Annecy 2025 Lineup Unveiled: A Celebration of Innovation, Independence and International Animation

Yahoo

23-04-2025

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the world's most important week in global animatioon, returns to the French Alps this June 9-15, hosting visionary directors, groundbreaking films and a burgeoning number of established and emerging studios and voices from around the world.
This year's edition is one of the most ambitious yet, marked by a rich blend of themes, powerful political storytelling and a notable emphasis on independent animation. As fest art director Marcel Jean notes, 'The quality of independent animation has increased in a most spectacular way,' which is evident across this year's programming, particularly in the Official Competition and Contrechamp Feature categories.
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Below, the 10 features selected in both the Official and Contrechamp sections and a quote from Jean explaining why they were picked, followed by several highlights from today's announcements. The festival's popular Work in Progress lineup was unveiled earlier this month.
Official Competition:
'Allah Is Not Obliged,' Zaven Najjar (France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada)
'For his first feature film, Zaven Najjar rose to the challenge of adapting Ahmadou Kourouma's novel 'Allah is Not Obliged.' It's a tall order given the book's raw, unusual language, which the director manages to preserve in this first-person narrative of a child soldier.'
'A Magnificent Life,' Sylvain Chomet (France, Luxembourg, Belgium)
'Sylvain Chomet makes his comeback with this feature film dedicated to Marcel Pagnol. It is such a delight to see the filmmaker's sophisticated graphics again, and for the first time he uses dialogue to capture the musical Marseille accent.'
'Arco,' Ugo Bienvenu (France)
'True to his graphic style, Ugo Bienvenu offers us an astonishing first science-fiction feature film for all the family, in which a 10-year-old girl takes in a boy of the same age from the future.'
'ChaO,' Yasuhiro Aoki (Japan)
'This whimsical tale comes to us from Japan, with its assertive graphic style and bold colours, somewhat reminiscent of Masaaki Yuasa and Taiyō Matsumoto.'
'Dandelion's Odyssey,' Momoko Seto (France, Belgium)
'It is an understatement to say that Momoko Seto's debut feature was eagerly awaited! We are delighted to discover that, from the very first seconds of the film, we were fascinated by this original imagery, a skilful blend of scientific shooting techniques and digital animation. Like dandelion seeds, we are hurtling along a strange and perilous journey….'
'Death Does Not Exist,' Felix Dufour-Laperrière (Canada, France)
'Félix Dufour-Laperrière, who won an award in the Contrechamp selection in 2021 with 'Archipel,' returns to Annecy with his third feature. Visually stunning, the film plunges us into the torments of a young woman haunted by guilt following an attack that went wrong.'
'Into the Mortal World,' Zhong Ding (China)
'This is yet another demonstration of the exceptional expertise of Chinese studios. 'Into the Mortal World' is intended for all audiences, a spectacular, funny film, full of action and emotion.'
'Little Amélie or the Character of Rain,' Maïlys Vallade & Liane-Cho Han (France)
'For their first feature film, Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han adapted Amélie Nothomb's novel with finesse and sensitivity. A dazzling offering, brought to life by both the magical script and Mari Fukuhara's music, the film will appeal to audiences of all ages.'
'Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake,' Irene Iborra (Spain, France, Belgium, Chile)
'One of the great surprises of the selection! This is the only stop-motion feature film in the official competition. 'Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake' intelligently and skilfully addresses children tackling an essential social reality without pettiness or sentimentality.'
'The Last Blossom,' Baku Kinoshita (Japan)
''The Last Blossom' is set in the yakuza underworld and evokes the atmosphere of some of Takeshi Kitano's films ('Hana-bi,' 'Sonatine'). An opportunity to discover a truly unique director, Baku Kinoshita.'
2025 Contrechamp Feature Competition:
'Balentes,' Giovanni Columbu (Italy)
'A delightful discovery, this unique film follows two children in the 1940s Sardinian countryside. A moving and gripping experience due to its interesting subject matter and experimental form.'
'Endless Cookie,' Seth and Peter Scriver (Canada)
'Seth Scriver brought us 'Asphalt Watches' in competition in 2014, now he's back this year with 'Endless Cookie,' co-directed with his half-brother Pete Scriver. In a bursting, humorous style, it parallels the differences between the experiences of the two brothers, one white and the other Native.'
'Jinsei,' Ryuya Suzuki (Japan)
'Ryuya Suzuki's first feature film reminds us of the minimalist visual aesthetics of 'On-Gaku: Our Sound' by Kenji Iwaisawa. Jinsei is an uncompromising social satire that examines identity and the meaning of life. Through a videotape, the viewer becomes witness to a man's life who has nohistory and is in search of an identity.'
'Lesbian Space Princess,' Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese (Australia)
'This wacky comedy comes to us from Australia, where the title already says it all. Directed by Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, 'Lesbian Space Princess' is both delightful and surprising.'
'Memory Hotel,' Heinrich Sabl (Germany)
'In his highly stylized debut feature, German director Heinrich Sabl transports us to 1945, to a strange hotel where little Sophie encounters horrors, loses her memory and finds it again, while history's tragedy is played out all around her.'
'Nimuendaj,' Tania Cristina Anaya (Brazil, Peru)
'Out of Brazil comes this astonishing Curt Unckel biopic, the famous German ethnologist and writer christened Nimuendajú by the Guarani people in 1906. Director Tanya Anaya succeeds in capturing this man's deep commitment as he witnessed first-hand the persecution suffered by the indigenous people.'
'Olivia & The Clouds,' Tomás Pichardo Espaillat (Dominican Republic)
'Tomás Pichardo Espaillat's fourth selection for Annecy is the first animated feature to come out of the Dominican Republic, an amazing journey between four characters and even more animation techniques.'
'Space Cadet,' Kid Koala (U.S.)
'For his first feature film, musician Eric San (Kid Koala) adapts his own graphic novel, published in 2011. It features Celeste, the orphaned daughter of a famous astronaut, raised by a robot guardian and herself destined for space exploration. A film for all the family that tackles the subject of memory.
'Tales from the Magic Garden,' David Sukup, Patrik Pašš, Leon Vidmar, Jean-Claude Rozec (Czech Republic, France, Slovakia, Slovenia)
'Four directors from four countries join forces to create a bundle of tales spotlighting the imagination. We're almost surprised to find so much cohesion in this children's film, whose very genesis proves that across different origins and cultures, collaboration and understanding are possible.'
'The Great History of Western Philosophy,' Aria Covamonas (Mexico)
'Aria Covamonas, an unclassifiable filmmaker, openly uses several great historical figures to deliver a delirious satire using collage with surrealist overtones.'
'The Square,' Bo-Sol Kim (South Korea)
'This is perhaps the most unexpected film of the selection. The forbidden love story between a Swedish diplomat and a young North Korean woman, under the watchful eye of his interpreter and, no doubt, the secret services.'
Three Honorary Cristals will be awarded in 2025 to legendary artists who have redefined the landscape of animation through their work:
Michel Gondry, renowned for his surreal music videos and inventive filmmaking, will also debut his new film 'Maya, Give Me Another Title.'
Joanna Quinn, an iconic British animator and advocate for women in the industry, will be honored as part of the 10th anniversary of Annecy's Women in Animation initiative.
Matt Groening, creator of 'The Simpsons,' will attend a special screening and discuss the series' legacy as it enters its 36th season.
Annecy will also feature screenings and presentations from major players like Pixar, Sony, Disney, Netflix and Warner Bros.
2025 marks the 40th anniversary of the International Animation Film Market (MIFA), a cornerstone of the festival and a key player in building Europe's animation ecosystem. Now boasting over 200 events and participants from nearly 100 countries, MIFA is a launchpad for emerging voices and a place where new projects, like those from Bangladesh, Vietnam and Costa Rica, can find global partners.
Mickaël Marin, Annecy's managing director, reflected on the significance of the milestone and how the platform has evolved over the past four decades: '40 years ago, MIFA was born out of the need to create a television animation industry in Europe. Today, we're joined by game developers, publishers and new countries every year.'
Annecy's 2025 country of honor is Hungary, whose animation industry has experienced a dynamic revival. As Jean explained, 'There is something great in Hungary… a very strong heritage in animation.'
Four Hungarian feature films, including 'Bubble Bath' and 'Heroic Times,' will be showcased alongside student films from the esteemed MOME University. A Hungary pavilion at MIFA will spotlight the country's ecosystem through industry panels, exhibitions and a masterclass by acclaimed director Áron Gauder.
Veronique Dumont, from the festival's organizing team, emphasized the significance of Hungary's growing presence: 'They will have a lot of professionals and artists on site. They're really dynamic now, and it was a real pleasure to work with them.'
A prevailing theme this year is the dominance of independent cinema in the feature film and Contrechamp selections. Notably absent are the usual major studio entries in competition, making space for personal, stylistically bold and politically engaged works.
Jean attributes this to a mix of factors, but primarily due to the abundance of high-quality independent submissions. He also shares some of the credit for this year's multifarious lineup. 'The audience is ready,' he says. 'They're watching animation on platforms and TV where there's greater stylistic diversity.'
This year's selection includes an impressive number of 2D films and experimental techniques. As Jean observed, 'We're seeing more drawn-on-paper films, diverse aesthetics and genre storytelling like science fiction used as metaphor; films like 'Arco' or 'Death Does Not Exist' are good examples.'
Jean is especially excited about the growing presence of television and streaming series in recent years. 'There's been an incredible increase in quality,' he said. 'Think of 'Bojack Horseman,' 'Arcane' or 'Common Side Effects.' These shows are offering mythical solutions to real societal problems.'
The festival will host a full episode screening of Marvel's 'Eyes of Wakanda,' discussions with 'The Simpsons' team and events highlighting studios like Riot Games, Lucasfilm and Netflix. Dumont pointed to the Mifa Campus' increasing appeal to companies like Disney, Netflix and Illumination, as well as video game studios producing narrative content, such as Ubisoft's 'Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Deathwatch,' and now merchandise companies with strong IPs like Mattel, which will make its first appearance at MIFA this year.
Annecy will celebrate 10 years of its partnership with Women in Animation this year. From its groundbreaking 2015 edition, when all juries were led by women, to the increasing percentage of female directors in graduation films, the festival has played a pivotal role in promoting gender equity.
The festival will commemorate this anniversary with events throughout the week, including a special focus on women in feature animation, where progress still lags.
As Marin noted, 'This year isn't just about looking back, but about asking what more we can do. We want to celebrate the journey while planning for more inclusive futures.'
Dumont also highlighted the increasing participation from African studios. Nigeria, in particular, will host another pitch session this year, and a Nigerian feature is included in the MIFA Pitches selection, an impressive achievement given the volume of submissions received each year.
'Madagascar, Tanzania, Morocco and others are coming back,' Dumont said. 'These countries are putting serious investment into creative industries, and they see Annecy and MIFA as one of the best places to grow.'
Several highly anticipated titles will receive non-competition screenings at this year's event:
'Fixed,' Genndy Tartakovsky
'Animal Farm,' Andy Serkis
'Maya, Give Me Another Title,' Michel Gondry
'Falcon Express,' TAT Productions
'The Songbird's Secret,' Antoine Lanciaux
Annecy 2025 looks to be a testament to the power of animation to tell the world's most urgent stories, to bridge mediums and markets and to uplift creators from all walks of life. From the legacy of Hungarian cinema to the vitality of experimental and boundary-pushing storytelling, Annecy continues to be the year's most impactful event in global animation.
Last year, Annecy launched a new non-competitive section allowing the general public to get an early look at several upcoming films. This year's lineup includes:
'Captain Sabertooth and the Countess of Grel,' Yaprak Morali, Are Austnes, Rasmus A. Sivertsen (Norway)
'Fleak,' Jens Møller, Mikko Pitkänen and Luca Bruno (Finland, France, Malaisia, Poland)
'The Girl Who Stole Time,' Ao Yu and Tienan Zhou (China)
'Chickenhare and the Secret of the Groundhog,' Benjamin Mousquet (Belgium, France)
'I am Frankelda,' Rodolfo Ambriz and Arturo Ambriz (Mexico)
'Mary Anning,' Marcel Barelli (Belgium, Switzerland)
'My Grandfather is a Nihonjin,' Célia Catunda (Brazil)
'Little Caribou,' Barry O'Donoghue (Ireland)
'Csongor és Tünde,' Máli Csaba, Pálfi Zsolt (Hungary)
'Spiked,' Caroline Origer (Belgium, France, Luxembourg, United Kingdom)
'Stitch Head,' Steve Hudson (Germany, Luxembourg)
'Thelma's Perfect Birthday,' Reinis Kalnaellis (Latvia, Luxembourg)
'Hyakuemu,' Kenji Iwaisawa (Japan, USA)
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