“The Violinist” beat out main competitors at Annecy, similar to “In Waves,” “Viva Carmen” and “Iron Boy,” all already large hits at Cannes, to win on Saturday the most important competition prize in animation: Annecy’s function movie Cristal.
A story of two younger violinist virtuosos in and after WWII Singapore, “The Violinist” definitely had its followers at Annecy, however most pundits thought the highest function prize would go to both “Iron Boy” or “Tangles,” each additionally being talked up as Awards season contenders.
Although an outsider, “The Violinist’s” victory appears notably applicable at an Annecy version which not solely packed probably the most highly effective competitors lineups in years and main studio bulletins and unveils, led by Warner Bros. Animation, Netflix and Disney, but in addition underscored clearly main elements now galvanizing animation.
One is Asia and one other co-production. Right here “The Violinist” weighs in a Singapore’s first ever function movie in Annecy fundamental competitors which was made remarkably in co-production with Spain – one other first – and Italy.
Produced by Singapore’s Robotic Playground Media, Spain’s TV ON Producciones and Italy’s Altri Occhi, and directed by Singapore’s Ervin Han and Spanish Disney veteran Raúl García, “The Violinist” additionally suggests an anime affect in its wealthy painterly 2D (enhanced by 3D in key set scenes) because the embrace of anime by Hollywood and Europe proved one of many main trade narratives at this yr’s Annecy.
Following on a Cannes Un Sure Regard Particular Jury Prize win, “Iron Boy” needed to content material itself at Annecy with its Jury Award, plus function Viewers Award and Gan Basis Award for Distribution.
Marking former Pixar animator (“WALL-E,” “Up”) Louis Clichy’s embrace of 2D, so beloved in his native France, “Iron Boy’s” glowing reception at Annecy will do nothing to dim speak of Awards season competition, because of a storyline of 11-year-old Christophe, scuffling with the challenges of his age regardless of a metallic physique brace he’s made to put on to appropriate his torso’s tendency to tilt to its left. There are few issues Hollywood love greater than a person’s inspiring battle towards adversity.
‘Iron Boy’
Courtesy of Cannes Movie Competition
In a 3rd competitors prize, “Decorado,” from Alberto Vásquez, certainly one of Spain’s premier auteurs, scooped the Paul Grimault Award for a existential fable on freedom, household and mates, which provides to Vázquez’s “Unicorn Wars” and “Birdboy,” GKids U.S. pickups like “Decorado.” Produced by Spain’s UniKo, Abano Producións The Glow Animation Studio and Portugal’s Sardinha em Lata, “Decorado” was hailed by Selection this Could as “the yr’s most mind-bending animated movie.”
‘Decorado’
Courtesy of GKDS
At Annecy’s closing night time prize ceremony, attended by Alfonso Cuarón, the Competition group confirmed a brand new all-time historic document of 19,100 accredited attendees.
Annecy’s progress has come from its embrace by Hollywood and nascent animation industries around the globe and the enlargement of function movie animation in itself. The competition’s soul, and any true animation buff’s delight, stays its shorts. Double Academy Award winner Don Hertzfeldt (“Rejected,” “World of Tomorrow”) added to this January’s Sundance Particular Jury Prize win for “Paper Path” with Annecy’s nonetheless extremely coveted quick movie Cristal.
A 14-minute high-speed examine of somebody’s life, seen solely via items of paper, “Paper Path” was developed to create the movie’s distinctive look and tempo by mixing 2D pc animation and animated objects.
The prize felt unearned, Hertzfeldt mentioned on stage at Annecy. “I began animating after I was a child, 30 years in the past. It was simply enjoyable, it was to make my mates chuckle. I’ve all the time considered myself as a director who attracts. I had by no means been to Annecy earlier than. Possibly I can lastly name myself an animator.”
Successful two of the six Annecy quick movie prizes on supply, fest favourite Cannes Critics’ Week participant “God is Shy,” from The Weeknd vid-clip director Jocelyn Charles, delivers a train-set, fear-laced mind-bender, animated in attractive tones and shot with a cellular digicam underscoring two of the dominant influences on younger creators worldwide today: Anime and style. “God Is Shy” additionally took the SACEM Award for greatest unique soundtrack, aother signal of Charles’ across-the-board expertise.
One other welcome quick movie winner: Anna Mantzaris’ “Please,” which depicts barely not all-together characters’ self-obsessive want for love with cruel irony but deep compassion.
The Alexeïff-Parker Award went to “My Bellyaching Pores and skin,” the third a part of younger Étienne Bonnet’s autobiography, described by Annecy creative director Marcel Jean as one of many funniest voices in French animation.
Elsewhere, in key plaudits, Contrechamp, Annecy main sidebar for edgier or newer expertise performs, was gained by France’s “Blaise,” from Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guige and a “excellent introduction to French absurd humour, questioning the political engagement of youth and the existential disaster of adults,” Jean instructed Selection.
Elsewhere, in key plaudits, Contrechamp – Annecy’s main sidebar for edgier or newer expertise performs – was gained by France’s “Blaise,” from Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guige and a “excellent introduction to French absurd humour, questioning the political engagement of youth and the existential disaster of adults,” Annecy creative director Marcel Jean instructed Selection.
The Jury Award went to Japan’s “A New Daybreak,” a co-production between Japan’s Asmik Ace and France’s Miyu Productions which made a splash on the Berlin Competition and heralds virtually definitely extra Japan-France collaborations sooner or later.
In Annecy’s Particular Prize class, the Annecy Presents Viewers Award, a brand new prize, went to “Courageous Cat,” the function movie debut of Gabriel Osorio, director of“Bear Story,” an Academy Award profitable animated quick which marked Chile’s first Oscar win. Additionally arrange at Punkrobot, Osorio’s Chilean manufacturing home run with producer Pato Excala, “Courageous Cat” started to construct a status at Annecy for packing the same emotional punch to “Bear Story,” which is saying quite a bit.
Annecy’s 2026 TV Manufacturing Cristal was gained by “The Nice Dreamscape,” from Remi Durin (“Yuku and the Flower of the Himalayas”) and French animation stalwart Autour de Minuit. The half-hour particular activates Andrea, round 6, out of the blue overwhelmed by stage-fright at college who’s transported to a magical kingdom depicted in beautiful 2D tones.
MIFA Function Pitches Awards have been dominated by Ellis Kayin Chan’s “Wilderness of Greenriver,” produced by Eddy Cinema (“Iron Boy”) and a 2D sci-fi depiction of grief and loss, which gained three sponsor awards, and the warmly-animated sense of belonging-themed “Lights of April,” from Mexico’s Jorge Aguilar Rojo.
‘Wilderness of Inexperienced River’
Ellis KAYIN CHAN
At Saturday’s prize ceremony, the Competition additionally confirmed dates of June 13-19 for its 2027 version, which see it transferring again to its conventional mid-month slot, and that Colombia would be the Annecy Animation Competition‘s 2027 Nation of Honor.
An inventory of a few of this yr’s winners might be discovered under.
FEATURE FILMS
Cristal for a Function Movie
“The Violinist,” Ervin Han, Raúl García (Throne Inc., Robotic Playground Media, TV ON Producciones, Altri Occhi/Singapore, Spain, Italy)
Jury Award
“Iron Boy,” Louis Clichy (Eddy Cinéma, Beside Productions/France, Belgium)
Paul Grimault Award
“Decorado,” Alberto Vázquez (UniKo, Abano Producións The Glow Animation Studio, Sardinha em Lata/Spain, Portugal)
Gan Basis Award for Distribution
“Iron Boy”
Viewers Award
“Iron Boy”
CONTRECHAMP FEATURES
Grand Prix
“Blaise” Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guige (KG Productions/France)
Jury Award
“A New Daybreak,” (Asmik Ace, Miyu Productions/Japan, France)
SHORT FILMS
Cristal for a Brief Movie
“Paper Path,” Don Hertzfeldt (U.S)
Jury Award
“God Is Shy,” Jocelyn Charles (France)
Alexeïeff – Parker Award
“My Bellyaching Pores and skin,” Etienne Bonnet (Girelle Manufacturing, France)
Off-Limits Award
“Core Dump,” Alona Rodeh (Germany)
Jean-Luc Xiberras Award for a First Movie
“Please,” Anna Mantzaris (Apparat Filmproduktion, Ardour Paris Manufacturing, Arte, Movie i Väst, SVT, Mikrofilm AS, Kuli Movie, YLE and Böhle Studio/Sweden, France, Czech Republic, Norway, Finland)
Viewers Award
“God is Shy”
TV AWARDS
Cristal for a TV Manufacturing
“The Nice Dreamscape,”Rémi Durin (Autour de Minuit/Belgium, France)
Jury Award for a TV Sequence
“Takopi’s Unique Sin,” Shinya Iino Enishiya (Tokyo Broadcasting System Tv/Japan)
Jury Award for a TV Particular
“Track of the Storms,” Caroline Attia (Sacrebleu Productions/France, Belgium)
Viewers Award for a TV Manufacturing
“The Broos”David Mirailles (Bobby Prod, Arte/France)
COMMISSIONED FILMS
Cristal for a Commissioned Movie
“Unloved,” Victor Caire, Lucas Navarro, Théophile Dufresne (Illogic Studios, Wizz/France)
Jury Award for a Commissioned Movie
“Eco Beat,” Eva Bienert, Max Mörtl, (Vorarlberger Gemeindeverband, Austria, Germany)
GRADUATION FILMS
Jury Award
“Dying Embers,” Léa Pulini (La Poudrière/France)
Lotte Reiniger Award
“Gently,” Jamaica Kindlová (FAMU – Movie and TV Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague/Czech Republic)
VR WORKS
Cristal for the Greatest VR Work
“A Lengthy Goodbye,” Kate Voet, Victor Maes (Cassette For Timescapes, Tarantula, Valk Productions/Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands)
SPECIAL PRIZE WINNERS
SACEM Award for Greatest Unique Soundtrack, Brief Movie
“God Is Shy,” Jocelyn Charles (Remembers/France)
SACEM Award for Greatest Unique Soundtrack, Function Movie
“The Violinist,” Ervin Han, Raúl García (Throne Inc., Robotic Playground Media, TV ON Producciones, Altri Occhi/Singapore, Spain, Italy)
Annecy Presents Viewers Award
“Courageous Cat,” Gabriel Osorio (Punkrobot/Chile)
Canal+ Junior Jury Award
“Piccolo Piccolo,” Marta Gennari (Gebeka Movies, Folimage, Reginald de Guillebon, Nadasdy Movie/France, Switzerland)
Younger Viewers Award
“Into the Forest,” Antonin Niclass (Milos-Movies SA/Switzerland)
André Martin Award for a French Brief Movie
“Maintain It Collectively,” Fan Sissoko (Compass Movies, Komawé, Artémis Productions – Artébis Leisure/Iceland, France, Belgium)
ARTE Award, European Brief Movie
“Uka-uka,” Henri Veermäe (Grafik/Estonia)
Festivals Connexion Award for an Immersive Work
“Voooooo—Peeeeee—,” Hyeunjoo Woo, Jiyun Park (Ubac Studio/South Korea)
Vimeo Workers Choose Award for a Brief Movie
“Creation,” Béla Klingl (Béla Klingl/Hungary)
Warner Bros. Animation Award for a Commencement Movie
“The 12 Inch Pianist,” Lucas Ansel (Rhode Island Faculty of Design/U.S.)
Midnight Shorts Award
“Eclosión,” Luis Morillo (Luis Morillo, Edwin Gautreau Santana, Claudio Lluberes, Miguel Cabañas, Jaime Cano, Daysi Cruz/Dominican Republic, Spain)
Metropolis of Annecy Award
“As a result of Right this moment Is Saturday,” Alice Eça Guimarães (Animais AVPL, La Clairière Ouest, Studio Kimchi, Os Filmes do Pinguim/Portugal, France, Spain)
Titmouse WTF Award
“You Are Not A part of the Cake,” Ting-Jui Chen (Royal School of Artwork/Taiwan, U.Okay)
Titmouse WTF Jury Distinction
“I Have a,” Rory Waudby-Tolley (Rory Waudby-Tolley/U.Okay)
‘Lights of April’
Jorge AGUILAR ROJO
