The Glassworker is the film that's really got my attention. There are very few things that can blaze a trail of inspiration these days. The Glassworker. The first full length 2d animated feature from Pakistan is one them. Congrats to the filmmakers involved with this historic project.
It really is amazing what they've achieved. The Pakistan premiere happens next month and hopefully will be a huge success -- followed (with luck) by distribution worldwide. We're looking forward to seeing it!
Wa, what a writeup. Annecy is so much - half the winners I didn't even see, and I can imagine everyone I met having had a completely different path through the festival. I share Busifan's feeling of a 'dream world' - there is nowhere like it, for that week each year. Wish I'd gone to one of the earlier screenings of The Storm so I could meet him!
I've still got a few days of my own path through Annecy to write up, but I had an amazing festival. It's weird being back in the UK and not saying 'bonjour' or rushing out with my badge on to get to Pathé or Bonlieu each morning. It's reinforced that I want to make films, by whatever means work for me, in the hopes of somehow being on that stage. (One of the directors at WTF2024 threw a paper plane back at the audience, saying 'I always wanted to do that').
You've covered most of the big trends here, but one thing that really struck me is that Korean animation had quite a presence this year. Not all in the main competition, but the 'midnight specials' block had both 'The Pig That Survived Foot and Mouth Disease', which was a fantastic, bleak drama, and 'Exorcism Chronicles' which was a blast with its silly yet incredibly stylish religious wizard battles. There was another Korean film in the Contrechamp category too, though I didn't make it to that one. It's very exciting to see domestic Korean animation stepping up, alongside the rise of donghua, and the other new animation industries you mention in the article. Maybe animation has always been worldwide, but it feels like this is something new.
On the anime front, I was so glad to be in the audience when Naoko Yamada went on stage before the screening of The Colours Within - she got a standing ovation as soon as she walked out, and again after the film - we know what we love haha. It's a shame she wasn't given any awards, but I suppose there are only so many to give out. The 'Look Back' screenings were also really fantastic, and there's some really exciting upcoming projects in the WIP section - the rotoscope running film 'Hyakuemu' by the On-gaku team, and the very pretty new yakuza film 'Housenka' by the Odd Taxi team.
I cannot wait to go again next year. One week really is not enough. À la prochaine, Annecy!
Thanks for this awesome comment! We've been piecing the festival together second-hand from what we've seen and read (hopefully that will change next year), and this point about a rise in animation from Korea is a great addition that's new to us. (Same with Yamada getting a standing ovation, which we hadn't heard about until now!) With luck we'll run into some of these films as they travel to other events and come online.
And for sure -- there really is an international animation boom right now, at an unprecedented scale. It's growing so much that it's hard to imagine even the Hollywood cutbacks stopping it.
Looking forward to your next Annecy posts -- and your next animation project! Tale of the Little Witch already looked great and it'll be exciting to see whatever you do next.
Haha !…so those Red Bull ads are animated in Hungary !..finally..I’ve often wondered since animated commercials in the U.K. have dwindled to practically nothing and are as rare as hens teeth now.
Commercials that featured 2D drawn animation were a mainstay throughout the 80’s/90’s for animators and that work has now shifted entirely to long-form.
I’ve been meaning to visit Annecy for some time now having never actually attended - I had a plan to visit in 2020 but of course the pandemic hit after I’d booked & paid for accommodation (which I never got back) though I did get my festival fee refunded.
I think now it’ll be just on the basis of a holiday with half an eye on the festival itself.
The Red Bull story was news to us as well! We had no idea they were from Hungary. It's really cool to know. And it does seem like the animated ad lane is smaller than it used to be, at least in America and the UK. You still see them around, but it doesn't seem to be quite the reliable indie career that it was in Richard Williams' day.
Insightful coverage of Annecy! How much are tickets for festival-goers who just want to see the movies or catch the panels/talks? I couldn't find any information about the prices online.
For sure -- it's an inspiring story. Hopefully they have lots of success and get to continue doing what they're doing. In many ways, just by screening in competition at Annecy, they're already living the dream!
It really seems like there wasn't much news about it until Annecy, but it's apparently still due in theaters by the end of the year. We'll have to see.
The Glassworker is the film that's really got my attention. There are very few things that can blaze a trail of inspiration these days. The Glassworker. The first full length 2d animated feature from Pakistan is one them. Congrats to the filmmakers involved with this historic project.
It really is amazing what they've achieved. The Pakistan premiere happens next month and hopefully will be a huge success -- followed (with luck) by distribution worldwide. We're looking forward to seeing it!
Absolutely. I can't wait for your report on it.
Wa, what a writeup. Annecy is so much - half the winners I didn't even see, and I can imagine everyone I met having had a completely different path through the festival. I share Busifan's feeling of a 'dream world' - there is nowhere like it, for that week each year. Wish I'd gone to one of the earlier screenings of The Storm so I could meet him!
I've still got a few days of my own path through Annecy to write up, but I had an amazing festival. It's weird being back in the UK and not saying 'bonjour' or rushing out with my badge on to get to Pathé or Bonlieu each morning. It's reinforced that I want to make films, by whatever means work for me, in the hopes of somehow being on that stage. (One of the directors at WTF2024 threw a paper plane back at the audience, saying 'I always wanted to do that').
You've covered most of the big trends here, but one thing that really struck me is that Korean animation had quite a presence this year. Not all in the main competition, but the 'midnight specials' block had both 'The Pig That Survived Foot and Mouth Disease', which was a fantastic, bleak drama, and 'Exorcism Chronicles' which was a blast with its silly yet incredibly stylish religious wizard battles. There was another Korean film in the Contrechamp category too, though I didn't make it to that one. It's very exciting to see domestic Korean animation stepping up, alongside the rise of donghua, and the other new animation industries you mention in the article. Maybe animation has always been worldwide, but it feels like this is something new.
On the anime front, I was so glad to be in the audience when Naoko Yamada went on stage before the screening of The Colours Within - she got a standing ovation as soon as she walked out, and again after the film - we know what we love haha. It's a shame she wasn't given any awards, but I suppose there are only so many to give out. The 'Look Back' screenings were also really fantastic, and there's some really exciting upcoming projects in the WIP section - the rotoscope running film 'Hyakuemu' by the On-gaku team, and the very pretty new yakuza film 'Housenka' by the Odd Taxi team.
I cannot wait to go again next year. One week really is not enough. À la prochaine, Annecy!
Thanks for this awesome comment! We've been piecing the festival together second-hand from what we've seen and read (hopefully that will change next year), and this point about a rise in animation from Korea is a great addition that's new to us. (Same with Yamada getting a standing ovation, which we hadn't heard about until now!) With luck we'll run into some of these films as they travel to other events and come online.
And for sure -- there really is an international animation boom right now, at an unprecedented scale. It's growing so much that it's hard to imagine even the Hollywood cutbacks stopping it.
Looking forward to your next Annecy posts -- and your next animation project! Tale of the Little Witch already looked great and it'll be exciting to see whatever you do next.
Haha !…so those Red Bull ads are animated in Hungary !..finally..I’ve often wondered since animated commercials in the U.K. have dwindled to practically nothing and are as rare as hens teeth now.
Commercials that featured 2D drawn animation were a mainstay throughout the 80’s/90’s for animators and that work has now shifted entirely to long-form.
I’ve been meaning to visit Annecy for some time now having never actually attended - I had a plan to visit in 2020 but of course the pandemic hit after I’d booked & paid for accommodation (which I never got back) though I did get my festival fee refunded.
I think now it’ll be just on the basis of a holiday with half an eye on the festival itself.
The Red Bull story was news to us as well! We had no idea they were from Hungary. It's really cool to know. And it does seem like the animated ad lane is smaller than it used to be, at least in America and the UK. You still see them around, but it doesn't seem to be quite the reliable indie career that it was in Richard Williams' day.
Can't wait for Flow to be released here in the US, still 2+ months
Insightful coverage of Annecy! How much are tickets for festival-goers who just want to see the movies or catch the panels/talks? I couldn't find any information about the prices online.
The prices seem to fluctuate based on when you buy them (and what year you're buying them), but the standard tickets aren't sky-high. For many, especially outside Europe, it's the plane tickets and hotel fees that are the real sting! You can see the breakdown here: https://helpdesk.annecyfestival.com/en/article/what-are-the-prices-for-the-2024-accreditations-1xuvtps/
I’ve been tracking Glassworker. I’m excited to see where they go as an animation house in the long run.
For sure -- it's an inspiring story. Hopefully they have lots of success and get to continue doing what they're doing. In many ways, just by screening in competition at Annecy, they're already living the dream!
I also want to go to Annecy next year as a top priority, I can feel the energy just from people talking about it. Thanks for the post!
Glad you enjoyed! And it's true -- everyone seems to agree that the feeling there is electric. We're excited to experience it for ourselves.
Gosh I have forgotten about the lord of the rings movie until you mention it. Not heard much about it lately. Heard more about the The Witcher.
It really seems like there wasn't much news about it until Annecy, but it's apparently still due in theaters by the end of the year. We'll have to see.
Thank you very much!