ANNECY FESTIVAL 2022, A GREAT IN-PERSON RETURN

A rich offer of events for an awesome celebration of the world of animation

From 13 to 18 June, the Annecy festival, the most important in the world for animation, resumed the physical presence, which includes the Mifa (14-17 June), the international market dedicated to professionals in the sector.

Here are some recommendations, including film previews, meetings dedicated to the business of animation, and company presentations.

My Love Affair With Marriage

Among the films in competition, My Love Affair With Marriage (Jury Distinction) addresses the complex relationship of a woman with love. No dogs or Italians allowed (Jury Award and Gan Foundation Award for Distribution) was born from clay animation and tells the story of the Ughetto family, who moved from Northern Italy to France. Little Nicholas (Crystal Award) mixes the life of the authors and the stories of a well-known character from children’s literature.

Khamsa – The Well of Oblivion, the first Algerian film at the festival, presents the touching and evocative journey of a boy in search of his lost memory. Also moving is Yaya and Lennie – The Walking Liberty, the story of two free spirits in constant search of their place, in a dystopian world where the Institution would like to impose its own rules on all people.

Among the work in progress films, My Father’s Dragon, based on the bestseller for children, was one of the most anticipated of the edition, also because it has Cartoon Saloon among its producers and will be released by Netflix. The Canterville Ghost convinces with the accuracy of the narrative and the involvement created by the VR animation.

Gremlins Secrets of the Mogwai

Among the screenings events, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai showed a preview of the first episode of the HBO animated series dedicated to the world of the Gremlins.

The Night of the Living Dread – Annie Awards

Since 2018 Annecy has been an official partner of the Annie Awards, organized by ASIFA-Hollywood. The favorites of the 49th edition of the awards were screened in a dedicated session. Night Bus, Bestia,  Fleet Foxes have shown how animation can also be an effective means of conveying the rawest themes and the strongest emotions.

Women In Animation World Summit 2022

The WIA World Summit 2022, organized by the non-profit organization Women in Animation (WIA), focused on gender justice within the world of animation, to be able to grant everyone the same opportunities, for example through projects such as A Woman’s Journey, which allows newcomers from Africa and France to make their short films.

Frida, It’s me

Canada and Spain presented several new projects, which aroused strong interest. Among the Canadians we note Frida, it’s me, who shows the childhood of the beloved Mexican painter, with courage and poetry. For Spain, Sex Symbols, a TV series that spontaneously tells the first steps of a group of pre-adolescents in their sexual and emotional life.

Netflix’s Animation Showcase, in which the company presented its future projects for the first time in Annecy, received a huge public response. Among the novelties adventure films such as The Sea Beast, innovative projects such as Nimona, set in a techno-medieval world, and the preschool fantasy series Spirit Rangers. The presentation ended with a small look, in absolute preview, on Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.

ZDF is placing a lot of emphasis on children’s productions and has among the new promising news, programs that can be seen with the whole family such as Pinocchio, Runes and Tobie Lolness.

Rai Ragazzi has become Rai Kids, giving the kids’ world ever-greater international visibility. The themes of productions embrace the contemporary, as in In the sea there are crocodiles, which tells the story of a child fleeing from Afghanistan. Diversity, in all its meanings, is also one of the guidelines for current and future productions.

Mediawan Group has launched a new division, Mediawan kids & family, that will bring together Mediawan’s topnotch labels, including Method Animation (Miraculous – Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir), and ON Classics (The Little Prince). Along with children’s animation and live-action skewing tweens, the company is also now looking to expand into animation for adult audiences. 

The social events contributed to making our stay at the festival even more enjoyable. A special thanks to those who invited and pampered us during those days: Citia (Mifa Opening Party), TeamTo (Jade Armor Party), Cartoon Italia, Vallaround, Gaumont and many others for their cocktails.

Curated by Rossella Arena