Xilam Group Heads Back to Annecy Festival with Growing Film and Series Slate
Xilam Animation (Paris:XIL), Academy Award ® -nominated French animation studio, is returning to Annecy International Animation Film Festival – taking place on 8 th - 14 th June 2025 – with a wave of activity across its latest features and series. Upcoming ambitious family feature Lucy Lost is part of Annecy's official 'Work In Progress' sessions, which offer first looks at features and series in production, with Xilam's Founder and CEO Marc du Pontavice participating alongside key creatives including director and co-writer Olivier Clert (Klaus, Little Prince). Xilam is also showcasing new original titles across its burgeoning slate during the festival, including Submarine Jim, Piggy Builders and Turbo Twins.
Xilam's raft of Annecy activity follows the recently announced partnership with commercial French broadcaster TF1 to develop Turbo Twins, a new comedy action CG animation series for kids aged 6-10 years old.
Marc du Pontavice, Founder and CEO at Xilam Animation, said: ' As we return to one of the key events in our calendar, our line-up for Annecy once again offers something for everyone in the family – from epic film adventures to vibrant comedy series. We look forward to unveiling a first glimpse into our moving and powerful film Lucy Lost, and to also presenting our diverse slate of new kids' series, which blends both original ideas as well as beloved IPs. Our flourishing development and production pipeline is testament to the leading creativity of our talent, and also to the strength of our relationships with key European broadcasters, such as France Télévisions, TF1, BBC, Super RTL and ZDF. '
Full details of Xilam's activity in Annecy includes:
LUCY LOST >> Work-In Progress Session, 2:30pm on Tuesday 10 th June (Salle Pierre Lamy)
Upcoming epic family feature film Lucy Lost, based on award-winning author and previous British Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo's 2014 novel Listen to the Moon, is screening as part of Annecy's Work In Progress sessions with an exclusive first look at the film. Produced by Xilam Films, the session will bring together creatives including Marc du Pontavice, CEO and Founder at Xilam, director Olivier Clert, artistic director Joyse Colson, first assistant Lucie Giros and Head of Posing Juliette Laurent. Goodfellas Animation is handling international sales, with Le Pacte distributing the feature theatrically in France and French broadcasters Canal+ and Cine+ have the pay-TV rights
Synopsis: Despite her family's love and affection, Lucy has always felt like an outsider. Her extraordinary gifts and striking white hair set her apart, stirring hostility and distrust in her village. With the help of Milly – a little girl only she can see – Lucy embarks on a daring adventure to unravel the mystery of her powers and finally find where she belongs.
SUBMARINE JIM >> First Episodes Now Available
Xilam is bringing new adventure comedy Submarine Jim to Annecy, with the first episodes of the 2D animated series now available to view. European broadcasters France Télévisions (France) and Super RTL (France) are already on board the series, which delves into the tale of a naive, young dolphin named Jim, who when tasked with steering the world's first-ever submarine on wheels, leads a motley crew of underwater friends on a whirlwind journey across land and sea.
PIGGY BUILDERS >> Premiering in Upcoming Trimester
Originally commissioned by France Télévisions (France), BBC (UK) and ZDF (Germany), Piggy Builders follows Cornelia, Cesar and Charlie, charismatic siblings with curly tails, as they embark on their passion for construction, every day. They share a deep love for building, problem solving and their wonderful community in Fine Forest. There's one more thing they have in common: they all have a lot to learn about working together. When they manage to work as a team, the impossible becomes possible! The series is set to be completed by the end of the year, with its premiere set for the upcoming trimester.
TURBO TWINS >> Development Agreement with TF1
Xilam has recently inked a partnership with commercial French broadcaster TF1 to develop new comedy action CG animation series Turbo Twins. First pitched by Xilam Group at Cartoon Forum 2022, the series is aimed at kids aged 6-10 years old and will air in TF1's leading children's slot TFOU. The series is set in Karston Speedway Summer Camp – the ultimate summer showdown for the fastest K.A.R. racers. The stakes have never been higher: for the winners, it's a place at the Nationals. For the losers, it's elimination and they go home with nothing. But for our incredible teen duo, the Turbo Twins, losing is clearly not an option. And when high-octane racing meets summer camp life, buckle up! Think workouts that turn into laugh-offs; home-made contraptions and tactics that run out of control, and rivalries that burn just as hot in the canteen as they do on the tarmac – it's never going to be an easy ride!
About Xilam
A major player in animation, Xilam is an integrated studio founded in 1999 that creates, produces and distributes original programmes in more than 190 countries for both children and adult audiences. Xilam content is broadcast on television, and is also available on SVoD platforms including Netflix, Disney+, Amazon and AVoD streaming platforms including YouTube and Facebook.
With its creativity and capacity for innovation recognised worldwide, its unique expertise in CGI, as well as editorial and commercial expertise at the cutting edge of its industry, Xilam is positioned as a key player of the market. Each year, Xilam builds real successes and capitalises on its powerful historical brands including Oggy and the Cockroaches, Zig & Sharko and Chicky, as well as new properties such as Oggy Oggy for a preschool audience, Mr Magoo and Karate Sheep, and Academy Award ® nominated adult feature film I Lost My Body. Additionally, Xilam is serving as the animation studio for Zack Snyder's animated series Twilight of the Gods, launched worldwide on 19 September 2024 by Netflix, and also produces Chip 'n' Dale: Park Life, alongside the forthcoming horror comedy The Doomies, for Disney+. Xilam's expanding and strong catalogue now consists of over 2,800 episodes and three feature films.
Xilam employs more than 400 individuals, across its studios in Paris, Angoulême in France and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam. Xilam was ranked France's leading animation studio for the 2018-2023 period in a report by the French National Centre for Cinema and Animation (CNC).
Xilam is listed on Euronext Paris Compartment C - PEA - SRD long Eligibility.
ISIN: FR0004034072, Symbol: XIL
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