Reasons to be optimistic and the list of winners – A quick recap of the 2025 Annecy Festival
- Edu Bros
- Jun 17
- 4 min read

Every year, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival treats us to a truly special program, gathering animation fans and connecting them with big names in the industry as well as talented indie artists. With a spotlight on Hungarian animation, this year’s edition turned out to be even more remarkable and jam-packed. With an outstanding lineup, the Annecy Festival is not just an animation market or a competition — it’s both, also offering learning and celebration.
For the first time, the festival focused on animated TV shows. By the way, Mifa, the festival’s business hub, was originally created to support television and now celebrates its 40th anniversary. The festivalgoers were delighted by legendary guests who made history in television animation, namely Matt Groening and David Silverman (The Simpsons), Raphael Bob-Waksberg (BoJack Horseman), along with the brilliant team from Cartoon Network, such as Genndy Tartakovsky, Craig McCracken, Pendleton Ward, Rebecca Sugar, J.G. Quintel, and Adam Muto. Obviously, the festival counted on renowned animated film directors such as Sylvain Chomet and Jared Bush.
As usual, a bunch of sneak previews and exclusive footage from the most anticipated series and movies, and some surprises like Gatto from Pixar. Embracing the already well-established hybrid of 2D-3D, with a brand new art style, it seems Gatto will be a groundbreaking feat for Pixar. An animation test of the movie was showcased at the festival, and it is expected to be released in summer 2027. The lucky audience could also watch exclusive footage from Zootopia 2, Hoppers, and Toy Story 5.
It was also great to learn that Genndy Tartakovsky finally debuted his 2-D movie Fixed, after several setbacks spanning 16 long years. Even more exciting was the news that Tartakovsky will release the series Heist Safari. Long live 2D!
Even if you unfortunately didn’t get to Annecy, you probably got lots of animation updates, like a breath of fresh air straight from the Alps. Although the last years have been too harsh for animation, the Annecy Festival gave me renewed hope for the future of the sector. Can’t wait for the next edition. (Oops, I almost forgot the competition! Check out the winners of the key prizes.)

Cristal Award
The Cristal Award for a Feature Film went to Natalie Portman–produced animated feature Arco, directed by Ugo Bienvenu. The movie tells the story of a boy named Arco who travels through time and accidentally lands in the present, where a girl named Iris helps him come back to the year 3000. Until now, Bienvenu has only directed short films such as Maman and L’entretien, so Arco is his first feature film as director.
The Cristal for a Short Film went to French director Pierre-Luc Granjon’s The Night Boots, which also took home the Audience Award.
Shaddy Safadi’s Christo The Civilized Barbarian: “Hunting Party” won the Cristal for a TV Production. It tells the story of Christo, a civilized barbarian, who unsuccessfully tries to impose Roman habits on his brutish but kind-hearted companions.
Jury Award
Yasuhiro Aoki’s ChaO won the Jury Prize. This movie was billed as a ‘wild romantic comedy’ set in a futuristic society where humans and mermaids coexist.The stop-motion Les Bêtes, directed by Michael Granberry, won the Jury Prize in the Short Film Competition.
Elena Walf’s TV series Lena’s Farm, episode ‘Volles Nest’, took home the Jury Award for a TV Series. The squirrel’s nest is well padded for winter with stolen items. But a flood drives the forest animals to Lena’s farm, and the squirrel wants to help.
Contrechamp Competition
The Contrechamp Grand Prix went to Canadian directorial duo Seth and Pete Scriver’s Endless Cookie. The movie is an autobiographical portrait that examines the differing childhoods of two half-brothers, one white and one Indigenous, who are brought together by vibrant characters.
Korean director Kim Bo-Sol’s The Square won the Contrechamp Jury Award. This animated romance follows Isak Borg, a Swedish diplomat in Pyongyang who is secretly dating a local officer, Bok-joo. After a suspicious man visits their meeting spot, Bok-joo disappears. Borg searches for her and grows suspicious of his interpreter, Lee Myeong-jun.
See the full list below:
MAIN COMPETITION
Cristal for a Feature Film
Arco
Dir. Ugo BIENVENU
France
Production: Remembers, MountainA
Jury Award
ChaO
Dir: Yasuhiro AOKI
Japan
Production: STUDIO 4°C
Paul Grimault Award [ex mention du jury]
Dandelion’s Odyssey
Dir: Momoko SETO
France, Belgium
Production: Miyu Productions, ecce films, Umedia
Gan Foundation Award for Distribution
Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake
Dir: Irene IBORRA RIZO
Spain, France, Belgium, Chile, Switzerland
Distribution: Little KMBO, Pyramide Films, Filmax, O’Brother Distribution
Audience Award
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain
Dirs: Maïlys VALLADE, Liane-Cho HAN
France
Production: Ikki Films, Maybe Movies, Jean-Michel SPINER, Mireille SARRAZIN
CONTRECHAMP
Contrechamp Grand Prix [ex prix Contrechamp]
Endless Cookie
Dirs: Seth SCRIVER, Pete SCRIVER
Canada
Production: Scythia Films, Chris YURKOVICH, Jason RYLE, Seth SCRIVER
Contrechamp Jury Award [ex mention du jury Contrechamp]
The Square
Dir: Kim Bo-Sol
South Korea
Production: KAFA – Korean Academy of Film Arts
SHORT FILMS
Cristal for a Short Film
The Night Boots
Dir: Pierre-Luc GRANJON
France
Production: Am Stram Gram
Jury Award
Les Bêtes
Dir: Michael GRANBERRY
U.S.
Production: Michael GRANBERRY
Alexeïeff – Parker Award [ex mention du jury]
Sappho.
Dir: Rosana URBES
Brazil
Production: Planta Filmes, Letícia FRIEDRICH
Off-Limits Award
The Graffiti
Dir: Ryo ORIKASA
Japan
Production: The Yanai Initiative
Jean-Luc Xiberras Award for a First Film
Zwermen
Dirs: Janneke SWINKELS, Tim FRIJSINGER
Netherlands, Belgium
Production: Peter LINDHOUT, Annemie DEGRYSE, Janneke SWINKELS, Tim FRIJSINGER
Audience Award
The Night Boots
Dir: Pierre-Luc GRANJON
France
Production: Am Stram Gram
TV AND COMMISSIONED FILMS
TV FILMS
Cristal for a TV Production
Christo The Civilized Barbarian “Hunting Party”Dir: Shaddy SAFADI
U.S.
Production: One Pixel Brush
Jury Award for a TV Series
Lena’s Farm “Volles Nest”
Dir: Elena WALF
Germany
Production: Studio Film Bilder GmbH
Jury Award for a TV Special
An Almost Christmas Story
Dir: David LOWERY
U.S.
Production: Alfonso CUARÓN, Gabriela RODRIGUEZ, David LOWERY, Parry CREEDON, Lila RAWLINGS, Chris PRYNOSKI (TITMOUSE), Shannon PRYNOSKI, Antonio CANOBBIO, Ben KALINA, Brooke ZACHANOWICH, Alice SCANDELLARI BURR
Audience Award
Freaked Out “Major Decision”
Dirs: Théo GROSJEAN, Mothy RICHARD
Belgium, France
Production: Autour de Minuit, FKLG, Panique!
COMMISSIONED FILMS
Cristal for a Commissioned Film
Naive New Beaters, Star Feminine Band “Ye Kou Si Kuo”
Dir: Lola LEFÈVRE
France
Production: Miyu Productions
Jury Award for a Commissioned Film
Desi Oon
Dir: Suresh ERIYAT
India
Production: Nilima ERIYAT
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