Annecy 2020 – Festival Cancelled, Film Competition Going Ahead
The worlds largest animation gathering Annecy International Animation Film Festival and its marketplace MIFA has today announced that the 2020 edition will not take place as a physical festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The festival also took the decision not to postpone the festival to the winter.
Whilst the festival itself will not take place the festival has committed to hosting it’s yearly competition and will announce the selection on the 15 April.
The organisers sent out this joint statement:
Dear friends of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market,
It is with tremendous disappointment that we are resigned to cancelling the Annecy 2020 edition.
Over the past few weeks, driven by our passion and our enthusiasm, despite the confinement constraints we were nevertheless hoping to maintain the exceptional edition that we had in store for you. We were so looking forward to greeting you as we do every year in June, in Annecy, the animation film capital of the world.
But today, the rationale and the international situation compel us to act with lucidity and responsibility. To show our respect and our deep gratitude to the health care providers, as well as all those who choose solidarity and the public interest.
Annecy is a party, a “family gathering”. We cannot bring ourselves to celebrate animation and our 60th anniversary when some amongst you would not be able to attend.
We took the decision not to move the Festival to a later date. The necessary facilities and the regular events’ calendar, as well as scheduled postponements of other events, do not provide us with a reasonable option.
For several weeks, our founding members, partners, suppliers, professionals and creators have been sending us their full support, and for this we are immensely grateful. These encouragements motivate us to offering an Annecy 2020 online version that would give access to exclusive works and original content, despite the current circumstances.
The Official Selection will be announced on 15th April; we will then disclose an offer that will be elaborate and up to the expectations of our festivalgoers and loyal Mifa professionals.
The team is mobilised on this project, so see you in the forthcoming days, and from 14th to 19th June 2021 to finally celebrate, as it should be, the Festival’s 60th anniversary, and African animation, in Annecy.
Dominique Puthod, CITIA Chairman
Mickaël Marin, CITIA CEO
Marcel Jean, Artistic DirectorThe Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Market team
This responsible approach to events organisation is something we have seen echoed throughout many events on the festival circuit cancelling to avoid the risk of spreading the virus.