Annecy Festival Residency: Winning Projects Announced
Skwigly
Last June, CITIA, the organisers of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, announced the creation of the arts residency “Graphic development for animation feature film” with backing from the Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Département de la Haute-Savoie, the CNC and France Télévisions – this is a new milestone in the shared history between the Annecy region and animation film.
During the summer, 32 projects were submitted, from 17 countries: France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Georgia, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Hungary, India, Dominican Republic, Serbia, China, Turkey, Mexico, and the Philippines. Because the three-month residency for graphic treatment is intended to enrich the narrative, the maturity of the script was one of the criteria for the selection process.
A wide range of genres were represented, from mainstream projects to projects from more independent authors. An eclecticism that drew passionate discussions between the selection committee members: Sara Wikler (Artistic Film Producer, Blue Spirit, Script Consultant), Damien Brunner (Producer, Folivari), Éléa Gobbé-Mévellec (Director), Marc Bonny (Distributor) and Pierre Siracusa (Director of the Animation and Young Audiences’ Unit, France Télévisions).
This selection commission at the Annecy Festival residency is a major first. It was difficult for us to choose those who will be the pioneers. Among the diverse range of projects submitted by these passionate and creative artists, we had to identify who would put this experience to good use. Our three winners have profiles that are as unique as they are promising. The qualities of their projects guarantee very original first films and are a testament to how animation film is conducive to communicating our times. Let’s hope that this residency’s cocoon enables them to blossom fully.
– The selection committee
The Advisory Committee brought together Catherine Puthod (Head of Film, Audiovisual and New Media, Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), Aurore Fossard De Almeida (Visual Arts Project Manager, Département de la Haute-Savoie) as well as Marie Le Gac (Head of Development, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma).
The 3 winning projects are:
Piece (Alan Holly, image courtesy of CITIA)
Piece by Alan Holly (Ireland), a modern animated drama about societal pressures and anxieties and their impact on young people. The project follows seven adolescents who question themselves and the world around them.
Heirloom (Upamanyu Bhattacharyya, image courtesy of CITIA)
Heirloom by Upamanyu Bhattacharyya (India), a family tale that follows the life and rise of the young Solal over almost fifty years and pays tribute to centuries of textile traditions in India.
Le Cœur à danser (Pierre Le Couviour/Amine El Ouarti, image courtesy of CITIA)
Le Cœur à danser by Pierre Le Couviour and Amine El Ouarti (France), a fictional story, set in Brittany, about a young girl who takes it upon herself to organise a big party to celebrate the village’s men returning from the war. But, there’s no way of knowing if her father is among them. Her encounter with the legend of the City of Ys will guide her.
CITIA will invite a member of the team from each of these projects to Annecy, from 5th April to 27th June 2021.