Annecy 2021 Celebrates African Animation | Programme & MIFA Highlights
Skwigly
Through the course of the Annecy Festival’s 60-year history, 47 African films have been in the Official Selection. But animation is currently booming on this continent, and the 2021 programming has taken note!
A quick glimpse at the programme
Carte blanche for animation from Maghreb, presented by Mohamed Beyoud (founder of the Meknès Animation Festival). For example, discover the film L’Ambouba by the director Nadia Raïs, along with a dozen productions from Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco.
Best of Fupitoons Festival, from the travelling festival aimed at young audiences and launched by the African Animation Network (Nick Wilson and Comfort Arthur). Check out 20 films from 8 countries.
Moustapha Alassane, cinéaste du possible, a film by Maria Silvia Bazzoli, co-directed by Christian Lelong from Annecy (writer, director, independent producer and training manager, he was Head of Cinédoc, a resource centre dedicated to creative documentary filmmaking that he set up in Annecy in 1992).
Honouring one of the greatest African animation artists, William Kentridge, through 9 of his short films.
Lady Buckit & the Motley Mopsters, a Nigerian feature film by Adebisi Adetayo (2020), or the story of a precocious little girl who finds herself in an unfamiliar place. She meets a group of strange characters who change the course of her destiny.
A selection by Jean-Baptiste Garnero (Research Fellow for promoting collections at the CNC) of several African films that have been conserved or restored by the CNC Archives: three Egyptian short films (Un, deux, trois… by Ihab Shaker, Mafish fayda and Al difaa al watani by the Frenkel brothers), as well as Bukra Fil Mish-Mish, a documentary by Tal Michael about the Frenkel brothers, pioneers of African animation.
Aujourd’hui, l’animation africaine, 11 programmes contemporains venus d’Afrique du Sud, d’Éthiopie, du Ghana et du Congo.
The Jury Members
Among the 18 jury members who will have the delicate task of determining the official prizes, we will be welcoming, among others, the writer and professor Mohamed Ghazala (Egypt) and Naddya Adhiambo Oluoch-Olunya, an artist from Kenya.
The City of Annecy Award will be awarded by the Perspective Jury, consisting of three residents from the city of Dori, in Burkina Faso: Moustafa Kabore, cultural entrepreneur, Soujoude Wafa Naami, architecture student and Seidou Samba Toure, director. For this award, the Annecy Festival is collaborating with the Mayors of Annecy and Dori, as well as the Échanges Sahel association, created as part of the city twinning scheme between Annecy-le-Vieux and Dori, and whose aim is to conduct local development actions in this region.
The Junior Jury comprises 8 children who will be rewarding a Short Film, a Graduation Film and also the Junior Jury CANAL+ Award. There will be four youngsters from Burkina Faso, Senegal, the Ivory Coast and Morocco, who will be side-by-side four local youngsters from Annecy’s aaa association.
Mifa
In all its richness and diversity, African animation will also take a presiding place at the Mifa.
This very special edition is the ideal opportunity to present both countless content and a continually evolving number of professionals, largely thanks to our African partners with whom the Mifa has been working with for more than 10 years.
A quick glimpse at the programme
- Presentation of African projects: 21 projects from across the continent (Madagascar, Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, South Africa, Egypt, etc. will be pitched) + 1 comic book project for adaptation. In partnership with our on-site partners: Festival International du Cinéma d’Animation de Meknès, animatex, Nigerian Animation Association, CairoComix, Tshimologong, Digital Lab Africa, etc,
- A conference to “Understand African Animation: Collaboration at the Core of Today and Tomorrow’s Strategies”, via two focus: Training and Technology; Production and Distribution,
- An African Focus to understand and learn about the various distribution opportunities within the continent and internationally, and to consider new alternatives,
- In partnership with Unity, the Mifa Campus will be organised on Friday 18th June and will also be giving African animation pride of place,
- Meetings with publishers, broadcasters, distributers, and even festival programmers from the continent, during the Meet the… sessions.
We will be greeting CairoComix, the Festival International du Cinéma d’Animation de Meknès, Dakar Court, the Rencontres du Film Court Madagascar, and the Fespaco, - The Mifa Animation Industry Award will also be the opportunity to put the spotlight on Africa’s animation industry. Its recipient will be announced soon.