Annecy International Animation Film Festival

History

In the 1960s, the existence of a very active film club in the Savoy region, combined with the encounters of its organizers with the team from the Journées du Cinéma (Cinema Days), facilitated the establishment of the Journées Internationales du Cinéma d'Animation (JICA) in Annecy. Pierre Barbin, André Martin, and Michel Boschet were the founding members. Indeed, in 1956, the directors of the film club, present in Cannes to attend the first edition of the JICA alongside the major festival, realized that the festival wasn't working, as film stars monopolized the attention of the public and journalists. The meeting between the two teams gave rise to the idea of establishing an animation festival in Annecy.

In 1968, the festival, like many others that year, was interrupted by the May 68. In 1971, discussions took place between the organizers and the International Animated Film Association (ASIFA) regarding the method of selecting the films presented. Until 1975, the Festival experienced a sharp increase in attendance, both among professionals and foreign delegations, subscribers and spectators. The arrival of the first images produced using computers created a split between conventional artists and those who were in favor of these new techniques.

In the 1980s, the festival popularized by the audiences included Hungarian animator József Gémes' Heroic Times won the first feature film award in 1985. At the same year, the first edition of the International Animation Film Market (MIFA) was organized concurrently, with a complementary role. American studios became increasingly visible at the event, notably with a public screening of a program of 9 Oscar-winning Disney films, with a tribute to Warner Bros. Animation in 1987, and with the reception of a large delegation from Walt Disney Pictures for the first time in 1989. Between 1983 and 1997, the number of participants increased from 900 accredited in 1983 to 4,300 in 1997 and the number of films received from 386 to 1,271. These factors led to increasingly significant media coverage, with nearly 300 journalists present at the end of the 1990s. From 1983, the success of the event led to an increase in the number of professionals with a cultural or economic orientation.

In the 2000s, the Annecy Festival was booming, with preview screenings multiplying, leading to greater media coverage of the event. France and Europe began producing animated films as well in Japan, South Korea, the United States, Canada, Latin America, etc.

In 2006, the Cité de l'Image en Mouvement (CITIA) was created. Its project revolved around three pillars (culture, economy, and training), and various initiatives were implemented at the local level: a permanent exhibition on animated cinema, the development of arts education programs, the establishment of higher education programs with the Gobelins Film School, the creation of an event dedicated to content and new media, the White Forum, and the establishment of a fund to support the production of digital works.

At the end of the 2012 edition of the festival, Marcel Jean was appointed artistic delegate. He succeeded Serge Bromberg, who had held the position since 1999. In 2015, he decided to honor women and formed an all-female jury, dedicating numerous heritage programs to women directors who have made their mark on history. He created new competitive sections with the aim of promoting the presence of all kinds of films in the selection. This led to the creation of the short film sections Off Limits (2014), Perspectives (2017), and Young Audiences (2017), as well as a second competitive section dedicated to feature films, called Contrechamp (2019).

The 60th edition, initially scheduled for 15–19 June 2020, was canceled on 7 April due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the 61st edition were held on 14–19 June 2021.

Features

The festival is a competition between animated films of various techniques (traditional, cut-outs, claymation, CGI, etc.) classified in various categories:

• Feature films
• Short films
• Films produced for television and advertising
• Student films
• Films made for the internet (since 2002)
• Feature films contrechamp in competition (since 2007)

Throughout the festival, in addition to the competing films projected in various cinemas of the city, an open-air night projection is organized on Pâquier, in the centre of the town, amongst the lake and with the mountains. According to the topic of the festival, classic or recent films are projected upon the giant screen. On Saturday evening, all the award winners are presented.

Award winners

Feature films in competition