2021 Archives
Sommaire
The International Animation Film Festival and Market made their onsite comeback with a unique hybrid edition that attracted almost 8,500 badgeholders!
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival (from 14th to 19th June 2021)
"To meet again." This was the aim of this unique edition organised under the constraints of the current health situation. The Festival once again pulled out all the stops by adapting and innovating a first ever hybrid event.
This enabled everyone, whether professionals, students, moviegoers or animation amateurs, to enjoy the Festival onsite or from home.
The 2021 edition also marked the Festival’s 60th anniversary, which was celebrated with screenings of original tributes and other surprises.
Before the event, international leading figures from the world of animation came together to wish the Festival a happy birthday through festive videos and cards. Unpublished animations or kind anecdotes from participants, all giving thanks to the iconic event that brings them all together each year.
During the Festival, colourful exhibitions retraced the event’s 60 years. The Village du Festival was the perfect opportunity to admire a gallery of portraits of the most esteemed names who have come to Annecy, while images and other archive documents were on display at street corners throughout the city. The evening party brought us back to the Festival’s very beginning with a screening of An Oscar for Monsieur Rossi by Bruno Bozzetto, returning to the Bonlieu stage after 60 years.
Over 240 screenings outlined the festivalgoers’ week, as part of a rich programme also including 30 Conferences, 16 Work in Progress, 13 Studio Focus, 6 Demo Sessions, 4 Making of, 2 Masterclasses, 2 Previews and 1 Keynote, that provided a sneak-peek into numerous future projects.
The Viewing Platform recorded nearly 12,897 viewing hours thanks to the online accreditation formulas.
Another major theme this year was paying tribute to African animation, which was showcased in the special programming. Organised as part of the Africa2020 Season, the Festival put the spotlight on pioneers such as Moustapha Alassane and William Kentridge, while collaborating with today’s creatives and their local organisations (African Animation Network, the Meknès Festival, and the Fupitoons Festival).
The juries were graced with the presence of the writer and professor Mohamed Ghazala (Egypt), and artist Naddya Adhiambo Oluoch-Olunya (Kenya). Also, for this anniversary edition, the Festival wanted to invite an animation film enthusiast from Annecy, Louise Garcia, to join one of the official juries for the first time.
In the Feature Film category, it was the poignant story of Flee that touched people’s hearts and won the Cristal. My Sunny Maad won the Jury Award, and The Crossing took home the Jury Distinction. Also noteworthy is the Contrechamp Award given to Bob Spit – We Do Not Like People, and in the very latest category, it’s Replacements (Penggantian) that won the Cristal for Best VR Work.
In total, there were 20 Official Awards and 12 Special Prizes presented. You can consult all the prizes on our Awards page.
One of the other highlights to this edition was presenting a Golden Ticket to Gebeka Films’ distributor, Marc Bonny, for his huge contribution to animation film. This ticket gives him lifetime access to the Festival!
Enjoy numerous content from the 2021 edition on our Festival YouTube channel, including opening credits by the GOBELINS, l’école de l’image, Shorts Interviews of directors in Competition, and more.
And we look forward to seeing you on 13th to 18th June 2022 for a new Festival edition that will be shining the spotlight on Switzerland’s animation talents!
The Annecy International Animation Film Market (from 15th to 18th June 2021)
To support animation professionals around the world, the Mifa also organised a 2021 hybrid format edition to adapt to the health situation.
Onsite inside the Impérial Palace, companies could take advantage of exhibition spaces as well as meeting and viewing areas, to discover animation and have discussions between badgeholders.
Online, the Annecy Network enabled professionals to develop their virtual stands to promote themselves. They also had the opportunity to be connected live with other badgeholders through special virtual rooms.
2,336 professionals had accreditations for the 2021 Mifa edition, and 325 of these were buyers, distributers and investors.
An edition that had substantial content with 85 events presented online including 20 Pitch sessions, 8 Recruiters Talk sessions, 11 Focus sessions, 46 Meet the… sessions and 4 Press Conferences.
The Mifa Animation Industry Award was presented to Triggerfish Animation Studios, to recognise the work of an African studio which forged the way as animation pioneers on this continent. In several years, its career has enabled the production and manufacture of some already award-winning series and feature films, to support training talents in South Africa and throughout the African continent.
In partnership with Unity, the Mifa Campus took place on Friday 18th June and also highlighted African animation. Marguerite Abouet, patron of this 2021 edition, discussed her convictions with the future animation students and young talents.
The next edition of the Annecy International Animation Film Market will take place on 14th to 17th June 2022.