Residency projects revealed at the Annecy Festival
Last June, CITIA, the organizers of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, announced the realization of the artistic residency "Graphic development for animated films" with the support of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, the Haute-Savoie Department, the CNC and France Télévisions - a new milestone in the shared history of the Annecy region and animation cinema.
During the summer, 32 projects were sent, by 17 countries: France, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Georgia, Colombia, Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela, Hungary, India, Dominican Republic, Serbia, China, Turkey, Mexico and the Philippines. Since the three-month residency for the 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 traditional projects to projects by more independent authors. An eclecticism that has aroused passionate discussions among the members of the jury: Sarah Wikler (Film art producer, Blue Spirit, script consultant), Damien Brunner (Producer, Folivari), Éléa Gobbé-Mévellec (Director), Marc Bonny (Distributor) e Pierre Syracuse (Director of the Animation and Youth Audience Unit, France Télévisions).
“This selection commission at the Annecy Festival residence is an important novelty. It was difficult for us to choose who will be the pioneers, ”shared the committee in the selection announcement. “Among the wide range of projects presented 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 testimony of how animated films favor the communication of our times. We hope that the cocoon of this residence will allow them to fully flourish “.
The advisory committee met 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) e Marie Le Gac (Head of development, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Cinéma).
The three selected projects are:
PiecePiece by Alan Holly (Ireland), a modern animated drama about societal pressures and anxieties and their impact on young people. The project follows seven teenagers who question themselves and the world around them.
HeirloomHeirloom by Upamanyu Bhattacharyya (India), a family tale that follows the life and rise of the young Solal in almost fifty years and pays homage to centuries of textile traditions in India.
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 the responsibility of throwing a big party to celebrate the men of the village returning from the war. But there is no way to know if her father is among them. Her encounter with the legend of the City of Ys will guide her.
CITIA will invite a team member from each of these projects to Annecy from 5 April to 27 June 2021.
