Annecy, 60 Years and Still Animated

A Screening Event full of surprises!

For its 60^th birthday the Festival is putting an anniversary evening and screening several masterpieces!

Screened for the first time in 1960 at Annecy, An Oscar for Mr Rossi by Bruno Bozzetto returns to centre stage. A satire about directors and juries that accept and award films where simple imitation receives the praise instead of original creativity.

The evening is also the perfect opportunity to unveil original content with, for the first time ever on the big screen, Mémoire d'une minute, a compilation of animated shorts on the topic of memory. Interwoven on an initiative by Joan C. Gratz, 11 Annecy-prizewinning directors offer us art ranging from the sentimental to the absurd.

Lastly, Walt Disney Animation Studios present a world premiere of the short film Far From the Tree, with a pre-recorded intro by director Natalie Nourigat.

See the programme

Colourful Exhibitions

Annecy is celebrating the 60^th anniversary in style with plenty of entertainment and tributes to the Festival.

With the urban trail "Annecy Festival, 60 Years and Still Animated", residents can discover a selection of images and other archive documents about the Festival, on display scattered around the New Annecy Municipality. Anecdotes about the iconic sites from this unmissable international gathering since 1960, with esteemed figures from animation and the trophies that they received.

The Musée-Château d’Annecy are hosting an exhibition by the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC) called "Hello Animation! 60 Years of Animated Images". It visually describes a history of animation that started in 1960, by retracing the steps and evolutions of making an animation film.

Happy Birthday Annecy! From…

The animation stars are celebrating the Festival’s 60^th anniversary with video tributes, festive cards and other texts. Unique animations or thoughtful anecdotes from the participants, all wishing a happy birthday to the event that gathers them together each year.

You can see all the special messages they prepared here!

Check out all the messages

Louise Garcia, a jury member from Annecy for this 60^th anniversary year

For the anniversary edition the Festival wanted to invite a female animation film enthusiast from Annecy to join one of the official juries. A first!

Louise Garcia, accompanied by 2 other jury members has the delicate task of awarding the Cristal for a Short Film.

It won’t be her first experience as a jury member at Annecy, as she was already a Junior Jury member when she was 11 years old. The cinema and Image have never really left this young 27-year-old enthusiast who later decided to return to education and turn towards this field, and in 2018 she joined the Kourtrajmé school, founded by Ladj Ly, director of the film Les Misérables.

The Forum Bonlieu Dressed Up to the Nines

The Forum de Bonlieu Scène nationale is dressed up to the nines with the Festival’s 60^th birthday colours!

The event’s nerve centre is decorated for this occasion and pointing the spotlight onto the Festival’s famous trophy: the Cristal. This temporary Cristal, especially installed for the occasion, reflects both the event’s past and present, with archive photos and an interplay with mirrors.

Yan Zoritchak, the Artist Behind the Cristal

Slovakian Yan Zoritchak is a glassworker and sculptor, the creator of our award, the Cristal. Since 1984, he lends his talents to the Festival request to forge this unique sculpture that intertwines the beauty of the mountains and Annecy Lake.

Created in the great glass art tradition, the result is a symbolic trophy allowing light to dance through it. The artist aspired to create an award that would be a work of art in itself, by incorporating mineral elements such as gold, copper, and even cobalt. A Cristal that hasn’t lost any of its sparkle, and will reward even more works in competition this year!