Latest news with #JoannaQuinn
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10 hours ago
- Entertainment
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Annecy Revs Up For 2025 Edition; Kicking Off With Michel Gondry & Matt Groening Honors & Shorts Selection Featuring New ‘Stars Wars: Visions' Title
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival kicks-off this weekend with a masterclass by French filmmaker Michel Gondry, who will also receive a career award alongside The Simpsons creator Matt Groening and UK animation director Joanna Quinn at the opening ceremony. It marks The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind director Gondry's first trip to the lakeside event, billed as the biggest animation festival in the world, although his work Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy?:An Animated Conversation with Noam Chomsky played at the festival in 2014, winning the best French film prize. More from Deadline 'Wallace & Gromit' Studio Aardman Partners With France's Foliascope On Cross-Border Stop-Motion Training Program Gkids Takes North America For Cannes & Annecy Title 'Little Amélie Or The Character Of Rain' Nickelodeon Acquires Animated Kids' Show 'Mr. Crocodile' From Joann Sfar's Magical Society & Mediawan 'Michel is exactly like Terry Gilliam,' says the festival's artistic director Marcel Jean, referring to Annecy's 2024 guest of honor. 'He comes from the world of animation. That's where he started. We've wanted to invite him for a long time and the planets have aligned.' Jean notes that Gondry's visit also coincides with a focus this year on the use of animation in music videos, a domain in which the director is also well-known for his collaborations with the likes Of Björk, The White Stripes and Daft Punk. In a break with tradition, Jean has opted to world premiere five short films at the opening ceremony rather than showcase a single feature film. Recent openers have included The Most Precious of Cargoes (2024), Sirocco and the Kingdom of Air Streams (2023) and Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022). 'We wanted to reaffirm the place of the short film at Annecy,' explains Jean. 'With the first films, we don't stipulate that they are French premieres, but this year we received an enormous amount of world premieres, so we decided to open with a program of shorts, which are very different and very strong.' They range from 9 Million Colours by emerging Czech director Bára Anna Stejskalová, who won praise for her short film Love Is Just A Death Away, to Shinya Ohira's Star Wars: Visions – 'Black', from Japanese anime studio david production, produced by Lucasfilm for Disney+. The line-up also features The Girl Who Cried Pearls, the latest stop-motion work from Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, the Canadian directorial duo working under the banner of Clyde Henry Productions, who were Oscar nominated for short film Madam Tutli-Putli. Bulgarian Oscar-nominated director Theodore Ushev, who won Annecy's best short award in 2020, also returns with La Vie avec un idiot about a man forced to live with an idiot as a state sanctioned punishment. The opening night mix of filmmakers forging their way in the indie space and globally known animation stars such as Matt Groening and IPs such as Star Wars encapsulates the essence of Annecy, which is one of the few film festivals in the world to truly showcase indie and studio fare side-by-side with equal amounts of respect and attention. This mix and the festival's efforts to cater to animation professionals across all formats and styles has won it fans worldwide. In 2024, there 17,400 accredited attendees, including 6,500 participants at its MIFA market, and 4,120 students, who give the festival its youthful atmosphere. At the heart of the festival program is the 21-title Main Competition, with contenders this year ranging from established names such as Sylvain Chomet with A Magnificent Life and Félix Dufour-Laperrière with Death Does Not Exist, to newcomers such as Ugo Bienvenu with Arco, and Momoko Seto with Dandelion's Odyssey. Jean acknowledges that many of the films have French connections this year but suggests this is more a reflection of the role France plays in financing independent feature films. 'I think the dynamism of French film finance and cultural diplomacy makes it look like there are a lot of French entries but the directors and stories this year are from across the world,' he says. Outside of the competition programs, the festival will also be world premiering Andy Serkis's Animal Farm on Monday and hosting the French premiere of How To Train Your Dragon as special screening events ahead of its release in France on June 11. The other big draw for attendees outside of the films are the works-in-progress, makings of and sneak peaks, as well as the program of close to 200 industry sessions. As ever, all the Hollywood studios will be out in force. Disney kicks off the Making of sessions on Monday (June 9) with a presentation of new action-adventure series Eyes Of Wakanda, which launches on Disney+ on August 6, with director and executive producer Todd Harris leading the presentation. 'It's a big year for Disney at Annecy,' comments Jean, noting all of its divisions – from Walt Disney Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, Marvel Animation, Lucasfilm, Disney Television Animation to 20th Television Animation – will be at the festival. Further highlights of the Disney program include the Pixar Animation Studios showcase on Friday, featuring footage from Elio and first images from Hoppers and Toy Story 5, teased by the studio's CCO and Annecy regular Pete Docter. 'Netflix and Warner will also be out in force,' adds Jean, noting the presence of the latter's Warner Bros. Animation, Cartoon Network Studios, and Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe. Warner Brother Animation will hold a special conversation event celebrating the 25th anniversary of Cartoon Network Studios' featuring creators such as Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Laboratory), Craig McCracken (The Powerpuff Girls), Pendleton Ward (Adventure Time), Rebecca Sugar (Steven Universe), J.G. Quintel (Regular Show), Adam Muto (Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake). 'In recent years, TV series have brought about a huge amount of innovation.,' says Jean. He points to the example of Ward's series Adventure Time, about the adventures of a boy called Finn and his adoptive brother Jake, a dog with shape shifting powers. 'There are lots of independent features and shorts that were influenced by Pendleton Ward and Adventure Time, which in turn also opened the way for Rebecca Sugar to make Steven Universe, which also opened up new subject matter. Channels like Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network have been extremely important,' says Jean. 'Someone like Genndy Tartakovsky who went on to make features and comes from these channels, is a key figure… there's also Adult Swim which last year presented the first episode of Common Side Effects. That series for me, is a major milestone in the history of animated series, which has gained in importance since the election of Donald Trump,' he adds of the show about two high school students who take on big pharma and corrupt government. Warner Bros. Animation will also be running a work-in-progress session for Get Jiro based on the best-selling graphic novel set in a not-too-distant future L.A. where master chefs rule the town, and making of presentation for Bat-Fam. In other studio highlights, Netflix will be running its traditional Next on Netflix Animation event, with a focus on the upcoming From Stranger Things: Tales From '85 animated series and feature film In Your Dreams, which it is positioning for an awards season push. Sony Pictures Animation will also be in town to unveil animated sports-themed production GOAT from Tyree Dillihay and co-director Adam Rosette; DreamWorks Animation will present a first look at Bad Guys 2 directed by Pierre Perifel and co-directed by Juan Pablo Sans, and Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon will showcase Smurfs and The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants. Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025 TV Cancellations: Photo Gallery 'Stick' Soundtrack: All The Songs You'll Hear In The Apple TV+ Golf Series
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
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UK Filmmaker Joanna Quinn Dedicates Annecy Honor To Gaza Animator Haneen Koraz
UK filmmaker Joanna Quinn paid tribute to Gaza animator Haneen Koraz as she received the Annecy International Animation Film Festival's Honorary Cristal at its opening ceremony on Sunday evening. The Bafta-winning and three-time Oscar-nominated The Canterbury Tales and Affairs of the Art director praised Koraz's work in the Gaza Strip spearheading women-run animation workshops for children. More from Deadline UK Comedian Dawn French Apologizes For "Clumsy Tone In One-Sided Gaza Video" Goodfellas Racks Up Sales On Annecy-Bound 'Little Amélie', 'Arco' & 'Angel's Egg' 'Wallace & Gromit' Studio Aardman Partners With France's Foliascope On Cross-Border Stop-Motion Training Program 'One day, she'll be stood here, holding one of these, hint, hint,' she continued, referring to her Cristal award. 'Wouldn't it be wonderful if the kids could come here and watch their films.' Quinn's was speaking amid growing international criticism of Israel's military campaign in the Palestinian territory – aimed at annihilating Islamist militant group Hamas in response to its October 7, 2023 attacks and retrieving Israeli hostages – which has left more than 54,000 people dead and the population on the brink of starvation. Speaking to Deadline afterwards at the opening night party, Quinn revealed she has just launched an initiative entitled 'To Gaza, With Love: A Global Anijam', inviting animators and artists from around the world to create 10 to 30-second animated messages of love and support to the Palestinian people. The contributions will be collected in an online interactive map, which Quinn hopes to premiere via livestream in August with the works then touring animation festivals around the world. Sunday night's ceremony also recalled late Gaza artist and photojournalist Fatima Hassouna due to the presence of Iranian-French director Sepideh Farsi in the main feature film jury during alongside composer Pablo Pico (Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds) and György Ráduly, Director of the Film Archive at the National Film Institute Hungary Hungary Following animated feature The Siren, which opened the Berlinale in 2023, Farsi turned to documentary to capture Hassouna's life in her film Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk. The film recently played in the ACID line-up in Cannes, having been announced for the parallel section just 24 hours before the young woman was killed in an Israeli airstrike on her home. On a far lighter note, Quinn recalled her first trip to Annecy in 1987 with short Girls Night Out. The work which introduced her signature figure, Welsh housewife Beryl, on a trip to see a male stripper, won the Special Jury Prize. 'I remember 1987 so well. My film was right at the end of the festival. I spent the whole festival looking at people having fun through misty windows, thinking how do I get in? Anyway, I'm in now,' she recalled. Quinn also gave a special mention to her life partner, producer and writer Les Mills. 'Animation is a team effort, so I want to say a big thank you to Les, my partner because we're a team,' she said. Since 1987, Quinn has continued to garner acclaim with subsequent credits including Bafta-winning and Oscar-nominated children's 30-minute film Famous Fred (1997/98), adapted from Posy Simmonds' book about a kitten who becomes a famous singer; Dreams and Desires: Family, which reprised Beryl and won Annecy's Special Jury Prize, and Oscar and Bafta-nominated Affairs of the Art, also featuring Beryl. Commenting on the short compilation of extracts from her films which played prior to her receiving her award, Quinn said ruefully to laughter: 'Animation is so sad – that was my entire life and it only took, what? a minute? And it takes so long.' Breaking with tradition, Annecy opened with five animated short this year rather than a single feature film this year. Canadian Oscar-nominated, stop-motion directorial duo Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, who work under the banner of Clyde Henry Productions, opened the program with charming rags to riches fable The Girl Who Cried Pearls. The pair revealed they had finished the film just six days prior to unveiling it in Annecy. 'We've been here before and it's aways been a super good time, but we've never had the joy to show you a premiere for a film, which we finished on Monday, six days ago,' said Szczerbowski. Further titles in the line-up include 9 Million Colours, an underwater tale of unexpected friendship between a predatory shrimp and vulnerable blind fish, by Czech director Bára Anna Stejskalová; Shinya Ohira's Star Wars: Visions – 'Black', from Japanese anime studio david production, produced by Lucasfilm for Disney+, and French directors Marjorie Caup and Olivier Héraud's Carcassonne-Acapulco about a flight which takes an absurd turn. Bulgarian Oscar-nominated director Theodore Ushev, who won Annecy's Best Short Award in 2020 for he Physics of Sorrow, also returned with timely political allegory Life with an Idiot, adapted from a collection of short stories written by dissident Soviet writer Victor Erofeyev. 'If you follow an imbecile, the chance you'll become an imbecile is very high; if you admire an idiot, your risk of becoming an idiot is very high,' said Ushev. He then apologised to the festival's Artistic Director Marcel Jean, before declaring,'F**k Putin, F**k Trump and F**k Netanyahu' with the audience in the 1000-capacity Grande Salle of the festival's main Bonlieu Theatre venue erupting into applause. Annecy gets into its stride on Monday with sneak peaks of Marvel Animation's Eyes Of Wakanda and Sony Pictures Animation's Goat as well as the world premiere of Andy Serkis' Animal Farm and Competition screenings for Olivia And The Invisible Earthquake, Dandelion's Odyssey, Arco, Little Amélie And The Character Of Rain and The Magnificent Life. Best of Deadline Tony Awards: Every Best Musical Winner Since 1949 Tony Awards: Every Best Play Winner Since 1947 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
UK Filmmaker Joanna Quinn Dedicates Annecy Honor To Gaza Animator Haneen Koraz
UK filmmaker Joanna Quinn paid tribute to Gaza animator Haneen Koraz as she received the Annecy International Animation Film Festival's Honorary Cristal at its opening ceremony on Sunday evening. The Bafta-winning and three-time Oscar-nominated The Canterbury Tales and Affairs of the Art director praised Koraz's work in the Gaza Strip spearheading women-run animation workshops for children. More from Deadline UK Comedian Dawn French Apologizes For "Clumsy Tone In One-Sided Gaza Video" Goodfellas Racks Up Sales On Annecy-Bound 'Little Amélie', 'Arco' & 'Angel's Egg' 'Wallace & Gromit' Studio Aardman Partners With France's Foliascope On Cross-Border Stop-Motion Training Program 'One day, she'll be stood here, holding one of these, hint, hint,' she continued, referring to her Cristal award. 'Wouldn't it be wonderful if the kids could come here and watch their films.' Quinn's was speaking amid growing international criticism of Israel's military campaign in the Palestinian territory – aimed at annihilating Islamist militant group Hamas in response to its October 7, 2023 attacks and retrieving Israeli hostages – which has left more than 54,000 people dead and the population on the brink of starvation. Speaking to Deadline afterwards at the opening night party, Quinn revealed she has just launched an initiative entitled 'To Gaza, With Love: A Global Anijam', inviting animators and artists from around the world to create 10 to 30-second animated messages of love and support to the Palestinian people. The contributions will be collected in an online interactive map, which Quinn hopes to premiere via livestream in August with the works then touring animation festivals around the world. Sunday night's ceremony also recalled late Gaza artist and photojournalist Fatima Hassouna due to the presence of Iranian-French director Sepideh Farsi in the main feature film jury during alongside composer Pablo Pico (Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds) and György Ráduly, Director of the Film Archive at the National Film Institute Hungary Hungary Following animated feature The Siren, which opened the Berlinale in 2023, Farsi turned to documentary to capture Hassouna's life in her film Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk. The film recently played in the ACID line-up in Cannes, having been announced for the parallel section just 24 hours before the young woman was killed in an Israeli airstrike on her home. On a far lighter note, Quinn recalled her first trip to Annecy in 1987 with short Girls Night Out. The work which introduced her signature figure, Welsh housewife Beryl, on a trip to see a male stripper, won the Special Jury Prize. 'I remember 1987 so well. My film was right at the end of the festival. I spent the whole festival looking at people having fun through misty windows, thinking how do I get in? Anyway, I'm in now,' she recalled. Quinn also gave a special mention to her life partner, producer and writer Les Mills. 'Animation is a team effort, so I want to say a big thank you to Les, my partner because we're a team,' she said. Since 1987, Quinn has continued to garner acclaim with subsequent credits including Bafta-winning and Oscar-nominated children's 30-minute film Famous Fred (1997/98), adapted from Posy Simmonds' book about a kitten who becomes a famous singer; Dreams and Desires: Family, which reprised Beryl and won Annecy's Special Jury Prize, and Oscar and Bafta-nominated Affairs of the Art, also featuring Beryl. Commenting on the short compilation of extracts from her films which played prior to her receiving her award, Quinn said ruefully to laughter: 'Animation is so sad – that was my entire life and it only took, what? a minute? And it takes so long.' Breaking with tradition, Annecy opened with five animated short this year rather than a single feature film this year. Canadian Oscar-nominated, stop-motion directorial duo Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski, who work under the banner of Clyde Henry Productions, opened the program with charming rags to riches fable The Girl Who Cried Pearls. The pair revealed they had finished the film just six days prior to unveiling it in Annecy. 'We've been here before and it's aways been a super good time, but we've never had the joy to show you a premiere for a film, which we finished on Monday, six days ago,' said Szczerbowski. Further titles in the line-up include 9 Million Colours, an underwater tale of unexpected friendship between a predatory shrimp and vulnerable blind fish, by Czech director Bára Anna Stejskalová; Shinya Ohira's Star Wars: Visions – 'Black', from Japanese anime studio david production, produced by Lucasfilm for Disney+, and French directors Marjorie Caup and Olivier Héraud's Carcassonne-Acapulco about a flight which takes an absurd turn. Bulgarian Oscar-nominated director Theodore Ushev, who won Annecy's Best Short Award in 2020 for he Physics of Sorrow, also returned with timely political allegory Life with an Idiot, adapted from a collection of short stories written by dissident Soviet writer Victor Erofeyev. 'If you follow an imbecile, the chance you'll become an imbecile is very high; if you admire an idiot, your risk of becoming an idiot is very high,' said Ushev. He then apologised to the festival's Artistic Director Marcel Jean, before declaring,'F**k Putin, F**k Trump and F**k Netanyahu' with the audience in the 1000-capacity Grande Salle of the festival's main Bonlieu Theatre venue erupting into applause. Annecy gets into its stride on Monday with sneak peaks of Marvel Animation's Eyes Of Wakanda and Sony Pictures Animation's Goat as well as the world premiere of Andy Serkis' Animal Farm and Competition screenings for Olivia And The Invisible Earthquake, Dandelion's Odyssey, Arco, Little Amélie And The Character Of Rain and The Magnificent Life. Best of Deadline Tony Awards: Every Best Musical Winner Since 1949 Tony Awards: Every Best Play Winner Since 1947 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More
