Annecy’s Top Winners: ‘The Violinist,’ ‘Iron Boy,’ Don Hertzfeldt

“The Violinist” beat out major competition at Annecy, such as “In Waves,” “Viva Carmen” and “Iron Boy,” all already big hits at Cannes, to win on Saturday the biggest festival prize in animation: Annecy’s feature film Cristal.

A tale of two young violinist virtuosos in and after WWII Singapore, “The Violinist” certainly had its fans at Annecy, but most pundits thought the top feature prize would go to either “Iron Boy” or “Tangles,” both also being talked up as Awards season contenders.

Though an outsider, “The Violinist’s” victory seems particularly appropriate at an Annecy edition which not only packed the most powerful competition lineups in years and major studio announcements and unveils, led by Warner Bros. Animation, Netflix and Disney, but also underscored clearly major factors now galvanizing animation.    

One is Asia and another co-production. Here “The Violinist” weighs in a Singapore’s first ever feature film in Annecy main competition which was made remarkably in co-production with Spain – another first – and Italy. 

Produced by Singapore’s Robot Playground Media, Spain’s TV ON Producciones and Italy’s Altri Occhi, and directed by Singapore’s Ervin Han and Spanish Disney veteran Raúl García, “The Violinist” also suggests an anime influence in its rich painterly 2D (enhanced by 3D in key set scenes) as the embrace of anime by Hollywood and Europe proved one of the major industry narratives at this year’s Annecy.

Following on a Cannes Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize win, “Iron Boy” had to content itself at Annecy with its Jury Award, plus feature Audience Award and Gan Foundation Award for Distribution. 

Marking former Pixar animator (“WALL-E,” “Up”) Louis Clichy’s embrace of 2D, so beloved in his native France, “Iron Boy’s” glowing reception at Annecy will do nothing to dim talk of Awards season contention, thanks to a storyline of 11-year-old Christophe, struggling with the challenges of his age despite a metal body brace he’s made to wear to correct his torso’s tendency to tilt to its left. There are few things Hollywood love more than an individual’s inspiring battle against adversity.

In a third competition prize, “Decorado,” from Alberto Vásquez, one of Spain’s premier auteurs, scooped the Paul Grimault Award for a existential fable on freedom, family and friends, which adds to Vázquez’s “Unicorn Wars” and “Birdboy,” GKids U.S. pickups like “Decorado.” Produced by Spain’s UniKo, Abano Producións The Glow Animation Studio and Portugal’s Sardinha em Lata, “Decorado” was hailed by Variety this May as “the year’s most mind-bending animated film.”

At Annecy’s closing night prize ceremony, attended by Alfonso Cuarón, the Festival organization confirmed a new all-time historical record of 19,100 accredited attendees. Annecy’s growth has come from its embrace by Hollywood and nascent animation industries around the world and the expansion of feature film animation in itself. The festival’s soul, and any true animation buff’s delight, remains its shorts. Double Academy Award winner Don Hertzfeldt (“Rejected,” “World of Tomorrow”) added to this January’s Sundance Special Jury Prize win for “Paper Trail” with Annecy’s still highly coveted short film Cristal. 

A 14-minute high-speed study of someone’s life, seen only through pieces of paper, “Paper Trail” was developed to create the film’s unique look and pace by blending 2D computer animation and animated objects.

Elsewhere, in key plaudits, Contrechamp – Annecy’s major sidebar for edgier or newer talent plays – was won by France’s “Blaise,” from Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guige and a “perfect introduction to French absurd humour, questioning the political engagement of youth and the existential crisis of adults,” Annecy artistic director Marcel Jean told Variety.

The Jury Award went to Japan’s “A New Dawn,” a co-production between Japan’s Asmik Ace and France’s Miyu Productions which made a splash at the Berlin Festival and heralds almost certainly more Japan-France collaborations in the future. 

In Annecy’s Special Prize category, the Annecy Presents Audience Award, a new prize, went to “Brave Cat,” the feature film debut of Gabriel Osorio, director of“Bear Story,” an Academy Award winning animated short which marked Chile’s first Oscar win. Also set up at Punkrobot, Osorio’s Chilean production house run with  producer Pato Excala, “Brave Cat” began to build a reputation at Annecy for packing a similar emotional punch to “Bear Story,” which is saying quite a lot.

A list of some of this year’s winners can be found below.

FEATURE FILMS

Cristal for a Feature Film

“The Violinist,” Ervin Han, Raúl García (Throne Inc., Robot Playground Media, TV ON Producciones, Altri Occhi/Singapore, Spain, Italy)

Jury Award

“Iron Boy,” Louis Clichy (Eddy Cinéma, Beside Productions/France, Belgium)

Paul Grimault Award 

“Decorado,” Alberto Vázquez (UniKo, Abano Producións The Glow Animation Studio, Sardinha em Lata/Spain, Portugal)     

Gan Foundation Award for Distribution

“Iron Boy”

Audience Award

“Iron Boy”

CONTRECHAMP FEATURES

Grand Prix

“Blaise” Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guige (KG Productions/France)

Jury Award

“A New Dawn,” (Asmik Ace, Miyu Productions/Japan, France)

SHORT FILMS

Cristal for a Short Film

“Paper Trail,” Don Hertzfeldt (U.S)

Jury Award

“God Is Shy,” Jocelyn Charles (France)

Alexeïeff – Parker Award

“My Bellyaching Skin,” Etienne Bonnet (Girelle Production, France)

Off-Limits Award

“Core Dump,” Alona Rodeh (Germany)

Jean-Luc Xiberras Award for a First Film

“Please,” Anna Mantzaris (Apparat Filmproduktion, Passion Paris Production, Arte, Film i Väst, SVT, Mikrofilm AS, Kuli Film, YLE and Böhle Studio/Sweden, France, Czech Republic, Norway, Finland)

Audience Award

“God is Shy”

SPECIAL PRIZE WINNERS

SACEM Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Short Film

“God Is Shy,” Jocelyn Charles (Remembers/France)

SACEM Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Feature Film

“The Violinist,” Ervin Han, Raúl García (Throne Inc., Robot Playground Media, TV ON Producciones, Altri Occhi/Singapore, Spain, Italy)

Annecy Presents Audience Award

“Brave Cat,” Gabriel Osorio (Punkrobot/Chile)

Canal+ Junior Jury Award

“Piccolo Piccolo,” Marta Gennari (Gebeka Films, Folimage, Reginald de Guillebon, Nadasdy Film/France, Switzerland)

Young Audience Award

“Into the Forest,” Antonin Niclass (Milos-Films SA/Switzerland)

André Martin Award for a French Short Film

“Hold It Together,” Fan Sissoko (Compass Films, Komawé, Artémis Productions – Artébis Entertainment/Iceland, France, Belgium)

ARTE Award, European Short Film 

“Uka-uka,” Henri Veermäe (Grafik/Estonia)

Festivals Connexion Award for an Immersive Work

“Voooooo—Peeeeee—,” Hyeunjoo Woo, Jiyun Park (Ubac Studio/South Korea)

Vimeo Staff Pick Award for a Short Film

“Creation,” Béla Klingl (Béla Klingl/Hungary)

Warner Bros. Animation Award for a Graduation Film 

“The 12 Inch Pianist,” Lucas Ansel (Rhode Island School of Design/U.S.)

Midnight Shorts Award

“Eclosión,” Luis Morillo (Luis Morillo, Edwin Gautreau Santana, Claudio Lluberes, Miguel Cabañas, Jaime Cano, Daysi Cruz/Dominican Republic, Spain)

City of Annecy Award

“Because Today Is Saturday,” Alice Eça Guimarães (Animais AVPL, La Clairière Ouest, Studio Kimchi, Os Filmes do Pinguim/Portugal, France, Spain)

Titmouse WTF Award 

“You Are Not Part of the Cake,” Ting-Jui Chen (Royal College of Art/Taiwan, U.K)

Titmouse WTF Jury Distinction 

“I Have a,” Rory Waudby-Tolley (Rory Waudby-Tolley/U.K)