Pierre Le Couviour and Amine El Ouarti, Co-directors of Le Cœur à danser, France
At the outset, they followed different paths: Pierre Le Couviour acquired an HND in Graphic Design at the Olivier de Serres School – where he created the comic magazine Flûtiste with his friends – and Amine El Ouarti trained as a surveyor. Subsequently, they both went to the Georges Méliès Animation School. Their graduation film Kali Mata was their first collaboration. They then continued to work together on various projects, for example, La Cité emmurée, a short film currently produced by the company Special Touch. Le Cœur à danser is their first feature film project.

Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, director of Heirloom, India
Upamanyu Bhattacharyya is an animator, filmmaker, comic book artist and illustrator. He graduated from the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India (2014). He co-directed Wade (2019) with Kalp Sanghvi, an short film, which won the City of Annecy Award at Annecy 2020. He is a founding partner of Ghost Animation, Kolkata, and Otter Studios. Currently, he is finishing work on his next solo-animated short film, Ten, a dark comedy about the mass exodus from Bangladesh in 1971. He is also developing his first feature film, Heirloom, set in Ahmedabad in the 1960s.

Alan Holly, director of Piece, Ireland
Alan Holly is an Irish artist and animation filmmaker and a founder of And Maps And Plans, an independent studio working to produce artistically driven long- and short-form projects directed predominantly towards older audiences.

Soon, we will introduce the mentors who will be assisting these writers to develop their animation feature film projects.

To learn more about the Annecy Festival Residency
Contact: Géraldine Baché, Head of Education & Projects Mifa

FILMS and PROJECTS: Last Chance Before Submissions Close!

Wed, 03 Feb 2021 00:00:00 +0100

Hurry up and submit your films and projects to try to participate in Annecy 2021!

In 2021, we hope to see many of you at Annecy, and online, for the great animation party!

To try your luck at competing in the Official Selection with your films, or have your projects selected at the Mifa Pitches, in this unmissable global event of the year, register now!

I am submitting a film!

Important: the submission deadline is 15^th February 2021 for:

Short Films
TV Films
TV Commission Films
Graduation Films

The submission deadline is 15^th March 2021 for Feature Films, and 6^th April 2021 for VR Works.

Contact: Laurent Million, Head of Films & Programme Planning

Submit a film

I am submitting a project!

Submissions until 7^th February: in a few days’ time, it will be too late!

Opportunities:

participate in the Mifa Pitches and present your project to an audience consisting of over 200 professionals
benefit from specialised support via the Training Workshop to practise pitching (more info on the 2019 sessions)
compete for a Partner Award (SACD – official partner –, Disney Channel, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, Open Workshop, etc.)
receive a Mifa accreditation

Important:
The Webseries projects can compete in the TV Series & Specials category.
The Digital Experiences category enables new forms of innovative artistic creations compete.

Contact: Géraldine Baché, Head of Education & Projects Mifa

Submit a project

2nd Workshop in Jerusalem

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0100

Discover the winners of the Annecy International Workshop organised in Jerusalem as part of the International Mifa Campus scheme.

The Jerusalem Film Fund, the French Embassy in Israel, and the Institut Français in Israel renewed their support for local creation offering 8 project leaders the opportunity to follow a remote support programme over several weeks. The scheme is part of the Mifa Campus led by the Mifa teams and aims to guide, create and evolve animation projects as they are just beginning.

The project leaders taking part in the Workshop were lucky to be coached by three complementary experts:

Delphine Farhi Nicolini, freelance Animation Consultant and Artistic Producer
Sophie Caron, Head of Development, Ellipsanime Productions
Sébastien Tavel, Writer and Director

Since 15^th December 2020, group and individual work sessions have enabled each candidate to improve their skills and have greater maturity. Everyone has practiced pitching ready to deliver the fruits of their work this Wednesday 20^th January.

Congratulations to the project leaders who were selected at the end of the Pitch session:

The Pit ‒ Stav Levi
The End ‒ Anan Gibson
Sleeping Ass Beauty ‒ Hadas Almagor
That Bitch, Korky ‒ Aya Honig & Raz Sonnenfeld
Special Distinction for 2:51 ‒ Moria Koren

The winners now access the second stage of the workshop with follow-up support and individual preparation between February and this coming June. The aim is to improve further and be ready to present the most advanced version of their projects during an Israeli Partner’s Pitch.

Happy New Year 2021

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0100

All the team at CITIA, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Mifa organisers, wish you a very Happy New Year 2021.
2021 is upon us, and the CITIA team hopes you have a year full of creativity, exciting projects, and most important of all that it is an animated one!

Our dearest wishes are to be able to return to movie theatres as soon as possible and to celebrate animation together at the next edition of the Annecy Festival, 14^th to 19^th June 2021.

Our greeting cards are created in collaboration with the 3^rd year students from the École des Nouvelles Images where they offer higher education courses in animation and 3D imaging professions.

During these eight greeting cards, you will discover the two themes that we wanted to showcase for 2021: returning to movie theatres and getting together again in Annecy with all our public.

Watch the videos

Happy New Year

Thu, 07 Jan 2021 00:00:00 +0100

Watch the videos

Bruno Edera has Died

Wed, 02 Dec 2020 00:00:00 +0100

TV Producer-programmer and animation film historian, Bruno Edera, supported the professionalisation of this sector in his country by founding the Swiss Animation Film Group. He died on 17^th November.
Born on 3^rd November 1937 in Sainte-Croix, in the Vaud canton in Switzerland, as a teenager Bruno Edera already filmed his first amateur productions before founding two film clubs in his hometown and in La Chaux-de-Fonds.

He began his career at Paillard-Bolex producing cinematographic equipment as a machine draftsman. Later, his passion for animation permitted him to join Télévision Suisse Romande (TSR), first as an expert collaborator in this field, then in charge of animation film co-productions, and finally, until he retired, as producer of television programmes such as Sauce cartoon or A comme animation.

From 1968, at a time when animation was still fairly unknown in his country, and when people pursued it in a more self-taught, hand-crafted and solitary manner, he has the bright idea of getting animators, directors, technicians and producers together to share their experiences. With Nag and Gisèle Ansorge, Georges Schwizgebel, Claude Luyet and Daniel Suter, he establishes the Swiss Animation Film Group (GSFA), and the very first meeting takes place in his kitchen at home in Onex.
In 2020, this section of the ASIFA (International Animation Film Association) will gather together around 200 Swiss professionals.

Bruno takes part in many festivals throughout his career. Each of them "plays an important role in his activity", providing the opportunity to meet Russian, Polish or Czech creators, when everyone is still only talking about American productions.
The event that influences him the most, in the early 1960s, is the Annecy Festival (that at the time is known as Journées internationales du cinéma d’animation, JICA). He becomes a member of the board of directors of the organising structure, which is called the Centre international du cinéma d’animation (CICA), and subsequently remains a very dear friend of the event.

A true animation film archive, Bruno Edera publishes many articles in specialist magazines, as well as the works, Full Length Animated Feature Films (1977) and Histoire du cinéma suisse d’animation (1978). With À la découverte d'un cinéma méconnu : Le Cinéma d'animation africain (in collaboration with the Annecy Festival, 1993), he is the author of one of the very first publications on the subject.
He would’ve been thrilled to learn that Annecy 2021 was going to pay tribute to animation from this continent.

In 1988, in recognition of his full career, he is presented the Raoul Servais Award.

In his later years, an illness slowly erases Bruno Edera’s memory and his life-long journey and Covid takes him at the age of 83.

For more information:

The tribute from his friends, Georges Schwizgebel and Claude Luyet (French only)
TV Onex replays a 2019 documentary dedicated to the GSFA's 50^th anniversary (French only)

Annecy Festival Residency: The 3 Winning Projects

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 11:58:00 +0100

CITIA reveals the 3 projects that will inaugurate the 2021 artists’ residency dedicated to animation feature film.

Last June, CITIA, the organisers of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, announced the creation of the arts residency "Graphic development for animation feature film" with backing from the Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Département de la Haute-Savoie, the CNC and France Télévisions – this is a new milestone in the shared history between the Annecy region and animation film.

During the summer, 32 projects were submitted, from 17 countries: France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Georgia, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Hungary, India, Dominican Republic, Serbia, China, Turkey, Mexico, and the Philippines. Because the three-month residency for graphic treatment is intended to enrich the narrative, the maturity of the script was one of the criteria for the selection process.

A wide range of genres were represented, from mainstream projects to projects from more independent authors. An eclecticism that drew passionate discussions between the selection committee members: Sara Wikler (Artistic Film Producer, Blue Spirit, Script Consultant), Damien Brunner (Producer, Folivari), Éléa Gobbé-Mévellec (Director), Marc Bonny (Distributor) and Pierre Siracusa (Director of the Animation and Young Audiences' Unit, France Télévisions).

The 3 winning projects

- Piece by Alan Holly (Ireland), a modern animated drama about societal pressures and anxieties and their impact on young people. The project follows seven adolescents who question themselves and the world around them.

- Heirloom by Upamanyu Bhattacharyya (India), a family tale that follows the life and rise of the young Solal over almost fifty years and pays tribute to centuries of textile traditions in India.

- Le Cœur à danser by Pierre Le Couviour and Amine El Ouarti (France), a fictional story, set in Brittany, about a young girl who takes it upon herself to organise a big party to celebrate the village’s men returning from the war. But, there’s no way of knowing if her father is among them. Her encounter with the legend of the City of Ys will guide her.

CITIA will invite a member of the team from each of these projects to Annecy, from 5^th April to 27^th June 2021.

Know more about the Annecy Festival Residency.

Contact: Géraldine Baché, Head of Education & Projects Mifa.

Annecy 2021: register your Film or Project!

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 00:00:00 +0100

Registrations for submitting animation films or projects to the Annecy Festival 2021 and its Market are now open.
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival will finally be celebrating its 60^th anniversary from 14^th to 19^th June 2021. You can take part in this exceptional edition by submitting your animation film or project now.

Film Submissions

Animation film directors, seize the opportunity of getting your film screened at the Annecy Festival, to an audience of enthusiasts and professionals. Submit your film into its corresponding category to have a chance of it being part of the official selection and shown in competition.

Short Films
Feature Films
TV Films
Commissioned Films
Graduation Films
VR Works

Deadline: you can submit your Short Film, TV, Commissioned or Graduation Film until 15^th February 2021, your Feature Film until 15^th March 2021, or your VR Work until 6^th April 2021.

Register your film online

Film Project Submissions

Animation film project leaders, the Annecy International Animation Film Market is the perfect place to be noticed by professionals, but also by partners or financial investors. Submit your project to be able to present it at the Mifa Pitches.

Short Films
Feature Films
TV Series & Specials
Digital Experiences
Animation du Monde

Deadline: submit your project online before 7^th February 2021 in your chosen category.

Register your film project online

See you from 14^th to 19^th June 2021 for an even more exceptional edition as two celebrations that had been postponed due to the health crisis will finally take place: the Festival will celebrate its 60^th anniversary and will also pay tribute to animation from the African continent.

The Best of 2020 is already available!

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 02:00:00 +0100

Read all about "Best of Annecy 2020" and "Best of Annecy Kids 2020", to discover a concentrate of the very best of animation.

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival traverses the world far and wide with its "Best of Annecy 2020" program combining a selection of shorts, mainly winning films from the latest Festival with two tailor-made opening sequences by second year students from the GOBELINS, l’école de l’image.
Check out the "Best of Annecy 2020" program.

In order to please all viewers, the Annecy Festival offers an adapted version of its "Best of".
The "Best of Annecy Kids 2020" is a mix of funny, emotional and poetic short films that will delight the children! Films from the Official Selection as well as a tailor-made 2020 Annecy opening sequence by the students of GOBELINS, l’école de l’image, will make up the program designed to enchant children from the age of 6 and upwards.
Check out the "Best of Annecy Kids 2020" program.

Festivals, associations, cultural organizations and any other structures with a screening space, you can already order "Best of Annecy 2020" and/or "Best of Annecy Kids 2020".

Price: 150€ VAT not incl. per screening
Find the Best of program online.

Christian Lelong has Died

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 16:00:00 +0200

Christian Lelong, who had been working since 1992 at the heart of Cinédoc, died on 11^th October.

Christian Lelong, writer, director, independent producer and head of training, ran Cinédoc, a resource centre dedicated to creative documentary film that he created in Annecy in 1992.

He trained at the École Pratique des Hautes Études in Paris, where he was taught by esteemed director and ethnologist, Jean Rouch.

Centre stage of Cinédoc Films, Christian followed diverse writers "in these fascinating and long adventures that begin as an idea and finish on the screen" and produced around 80 documentaries.

He wrote and (co)directed around fifteen of them, including Agadez, nomade FM (2003), selected at the Berlin Festival Forum in 2004; Avec Damouré Zika, un acteur au pays de nulle part (2006); Love, Sex and Moped (2008); Bon séjour (2010); and Moustapha Alassane's Cinema of Possibilities (2009). This last documentary is dedicated to one of the pioneers of African animation film and will be screened during the 2021 Annecy Festival as part of the tribute to animation from the African continent.

Christian will have made an impression on Annecy’s cultural life but also on film professionals from across the planet, in particular those from Africa, this region of the world with which he had forged such a close relationship.

He died on Sunday 11^th October after a long illness.

Animation du Monde: First Winners!

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0200

The Mifa’s Animation du Monde, spotlighting animation talents from emerging countries, has made its first pit stop in Greece and the Balkans.

The Animation du Monde in Greece and the Balkans unveiled three winners. It was organised in collaboration with the Greek International Animation Festival, Animasyros and its Agora, and took place on 23^rd to 26^th September 2020.

Following a call for projects that was launched beforehand across the entire Greek territory and the Balkans, 6 animation projects were chosen. The project leaders concerned took part in a workshop to develop their skills and prepare them for the pitch sessions.

The jury included:

Antoine Liétout: Producer, Laïdak Films
Marineta Mak Kritikou: Head of Agora
Nancy Denney-Phelps: Journalist
Tünde Vollenbroek: Producer, Studio Pupil
Géraldine Baché: Head of Projects Mifa

Following the pitch sessions, three projects were awarded:

Mesut, led by Michalis Kalopaidis and Alexia Roider (short film, Cyprus)

Oscar, led by Polyxeni Katsari and Matina Fykari (short film, Greece)

These two projects will be at the 2021 Animation du Monde Pitches.

A Special Distinction was awarded to Travel Bugs, led by Fokion Xenos and Isavella Alopoudi (TV series, Greece)

This mature project will know how to attract animation professionals at the next Annecy International Animation Film Market edition.

Congratulations to all the winners and see you in June!

Quino has died

Fri, 02 Oct 2020 00:00:00 +0200

Quino, the Argentinian scriptwriter and comic book author, known for his character Mafalda, died on 30^th September.

Mafalda, a famous satirical comic-strip character, is now an orphan. Her creator Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, better known as Quino, Argentinian comic book author (scriptwriter and artist) died this Wednesday 30^th September at the age of 88.

From the age of three Quino discovered a passion and vocation for drawing thanks to his uncle, Joaquín Tejón, a painter and commercial artist. After a spell at the Mendoza Fine Arts School he gave up his studies to devote himself to drawing satirical cartoons and threw himself into wordless comics.

In 1962 he created a character called Mafalda, a cheeky young middle-class heroine who rebels against the adult world, and will influence all generations to come. From 1964 to 1973, Quino will express his personal opinions on his era and the Argentine dictatorship through his fictional character, which will subsequently be adapted into an animated series.

Quino was awarded the Legion of Honour for his 60 years of drawing, and an extraordinary fact, Mafalda, was also awarded this Legion of Honour, a first ever for a comic-strip character.

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival were fortunate to welcome Quino in 2006 for an exhibition dedicated to his favourite character.

The Annecy Festival Residency is Launched!

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 00:00:00 +0200

The Annecy Festival Residency will be focusing on graphic development for animated feature films.

Mickaël Marin, CEO, CITIA
"The development of the Artists’ Residency, which focuses on feature films, is an important and historic step for Annecy.
Land of the Festival, Annecy will now become land of creation.
This is also an additional commitment for CITIA to support works and artists that are the mainstay of our action.
I would like to thank the partners who have agreed to accompany us in this wonderful project. More than ever we need to support creation and culture. It is for our common good."

It’s official, in April 2021, CITIA will welcome its first 3 residents to the Papeteries – Image Factory!
Along with the support from the Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the Haute-Savoie Department, the CNC and France Télévisions, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival will assist creation by setting up a residency for graphic development in animated feature films.
With international positioning, top-of-the-range mentoring and a unique showcase on the professional world of animation, the Annecy Festival Residency offers a 3-month time capsule (5^th April to 27^th June 2021), focused on graphic reflection and evolution. The ideal deflection in the life of a work.

For more info about Annecy Festival Residency, download the brochure

Calendar:
Registrations open: 11^th June 2020
Registration deadline: 30^th August 2020
Announcement of the selection: beginning of October 2020
Residency: 5^th April to 27th June 2021

From today and until 30^th August, project leaders can send in their applications. The selection will be announced at the beginning of October 2020.
As signatory to the 50/50 Charter CITIA pays particular attention to respecting parity.

"The Region is proud to be associated with the Annecy Festival’s launch of a new residency project, which fits perfectly in the Region’s strategy developed around the four areas of expertise in film. The current health crisis has made it clear to us that it is vital to continue to create and enable young talents to express themselves, via this new residency project, but also via this year’s digital edition of the Festival. In these uncertain times it is indispensable to safeguard the irreplaceable link with the works and artists."
Laurent Wauquiez, Chairman of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region

"Haute-Savoie is the land of animation film, and the Department has backed the dynamics of this sector for over 40 years: its Audiovisual Production Support Fund has already assisted almost 40 works to see the light of day. So, it is perfectly natural that it supports the new project helmed by CITIA to welcome artists to our territory. Creation, production, moving image education, youth training, international broadcasting and now artist residencies: Haute-Savoie supports all stages and all those concerned within animation film.
Over time this has become one of our territory’s emblems. The resources provided by the Department are massive and testify to a long-lasting commitment. The health crisis that we are currently traversing only highlights the absolute necessity of this investment in favour of quality artistic and cinematographic content."
Christian Monteil, Chairman of the Haute-Savoie Department

"Write, think, hesitate, and take your time, this is how we need to bring forth the beginnings of a creative project! France Télévisions is enthusiastically involved in the Annecy Festival’s residency project, this will be the opportunity for our group to meet new artists and possibly initiate new feature film projects that are always "long-term journeys" for the years to come. More than ever we are supporting French creation and even more specifically the animation sector. Encouraging and meeting new talents should remain essential in the creative cycle."
Cécile Négrier, Head of France 3 Cinéma, and Tiphaine de Raguenel, Head of Youth Audiences and Animation