Take a Look at Annecy Competition Lineup

By Pickle May 30, 2020

Annecy, the world’s biggest animation film festival and largest gathering of business of animation industry professionals released its competition film line up and Contrechamp sidebar section of the festival.

The festival accredidation is priced nominally at 15 Euros and market accredidation for professsionals at 110 Euros. The major part of the animation market MIFA (meetings, pitching sessions) will happen between June 16-19. The presentations and conversations will be limited to 1000 viewers and pre-recorded live sessions will remain in the Annecy online platform for two weeks till June 30.

76 films were submitted to our selection committees and to the Artistic Director, Marcel Jean. 20 films are competing in our two competitive sections. Among them, and apart from the usual producer countries (France Japan, South Korea, Russia, etc.), you will notice there is a film from Chile, Mauritius and Egypt.

The Annecy 2020 Official Selection is carried out by the Artistic Director, Marcel Jean, the Films & Programme Planning team, Laurent Million, Yves Nougarède and Sébastien Sperer, as well as:

Peggy Zejgman-Lecarme, Director of the Cinémathèque de Grenoble
Marie-Pauline Mollaret, Chief Editor of the magazine EcranNoir.fr
Clémence Bragard, Independent Events Manager specialized in animation film, Programmer of the National Animation Film Festival for the Afca
Isabelle Vanini, Programmer of the Forum des images (Carrefour du cinéma d’animation…) and “animation expert” for the CNC, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, Ciclic and the César

Here are 2020 Annecy International Festival official selection

FEATURE FILMS (OFFICIAL COMPETITION)

“The Nose, or the Conspiracy of Mavericks,” (Russia)

Stalin’s reign of terror in Russia during the first half of the 20th century. Described using a combination of historical settings, biographies and masterpieces from Russian avant-garde artists, composers and writers from this totalitarianism period.

Directed by: Andrey KHRZHANOVSKY
Production: SCHOOL STUDIO SHAR – SHAR BALTICS, Anna OSTALSKAYA
Script: Andrey Khrzhanovsky, Yury Arabov
Graphics: Marina Azizyan, Alexandra Pavlova, Alexander Khramtsov, Varya Yakovleva, Alexander Boim, Anastassia Sembon, Mikhail Tumelya
Storyboard: Andrey Khrzhanovsky
Camera: Igor Skidan-Bosin
Music: Dmitry Shodtakovich
Editing: Taissia Krugovykh, Ilya Tomashevich, Veronika Utkina

“Kill It and Leave This Town,”(Poland)

Fleeing from despair after losing those dearest to him, the hero hides in a safe land of memories. Over the years, a city grows in his imagination. Literary heroes and cartoon childhood idols come to live there, uninvited. When our hero discovers they have all grown old and that eternal youth does not exist, he decides to return to real life.

Directed by: Mariusz WILCZYNSKI
Production: BOMBONIERKA, Agnieszka SCIBIOR, EXTREME OPTIONS, Ewa PUSZCZYNSKA
Distribution: OUTSIDER PICTURES, Paul HUDSON
Artistic direction: Mariusz Wilczynski
Script: Mariusz Wilczynski
Music: Tadeusz Nalepa
Sound: Franciszek Kozlowski
Voice: Anja Rubik, Andrzej Wajda
Other credits: Old Man On The Train, Newspaper Kiosk Lady

“Little Vampire,” Petit Vampire (France)

Little Vampire lives in a haunted house with a merry group of monsters, but he is bored stiff! One night, he secretly sneaks out of the manor along with his trusted bulldog, Phantomato, on a quest to find some new friends.

Directed by: Joann SFAR
Production: THE MAGICAL SOCIETY, Aton SOUMACHE, STUDIO CANAL, François MERGIER, FRANCE 3 CINÉMA, Cécile NEGRIER, LA COMPAGNIE CINÉMATOGRAPHIQUE, Gaëtan DAVID, PANACHE PRODUCTIONS, André LOGIE, STORY, Thierry BERTHIER
Distribution: STUDIO CANAL, François MERGIER
Based on: “Petit Vampire”, Joann Sfar
Artistic direction: Antoine Delesvaux
Script: Joann Sfar, Sandrina Jardel
Sets: Bertrand Piocelle
Animation: Adrien Grommelle
Compositing: Fred Barbe
Music: Olivier Daviaud
Sound: Cyril Holtz
Editing: Benjamin Massoubre
Voice: Camille Cottin, Alex Lutz, Jean-Paul Rouve, Louise Lacoste, Claire de La Rüe du Can, Quentin Faure

“Jungle Beat: The Movie,” (Mauritius)

Based on the hit series, “Jungle Beat: The Movie” is a charming, family-friendly story of epic proportions. An alien called Fneep arrives in the jungle and gives the animals the ability to speak. He’s supposed to be conquering the planet, but as Munki and his elephant friend Trunk help him get back to his crashed ship, Fneep discovers that the greatest force in the universe is friendship.

Directed by: Brent DAWES
Production: SANDCASTLE STUDIOS LTD, Rita MBANGA, Phil CUNNINGHAM, SUNRISE PRODUCTIONS, Tim KELLER, Joe PISTORIUS, Jacqui CUNNINGHAM
Distribution: TIMELESS FILMS, Rebecca KAMP
Script: Brent Dawes, Sam Wilson
Music: Andries Smit
Voice: Fneep- Ed Kear, Munki- David Menkin, Trunk- Ina Marie Smith, Humph- John Guerrasio, Grogon- David Rintoul

“Lupin III The First,” (Japan)

The famous Lupin and his motley crew join forces with the young Laëtitia to steal Bresson’s diary, a treasure that even the famous Arsène Lupin, his grandfather, had never managed to steal.

Directed by: Takashi YAMAZAKI
Production: TMS ENTERTAINMENT CO., LTD., Koji NOZAKI, Naoaki KITAJIMA, Takeshi ITO
Distribution: EUROZOOM, Romain BROSOLO
Based on: “Rupan Sansei”, Monkey Punch (Kazuhiko Kato)
Script: Takashi Yamazaki
Music: Yuji Ohno

“7 Days War,” (Japan)

Based on the young adult novel, ‘Seven Days War’ is a summer adventure story about Mamoru and his classmates’ getaway and their friendship, which is put to the test when adults start chasing them.

Directed by: Yuta MURANO
Production: KADOKAWA PICTURES, INC., Hiroyuki HARADA
Distribution: EUROZOOM
Based on: “Bokurano Nanokakan Sensou”, Osamu Souda
Artistic direction: Hiroshi Shimizu
Script: Ichiroh Ohkouchi
Music: Jun Ichikawa

“Ginger’s Tale,” (Russia)

Potter, a kind and poor guy, finds a magical artifact called the Stone Of Fire, that makes him rich and mean. The evil Queen decides to kill him, so she can take the Stone Of Fire. Only a girl called Ginger can save Potter with her devotion.

Directed by: Konstantin SHCHEKIN
Production: VVERH FILM COMPANY, Yuri RYAZANOV, Pavel RAZUMOV, Konstantin SHCHEKIN
Artistic direction: Vasily Krasnikov
Script: Tatyana Ilyina, Konstantin Shchekin, Ekaterina Mikhailova
Storyboard: Ekaterina Mikhailova, Novoselov Dmitry, Polina Minaeva, Konstantin Shchekin
Sets: Danila Reshta, Anna Popova
Animation: Ekaterina Mikhailova, Lyudmila Ignatieva
Compositing: Dmitry Semenov, Alexey Retz, Ksenia Chermashentseva
Music: Arthur Baido
Sound: Nelly Ivanova
Editing: Sergey Minakin

“Bigfoot Family,” (Belgium, France)

Bigfoot, Adam’s father, wants to use his fame for a good cause. Protecting a large wildlife reserve in Alaska sounds like the perfect opportunity! When Bigfoot mysteriously disappears without a trace, Adam and his animal friends will brave anything to find him again and save the nature reserve.

Directed by: Ben STASSEN, Jeremie DEGRUSON
Production: Ben STASSEN, NWAVE PICTURES DISTRIBUTION, Caroline VAN ISEGHEM
Distribution: CHARADES
Script: Bob Barlen, Cal Brunker
Music: Puggy

“Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary,” (France, Denmark)

1863, a convoy in the American West, Martha Jane needs to learn how to take care of horses to drive the family wagon. Except she ends up wearing pants and cutting her hair. The scandal that its stark character provokes will force her to face all the dangers in a gigantic and wild world where everything is possible.

Directed by: Rémi CHAYÉ
Production: MAYBE MOVIES, Henri MAGALON, NORLUM, Claus Toksvig KJAER
Distribution: GEBEKA FILMS, Marc BONNY
Script: Rémi Chayé, Sandra Tosello, Fabrice de Costil
Storyboard: Rémi Chayé, Liane-Cho Han, Maïlys Vallade, Alexis Ducord, Marietta Ren
Layout: Eddine Noel
Sets: Patrice Suau, Eddine Noel
Animation: Liane-Cho Han
Compositing: Marc Konings
Music: Florencia Di Consilio
Sound: Régis Diebold, Aymeric Dupas, Mathieu Z’graggen
Editing: Benjamin Massoubre
Voice: Salomé Boulven, Alexandra Lamy, Alexis Tomassian, Jochen Hägele, Léonard Louf

“Nahuel and the Magic Book,” (Chile)

Nahuel lives with his father in a fishing town, yet he has a deep fear of the sea. One day, he finds a magical book that seems to be the solution to this problem, but a dark sorcerer is after it and captures Nahuel’s father. This is where his journey to rescue his father and overcome his fears begins.

Directed by: Germán ACUÑA
Production: Sebastian RUZ, CARBURADORES, Germán ACUÑA, PUNKROBOT, Patricio ESCALA, Sabrina BOGADO, LEVANTE FILMS, Livia PAGANO
Script: Juan Pablo Sepúlveda, Germán Acuña
Animation: Enrique Ocampo, Rosamary Martinez
Music: Felicia Morales, Cristobal Carvajal
Other credits: Voice acting director: Vanesa Silva

FEATURE FILMS (CONTRECHAMP COMPETITION)

“On Gaku: Our Sound!” (Japan)

One summer’s day, a group of yobbish high-school kids, who’ve never touched an instrument in their lives, decide to form a band. This is how they start playing a youthful and quirky rhapsody.

Directed by: Kenji IWAISAWA
Production: ROCK’N ROLL MOUTAIN / TIP TOP
Distribution: EUROZOOM, Romain BROSOLO
Based on: “Ongaku”, Hiroyuki Ohashi
Music: Tomohiko Banse
Sound: Takaaki Yamamoto

“The Old Man – The Movie, Mikk Mägi,” (Estonia)

Our protagonist, the Old Man, is visited on his farm by his grandkids, who have been dropped off for the summer. The little bastards accidentally set loose his prized and thoroughly abused cow. Now the Old Man and his grandkids have just 24 hours to find the rogue bovine, before her unmilked udder explodes and unleashes lactopalypse.

Directed by: Mikk MÄGI, Oskar LEHEMAA
Production: Veiko ESKEN, APOLLO FILM PRODUCTIONS, Tanel TATTER, BOP ANIMATION, Erik HEINSALU
Distribution: ESTONIAN THEATRICAL DISTRIBUTION OÜ, Lauri KAARE
Script: Mikk Mägi, Oskar Lehemaa
Graphics: Jaagup Metsalu
Sets: Triin Paumer, Sven-Tõnis Puskar, Anu-Lauga Tuttelberg, Sander Joon, Mattias Mälk
Animation: Eger Kesa, Olga Stalev
Camera: Urmas Jõemees
Music: Sten-Olle Moldau, Lauri Kadalipp
Sound: Tanel Kadalipp
Editing: Mikk Mägi
Voice: Mikk Mägi, Oskar Lehemaa, Jan Uuspõld, Indrek Ojari, Jaagup Kreem, Kristjan Lüüs

“Lava,” (Argentina)

Mass media are invaded. TV and radio are interrupted by a signal. Internet connections and phones die. Everyone stands in front of the TV, instead of their usual program, another hypnotic image floods the screen. No one has ever seen an image like it before. The radio only emits a distant murmur, like a whisper. Nothing else.

Directed by: Ayar BLASCO
Production: Florencia FRANCO, CRUDO FILMS, Jimena MONTEOLIVA
Based on: “Lava”, Salvador Sanz
Artistic direction: Ayar Blasco
Script: Salvador Sanz, Ayar Blasco, Nicolás Britos
Animation: Sebastián Ramseg
Compositing: Damila Veniani, Agustina Tuduri
Voice: Sofía Gala Castiglione, Ayar Blasco, Martín Piroyansky, Justina Bustos, Darío Lopilato, Señorita Bimbo, Martín Garabal

“Accidental Luxuriance of the Translucent Watery Rebus,” (Croatia)

Martin tried to fight the system, and now he’s on the run. Sara is a conceptual artist. Together they join the revolutionary commune in the countryside. The police are on their trail. Inspector Ambroz knows the right questions are more important than the answers. Because maybe none of this is true.

Directed by: Dalibor BARIC
Production: KAOS, Ivan KATIC
Artistic direction: Dalibor Baric
Script: Dalibor Baric
Graphics: Dalibor Baric
Animation: Dalibor Baric
Compositing: Dalibor Baric
Music: Dalibor Baric
Sound: Studio Nazor
Editing: Dalibor Baric
Voice: Rakan Rushaidat, Ana Vilenica, Frano Mašković, Nikša Marinović, Mario Kovač, Željka Veverec, Boris Bakal, Pavlica Brazzoduro Bajsić

“Beauty Water,” (South Korea)

Beauty Water looks like a common skin cosmetic. But unlike other cosmetics, people can sculpt their skin with it like molding clay and change their appearance. An ordinary girl, Yaeji, comes across the ‘Beauty Water’ by chance, and her endless desire to be the most beautiful woman brings her unimaginable disaster.

Directed by: Kyung-hun CHO
Production: SS ANIMENT INC., Byungjin JEON, STUDIO ANIMAL CO. LTD
Distribution: TRIPLE PICTURES, Kimyung KANG
Script: Han-bin Lee
Camera: Seong-cheol Moon
Sound: Dae-sung Hong
Editing: Kyung-hun Cho

“My Favorite War,” (Latvia, Norway)

This is the personal story of the director, Ilze, growing up in Cold-War Latvia, USSR. It´s a coming of age story, a personal escape route from the mighty authoritarian regime’s brainwashing. An antiwar film, emphasizing the importance of an individual’s freedom being a democratic society’s fundamental right.

Directed by: Ilze BURKOVSKA JACOBSEN
Production: BIVROST FILM & TV, Trond JACOBSEN, EGO MEDIA, Guntis TREKTERIS
Artistic direction: Sven Nyhus
Script: Ilze Burkovska – Jacobsen
Graphics: Laima Puntule
Animation: Toms Burans, Krisjanis Abols, Arnis Zemitis, Kerija Arne, Nils Hammers
Camera: Andrejs Verhoustinskis, Trond Jacobsen
Compositing: Karina Weitz
Music: Karlis Auzans
Sound: Anete Vanaga, Ernests Ansons
Editing: Julie Vinten, Reinis Rinka

“The Shaman Sorceress,” (South Korea)

There is a painting called “The Shaman Sorceress” left at my home by a mute girl and her father. This picture is worth a thousand words. Mohwa, a shaman, lives with her mute daughter Nang-Yi and her husband, and has practiced shamanism her entire life. One day her son Wook-Yi returns home after several years away, as a converted Christian. This sparks a conflict and drives the family into tragedy.

Directed by: Jaehuun AHN
Production: STUDIO MEDITATION WITH A PENCIL, Jaehuun AHN
Script: Dong-Ri Kim
Graphics: Hyun-Kyoung Kim
Layout: Ju-Yeong Seo
Music: Sang-Ku Kang
Sound: Dong-Ju Park
Editing: Jong-Min Ham

“The Legend of Hei,” (China)

For generations humans had thought that demons were legends, but they actually co-exist with us. Hei is a cat demon who had lived a happy life in the forests in the mountains until the city rampantly expands, and the deforestation destroys his homeland. Here, Hei begins his journey wandering the world in search of his new home.

Directed by: Ping ZHANG
Production: BEIJING HMCH ANIME CO.,LTD, Fangbing CONG, Wenzhuo MA
Artistic direction: Jing Pan
Script: Ping Zhang (alias MTJJ), Kexin Peng, Shenlei Fengxi
Music: Yujing Sun
Other credits: Executive Director: Jie Gu, Painting Director:Zhishuang Feng, Original painter: Agen Lee, Dawei Zhou, Ligang Zheng, Xiaorong Cheng, Post-Production Director: Shuang Liang, 3D Assistance Director: Guanxu Zhou, Voice Director: Zhenji Huang

“True North,” (Japan, Indonesia)

After his father disappears and the rest of his family is sent to a notorious political prison camp in North Korea, a young boy must learn to survive the harsh conditions, find meaning in his perilous existence, and maybe even escape.

Directed by: Eiji HAN SHIMIZU
Production: SUMIMASEN PTE. LTD., Eiji HAN SHIMIZU
Artistic direction: Andrey Pratama
Script: Eiji Han Shimizu
Graphics: Andrey Pratama
Storyboard: Kazuki Ebine
Layout: Dian Lestari Supendy
Sets: Feliciana Shinta Devi
Animation: Melita Budiman
Compositing: Albertino Kaharap
Music: Matthew Wilder
Sound: Sun-Wook Kwon
Editing: Eiji Han Shimizu
Voice: Joel Sutton

“The Knight and the Princess,” (Saudi Arabia, Egypt)

A true story with a fictional twist. An unwavering young warrior’s determination to save abducted women and children from pirates, leads him to fall in love with a princess and confront a brutal tyrant and his devious sorcerer.

Directed by: Bashir EL DEEK, Ibrahim MOUSA
Production: ALSAHAR ANIMATION, Alabbas ALABBAS
Based on: “Al faris wa al amira”, Arabic Historical Story (7th Century)
Artistic direction: Ibrahim Mousa
Script: Bashir El Deek
Graphics: Alsahar Animation
Storyboard: Amr Abdelhameed, Alexander Vasolla, Omar Alsherif
Layout: Amr Abdelhameed, George Samir
Sets: Mostafa Reda, Mohammed Abdelwahab
Animation: Alsahar Animation
Compositing: Amjad Ramzi, Ahmed Samir
Music: Haitham Alkhamissi
Editing: Solafa Noureddin
Voice: Mohammed Henidi, Dunia Samir Ghanim, Majed Elkidwani, Medhat Saleh, Abdulrahman Abu Zahra, Ablah Kamel

“Minimum Mass,” (France, New Zealand)

Sky and Rabia are awaiting the arrival of their first child. But a miscarriage shakes up their lives. Whilst each of them manages their grief in their own way, memories of their love story rise to the surface and encourage them to look towards the future.

Directed by: Raqi SYED, Areito ECHEVARRIA
Production: LIKE AMBER, Raqi SYED, FLORÉAL FILMS, Avi AMAR, Katayoun DIBAMEHR
Other credits: Frankie Adams, Allan Henry

“The Orchid and the Bee,” (Canada)

“The Orchid and the Bee” is an expressionistic VR ode to nature’s struggle for existence, explored through a chain of genetic love affairs.

Directed by: Frances MCKENZIE
Production: NFB (ONF) – NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA, POPOVIC JELENA
Distribution: NFB (ONF) – NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA, Élise LABBÉ
Script: Frances Adair McKenzie
Animation: Frances Adair Mckenzie, Brandon Blommaert, Fred Casia, Elise Simard
Music: Jennifer Castle
Sound: Catherine Van der Donckt

Odyssey 1.4.9 (France)

More than a personal tribute, this is a breathtaking VR journey into the sensitive heart of Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece “A Space Odyssey”. Staging the famous dark monolith as an incredible matrix of more than 200,000 images.

Directed by: François VAUTIER
Production: SAHEL JEREMY, Jeremy SAHEL
Distribution: DIVERSION CINEMA, Paul BOUCHARD
Other credits: Hommage à/Tribute to « 2001: A Space Odyssey »

“Saturnism,” (France, Romania)

Enter into one of the darkest paintings in the history of art – “Saturn Devouring His Son” by Franciso de Goya – alone with Saturn in a cold and misty landscape.