Annecy Festival Residency: The 2024 winning writers

Marie Deboissy

Graphic Author of Le Cabanon de l’oncle Jo / France

Marie Deboissy grew up in both sunny Guadeloupe and the Bordeaux region. She graduated in 2019 from the Atelier supérieur d’animation. Inspired by nature, where she spent her youth, she works predominantly with colour in realistic compositions steeped in mystery. She depicts characters, experiences and emotions by seeking out beauty in the tragic and ordinary. Alongside the directing, art directing and animation set designing, she develops her universe primarily through oil painting.

"I’m very excited about the Residency because it’s a golden opportunity to refine the Cabanon de l’oncle Jo project’s animation style and techniques. It’s brilliant to be able to use this time exclusively for the film’s graphic development in a region that I love and in the company of other inspiring artists; especially thanks to the mentorships provided by the Residency. This is a unique opportunity that will bring great depth and artistic maturity to the film, but also to myself."

Tigran Arakelyan

Director of Zako / Armenia

Tigran Arakelyan is an artist with over a decade of expertise in animation and cinema.

Graduating from Hakob Kojoyan secondary art school in 2009 and later earning a degree in Art Direction for Cinema from the Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography in 2013, Tigran embarked on his artistic journey early in life. His skills grew while he worked as a designer at the well-known ReAnimania International Animation and Comics Festival from 2010 to 2012.

With a profound passion for cinema, Tigran has worked as Art Director for over 10 movies, including the acclaimed Aurora’s Sunrise. His remarkable talent garnered prestigious awards, such as Best Art Director at the Anahit National Award Ceremony during the Academy Awards in 2019 and the award for Best Film at the One Minute One Shot competition organized by the Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art (ACCEA).

Since co-founding OnOff Studio in 2018, Tigran has played a pivotal role in completing four short animated movies and is actively involved in the development of two TV series projects, three short animated movies, and the animated feature film Zako. The studio employs innovative immersive VR technologies as tools for animation development, showcasing Tigran's commitment to pushing creative boundaries in the industry.

"Selected for the Annecy Festival Residency, I'm excited and feel a strong sense of responsibility. It's not just about personal growth; it's a chance to boost our studio and help advance the Armenian animation industry. I look forward to immersing myself in this transformative experience and leveraging it to make a lasting impact on both a personal and industry-wide level."

Sofía Carrillo

Director of Insectarium / Mexico

Sofía Carrillo is a stop-motion animation film director.

Winner of two Silver Ariel for Best Short Animated Film at the Mexican Academy of Film Arts and Sciences: Black Doll (Prita Noire) in 2011, and Cerulia, 2017.

She is also the creator of the interstitials for the XX Anthology Horror Film, directed by Jovanka Vuckovic, Annie Clark, Roxanne Benjamin and Karyn Kusama (Magnolia Pictures and XYZ Films), which premiered at Sundance in 2017.

Her work has participated at Annecy, Sundance, Chicago, Tricky Women, Sitges, Habana and other film festivals.

Sofia is an AMPAS (Oscar) and AMACC (Ariel) Academy member. She also collaborated in the second unit of Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.

"My Mexican heart is happy and proud to participate in this residency in Annecy, it is a huge honor, this will be a magnificent opportunity to enrich our project Insectarium."

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