KEY FESTIVAL MOMENTS

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival will be kicking things off on 13^th June. There will be six days of festivities with 230 films in the Official Selection and loads of highly awaited film premieres! Here are some of the highlights you won’t want to miss.

Opening Ceremony: The Red Turtle with director, Michaël Dudok de Wit. 

After participating in last year’s Work in Progress sessions, The Red Turtle by Michaël Dudok de Wit will be presented at this year to open the Festival. This is the feature film debut for the Dutch director, known particularly for his shorts The Monk and the Fish and Father and Daughter.

The product of a collaboration between the French studio Prima Linéa and the legendary Japanese studio Ghibli (artistic production was carried out by Isao Takahata, director of the revered Grave of the Fireflies), The Red Turtle is about a castaway on a deserted tropical island populated by birds, turtles and crabs who ends up befriending a giant turtle.

Come and dive into this dialogue-less film that tracks the major stages of life and let’s launch the Annecy Festival 2016!

Monday 13^th, 8:30 pm, Bonlieu Grande salle Invitation required

Monday 13^th, 9:00 pm, Bonlieu Petite salle Invitation required 

Screening Event: First footage will be revealed of the latest episode from Blue Sky Studios’ saga, Ice Age: Collision Course.​

Tuesday 14^th, 4:00 pm, Pathé 1

Other film premieres: The Secret Life of Pets, Nerdland, Belladonna of Sadness (restored version), Moana and the short Inner Workings, Finding Dory, shown after the 4^th Disney Art Challenge winner is announced, as well as the short Piper.

Last-minute addition

WORLD PREMIERE of John Kricfalusi’s latest SHORT, Cans Without Label, at Bonlieu Grande salle, Tuesday at 11:00 pm, before the screening of NERDLAND.

Jean-François Laguionie in Annecy

^​​Jean-François Laguionie’s most recent feature film, Louise, will be holding its world premiere, with voice actress Dominique Frot, who plays the role of Louise. You can also see the documentary Le Rêveur éveillé (directed by Jean-Paul Mathelier), that portrays the filmmaker’s life: His memories of the past, his work in progress of the present and his gestating films of the future come together in his home-studio. The Poetic Worlds of Jean-François Laguionie, an exhibition at the Musée-Château also pays tribute to this French filmmaker’s work.

Louise: Wednesday 15^th, 8:30 pm, Bonlieu Grande salle

Le rêveur éveillé: Friday 17^th, 6:30 pm, Bonlieu Petite salle

The Poetic Worlds of Jean-François Laguionie exhibition: 13^th April - 3^rd July, Musée-Château

Signing Session Jean-François Laguionie and Dominique Frot: Thursday 16^th June - 10:30 - 11:30, Bonlieu Forum

9 feature films in competition

25 April, Snowtime! (Aka: Cleo), La Jeune Fille sans mains, My Life As a Courgette, Nuts!, Psiconautas, The Forgotten Children, Seoul Station, Sheep and Wolves and Window Horses.

Come and hear from the filmmakers at the Feature Films in Competition Press Conferences.

DreamWorks: Highly anticipated presentations!

Whether it’s the WIP of Trolls, the upcoming feature from DreamWorks Animation from the creators of Shrek, the Focus studio on Boss Baby and Voltron: Legendary Defender, or the Masterclass by Guillermo del Toro, who’s coming to present his latest creation, Trollhunters (Netflix), make a date with DreamWorks and get ready for some unforgettable moments!

French Animation in the Spotlight

French Animation: From the Game-Changing 80s up to Today

An exceptional panel discussion has been organised in partnership with the CNC to analyse the factors that have contributed to the prosperity of French animation.
This meeting will unite several important figures who witnessed the French animation industry take in the 1980s. It will have five parts:

Tuesday 14^th, 5:30 pm, Impérial Palace, Verdi A&B

French Animation: The Mirror Effect

A tribute to French animation, which distinguishes itself by its diversity, vitality and ambition.

Foreign programmers (American, Japanese, Slovene, Austrian, Canadian, etc) were asked to share their visions of French animation. 

A cycle of 14 programmes and 4 documentaries.

Animation in France

​A three-part documentary series will present the first-ever overview of animation in France. Phases of filmmaking, cartoons, cut-outs, 3D, motion capture, feature and short films, TV series, training programmes, production… these three documentaries offer an outline of technical, artistic and economic aspects of animation production in France. Several filmmakers from different generations participated: Michel Ocelot, Marjane Satrapi, Florence Miailhe, Sylvain Chomet, Benjamin Renner and more.

By Romain Delerps and Alexandre Hilaire, directed by Alexandre Hilaire.

This documentary series will be available during the Festival Ciné+ Famiz. Until then, watch 8 extracts from it on the Festival's YouTube channel !

And the Honorary Cristal goes to… Didier Brunner

This year, the Annecy Festival is awarding the Honorary Cristal to Didier Brunner. Founder of the animation production studio Les Armateurs and known for producing successful artisinal films, he now runs Folivari.
Since we’re paying tribute to France this year, it seemed right to reward a French producer who knows his way around the Festival and has made significant contributions to the animation world throughout his career.
He will receive this award during the Closing Ceremony

Saturday 18^th, 8:30 pm, Bonlieu Grande salle

When Animation and Advertising Collide

The 2016 Festival is also featuring a few ad-savvy animators and especially creative production studios that do commercial work. It’s your chance to enter a world where aesthetics and concepts are governed by the product. The cycle Animation in Advertising: A True Art Form consists of 5 Special Programmes that celebrate animated commercials.

Check out Annecy Festival photos on​ Google photo ​

Don't forget to get your accreditation!

Your accreditation, strictly nominative and non-transferrable, helps you to make the most of the events at the Festival. Registration closes 1^st June.

Security measures

Vigipirate is France’s security alert system, which is currently activated, requiring us to strengthen our security and inspection measures: please comply with these measures that are meant to keep everyone safe and anticipate any eventual delays. 
You must wear your badge at all times within the Festival and Market areas. 

Luggage

When you arrive, please leave your luggage at your hotel or wherever you’re staying before coming to pick up your badge at the Festival or Mifa Welcome Areas. No luggage will be authorized on any event sites.
We apologize in advance for any inconvenience. 

Contacts

Laurence Ythier
Media Relations & Special Operations Manager

Véronique Dumon
Media Support