The Artistic Director of the Annecy Festival Marcel Jean presents this year's event, themes and innovations.

"For the second year in a row, here I am... at the helm of the Annecy Festival. The excitement remains the same with the anticipation of sharing the best of recent animation production with you, like leading you down a path of discovery with our various new developments and special programmes.

This year, stop-motion animation is in the spotlight to celebrate an ensemble of both playful and crafty techniques using materials which in themselves make you think about toys and, in consequence, about a certain perception of childhood that is often glorified or distorted by filmmakers.

By including two cine-concerts in the programme – one with Pierre Hébert and Andrea Martignoni, the other with Stéphan Oliva and Jean-Marc Foltz – we're seeking to enhance the festive side of our event by providing festivalgoers with unique and hopefully unforgettable experiences. Along these same lines, the meetings with Isao Takahata and Pete Docter promise some exhilarating moments and everlasting memories.

Other new additions, the vote for short and feature films in competition will be online and the special prize ceremony starting Friday night will allow us to better recognise the winners and reconfigure the closing ceremony.

We are good and ready for a week full of opportunities, revelations and surprises. Now it's your turn to taste everything on the savoury menu we've concocted for you."

New: vote for your favourite films online!

Everyone with accreditation can vote for three shorts and one feature, either online or using the mobile app MyAnnecy14. Don't miss out on the chance to nominate the films that draw you in!

Voting is open from today at 9:00 am until 6:00 pm on Friday 13^th June.

Make the most of the Festival and meet some animation celebs in person at the signing sessions (writers, illustrators, directors, etc.).

The unique opportunity to take home a personalised Festival souvenir.

Come and meet some big names that are coming to Annecy:

• Carlos Saldanha, Director, Rio 2
• Bill Plympton, Director, Cheatin'
• Thomas Szabo and Hélène Giraud, Directors, Minuscule – Valley of the Lost Ants
• Dean DeBlois, Director, How to Train your Dragons 2
• Yoshiki Sakurai, Screenwriter, Giovanni's Island
• Jeff Turley, Artistic Director, Feast
• Nicolas Keramidas, Author, Luuna (graphic novel)

Browse through the whole Signing Sessions programme to look up when and where the VIPs will be signing!

The 2014 Festival is revolving around stop-motion.

Photographed puppets, clay, objects and figurines will come to life and animate the screen for the duration of a film!

One of the great families in animation, this technique is flourishing and doing better than ever despite the numerous technological developments in the industry.

Take a look at the events devoted to stop-motion:

• Special Programmes :
  The Invincibles: eight must-see stop-motion short films (Jan Svankmajer's Dimensions of Dialogue, Tim Burton's Vincent, etc.)
  Young Audiences: a collection of films from the past 15 years that represent the trends in stop-motion and are appropriate for a general audience.
• Open-Air Screenings:
  ParaNorman by Sam Fell and Chris Butler (LAIKA), on the Pâquier
  The Tale of the Fox by Ladislas Starewitch, at the Musée-Château
• Work in Progress:
  Little from the Fish Shop: Miracle Film will present how their project was created, the work organisation, musical choices, funding, production, etc.
• Production Organisation Conferences:
  Anatomy of a Studio: Aardman Animations, known for their famous clay characters Wallace and Gromit, with Peter Lord.
  Presentation of the LAIKA Studio: at the source of Coraline, ParaNorman, The Boxtrolls, with Mark Shapiro, Marketing/Brand Management.
• Exhibitions:
  École supérieure d’art de l’agglomération d’Annecy (ESAAA): Motion Factory – Local Studio, in resonance with the exhibition at la Gaîté lyrique.
  Centre Courier: Puppet Show, behind the scenes of stop-motion animation, created and exhibited by Bastien Dubois and Julie Nobelen.
  La Gaîté lyrique: Motion Factory, les ficelles du monde animé: fifteen international artists will reveal the steps in producing their stories. www.gaite-lyrique.net

An entire programme to discover and learn all there is to know about stop-motion animation!

Come and watch the screening of the latest film by Isao Takahata, in his presence!

Kaguya, a tiny "shining princess", is found in a bamboo stalk. She quickly turns into a beautiful young woman, who is coveted by the greatest princes ready to face impossible challenges to win her hand.

Please note, this screening is by invitation only.

The Mifa is opening its doors on Wednesday, and promises to provide an ever-growing international market.

We broke the record this year! Over 500 companies coming from more than 60 countries are expected at the Mifa.

We note in particular:

• South America is coming back for the second time, represented by 17 companies;
• a strong Latin American presence, with companies coming from Chile, Colombia, Argentina and Mexico;
• new participants like Malaysia, with 7 companies;
• key players, like Spain (22 companies), Belgium (13 representatives) and France (3 new companies this year: TeamTO, Xilam and Mikros).

The Mifa is bringing you another year full of meetings and exchanges!

In parallel with the Mifa, The Media Faculty is organising a masterclass on writing for animation, today and tomorrow!

This class will be about writing animation films and series and will discuss how to go from one universe to the other.

The masterclass is made up of multiple sessions:

• a presentation of creation, writing and production work from the DreamWorks teams;
• a masterclass led by Anthony Roux, CEO at Ankama;
• a masterclass led by Max Howard, expert in feature film creation and production.

See the programme in detail

During this Making of session, Annecy invites you to explore in depth how animation films are created.

At 2:00 pm, come to the Making of Rio 2, presented by filmmaker Carlos Saldanha (director of Ice Age). He will take you inside how Rio 2 was made, introduce you to the characters and explain their creation and evolution.

Alongside Carlos Saldanha, you can wander around behind the scenes of Rio 2 and visit all the nooks and crannies!

Salle Pierre Lamy

More...

This year, a wide range of themes will be offered at the conferences to meet the needs of professionals and teachers in the film industry.

Annecy has bulked up the conferences programme to provide you with precise insight on the animation market and its future. There will be three main categories:

Creation Conferences: discover the imperative preliminary steps in making a film or series.

Production Organisation Conferences: get the keys to success for a great production.

Business Conferences: understand more about funding, marketing and broadcasting and distributing strategies.

This year's Honorary Award will be given to Isao Takahata, master of Japanese animation and co-founder alongside Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli.

An exceptionally talented filmmaker, Isao Takahata is also a great humanist whose work has become an international reference.

The release of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, his latest film with a remarkably ambitious aesthetic, is the perfect opportunity for the Annecy Festival to celebrate his contribution to the art of animation by bestowing him with this year's Honorary Award.

For the first night of open-air screenings on the Pâquier, come and watch "Rio 2" again or for the first time.

You'll find Blu, the Amazonian blue mackaw, soaring to new, colourful adventures!

Director Carlos Saldanha will show up to introduce the film.

Le Pâquier

More...

Each day, plenty of events will animate the Festival! Here is a taste of a few highlights that shouldn't be missed;

10:30 am:
Feature film in competition, Minuscule – Valley of the Lost Ants, salle du haras
Feature film out of competition, Waves, Décavision 3
Special Programme The Big Sleep, Décavision 4

2:00 pm:
Making of Rio 2, with Carlos Saldanha, salle Pierre Lamy
Special Programme 14-18, Animate the Great War: The Horror of the Trenches, La Turbine
Signing session with Nicolas Keramidas, Author of Luuna, Boutique du Festival @ bdfugue

4:00 pm:
Feature film in competition, Cheatin', salle du haras

4:30 pm:
Signing session with Carlos Saldanha, Director of Rio 2, Boutique du Festival @ bdfugue

6:00 pm:
Feature film out of competition, Boonie Bears, Décavision 3

6:00 pm:
Screening of My Neighbors the Yamadas, salle Pierre Lamy

8:30 pm:
Opening Ceremony. Screening of The Tale of the Princess Kaguya, with Isao Takahata, salle du haras

10:15 pm:
Open-air screening of Rio 2, with Carlos Saldanha, le Pâquier

Every day, the screenings of features in competition will be followed by a press conference with the film's crew.

These conferences will be moments of discovery and bonding and will be hosted by a film journalist. Priority access to press badgeholders.

On today's programme:

• Minuscule – Valley of the Lost Ants, hosted by Peter Debruge, Variety
• Cheatin', hosted by Peter Debruge, Variety