Annecy 2019: Five “Commissioned Films” Highlights
The Commissioned Films category of any festival is always a great way to see a wide range of visual styles, animation techniques, and subjects; music videos, festival idents, commercials, charity films – basically any professionally commissioned animated film. Of the 35 films that Annecy showcased at this year’s festival, we have picked out five highlights from this year’s selection for you to enjoy…
Ted-Ed “Accents”
Directed by: Robertino Zambrano
Production: Kapwa Studioworks, TED-ED
Accents picked up this year’s Cristal for a Commissioned Film award, and deservedly so. The film – part of the TED-Ed series “There’s a Poem for That” – is an animated interpretation of Denice Frohman’s poem “Accents”. The poem was Frohman’s ode to her mother’s Puerto Rican accent: “I wanted to write my mother out of a shame that didn’t belong to her. I wanted to write her into a power that she possesses.”
#TakeOnHistory “Wimbledon”
Directed by: Smith & Foulkes
Production: Nexus Studios
Smith and Foulkes bring to life a beautifully illustrated and animated journey through the evolution of the Wimbledon tennis tournament, beginning in 1877 with Spencer Gore and continuing through the ages right up to the stars of the present day. As each new era begins, the illustrative style evolves with it, capturing the era and historic details. The film picked up this year’s Jury Award.
Selfridges and Sustainability
Directed by: Hannah Jacobs, Anna Ginsburg
Production: Strange Beast
Commissioned to celebrate Selfridges’ Buying Better / Inspiring Change journey, this animation in collaboration with Strange Beast directors Anna Ginsburg and Hannah Jacobs was created to explore what sustainability means to Selfridges and its team members, and everything they’ve achieved so far.
Cheerios “It’s All Family”
Directed by: Johnny Kelly
Production: Nexus Studios
Directed at Nexus Studios, Johnny Kelly’s “It’s All Family” is one of four beautifully designed and crafted puppeteered films aimed to encourage people to be kind to one another and themselves. The films are based on specially commissioned songs; written, composed and performed by Walter Martin. You can check out Kelly’s making-of film here.
Travel Oregon “Only Slightly Exaggerated”
Directed by: Kylie Matulick, Todd Mueller
Production: Wieden + Kennedy, Psyop & Sun Creatures Studio
If you want to promote tourism in your state – in this case Oregon – you might as well do it in style; and perhaps throw some exaggerations in… This tongue-in-cheek spot is beautifully animated, and one that left the Annecy audience in awe and chuckling in equal measures.