2022 Archives
Sommaire
After two years hit by the health crisis, 2022 was a moment for reuniting, as well as a numbers-breaking year for the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and its market, the Mifa.
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (13th to 18th June 2022)
Welcome on board!
This year, the Festival called on Laurent Durieux, famed poster-artist and illustrator especially reputed for his alternative cult film posters, to design the poster for the 2022 Festival. His artwork was hugely successful and inspired audiences to serenely surf the crests of imagination, steering a clear course to Annecy.
All told, 13,248 accredited festival-goers (an increase of 8% over 2019, itself a record year) hailing from 106 countries came together to rock the city of Annecy.
During the week, the Annecy Festival offered over 300 screenings, brought together more than 50,000 viewers for the Open-air day/night Screenings on the Pâquier and likewise organized 165 events and professional meetings.
"We promised you fireworks, but this past week has exceeded all our expectations! First, in terms of numbers, but not only that. Annecy 2022 is quite simply the mirror image of what animated filmmaking represents worldwide today: a major art form and an incredibly agile industry which never stops developing."
Mickaël Marin, CITIA director
As for the prize-winners, the films which marked this year with their uniqueness, their techniques and their inventiveness will certainly continue to convince even latecomers. In the feature films category, a little cinematic UFO totally charmed the jury and skipped off with the Cristal. The happy winner is none other than Little Nicholas – Happy As Can Be.
Interdit aux chiens et aux Italiens (No Dogs or Italians Allowed) proudly pocketed the Jury Award and the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution. My Love Affair with Marriage and Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman were rewarded the Jury Distinction.
Among the short films, Amok won the Cristal. Steakhouse earned the Jury Award, while the Jury Distinction was given to Anxious Body "for its beautifully crafted animation and its fantastic physical experience".
Review the entire list of the official awards and special prizes of the 2022 Annecy International Animation Film Festival on our dedicated page.
For its 62 years, the Annecy Festival 2022 unfolded under the sign of Swiss animation! No fewer than 14 Special Programmes were crafted to give festival-goers an overview of Swiss production’s past hundred years: time travelling through Swiss animation cinema, from its start to more recent major international hits. Attendees were able to bask in a burgeoning animation scene and now can boast that they know the ins and outs of the animated filmmaking so skilfully mastered by our Helvetic friends.Retrospective sessions were notably dedicated to Claude Barras, Marcel Barelli and Isabelle Favez. These three virtuoso animation experts honoured us with their insights and shared their passion for their work.
Swiss animation also glowed in the Festival’s dedicated screening rooms since it was the Nadasdy Film studio which was commissioned to design the now indispensable trailer.
On the XR side, works were selected from among the more than 91 projects sent from 30 different countries. This year, the selection committee short-listed 8 VR pieces. Glimpse won the Cristal for the Best VR Work, while Goliath: Playing with Reality won the Jury Distinction. Official Selection, Work in Progress, Conferences… First presented at Annecy 2016 within the Special Programmes, XR has now moved to the very heart of the Festival and of virtual immersion enthusiasts, in step with the works and the stories.
Finally, one highlight of 2022 was the Honorary Cristal awarded to Jennifer Lee and Michel Ocelot for their outstanding contributions to animated filmmaking.
Annecy International Animation Film Market (14th to 17th June 2022)
With its exhibition spaces for companies, meeting and screening rooms, discussion areas for badge-holders, professional encounters… once again the Mifa magically transformed itself into a hive of industry and animation activity.
In a nutshell: the 2022 Mifa hosted 6,000 m² of stand space, 800 exhibitors, 4,000 professionals and over 130 events.
As for the Mifa Pitches, 32 projects were short-listed and no fewer than 13 ended up prize-winners!
The Mifa Animation Industry Award was given to the producers and partners who brought the profoundly moving Flee to life: Signe Byrge Sørensen and Monica Hellström for Final Cut For Real (Denmark), Charlotte de La Gournerie for Sun Creature (Denmark, France), Jean-François Le Corre and Mathieu Courtois for Vivement Lundi ! (France), Charlotte Most for MostFilm (Sweden), Maria Ekerhovd for Mer Film (Norway), Fabrice Puchault, Alex Szalat and Anne Charbonnel Arte France’s documentary unit, Philippa Kowarsky and Olivier Tournaud for Cinephil, the international agent for the film (Israel).
This animated documentary by Jonas Poher Rasmussen has won more than 80 different honours including the World Cinema Documentary Grand Prix at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, three European Film Awards in 2021 and three Oscar nominations in 2022! In 2021, the Annecy Festival had already crowned it with its Cristal for a Feature Film.
In partnership with Unity, the Mifa Campus took place on Friday 17th June. After Guillermo del Toro, Richard Williams, Nora Twomey and Marguerite Abouet, it was the turn of director Masaaki Yuasa to become part of the long roster of Mifa Campus patrons who, every year, inspire and encourage young animators and students across the board.
We can’t wait to see you again 11th to 17th June 2023 for a new edition bearing the colours of Mexico!