Written by Kianna Best on Jul 4, 2022. Posted in Awards and Festivals

The Annecy Festival 2022 celebrates the future of animation

France’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival returned this past June with a bang. The event brought together some of the world’s most innovative creators for yet another year, highlighting the talents of the animation world. The film festival shone a light on the contributions of the award-winners. Record-breaking figures illustrated the continuing and growing impact of animation.

“We promised you fireworks, but this week was over and above our expectations!” says Mickael Marin, CEO of CITIA. “Annecy 2022 is simply a reflection of how important animation is worldwide: a major art form and an industry with remarkable agility that is constantly developing.”

With 13,248 badge-holders bringing their work to the stage, an 8% increase from 2019, the week long celebration of animation reflected the continual creative growth from a pandemic induced pause that shows no signs of stopping. As 106 countries were represented, this year’s festival not only emphasised the technical talents of the directors, producers, distributers, and many more who lend their hand to the process, but also focussed on the many facets of cinematic narratives that are explored through the medium of animation.

From the use of clay animation to retell the story of a family’s immigration journey for a better life in Alain Ughetto’s Interdit aux Chiens et aux Italiens, to the more conventional computer animation of innocent family viewing in Little Nicholas: Happy as can be by Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre, the narrative diversity of the winners and the integrity of the storylines continues to place animation as a viable mainstream cinematic expression.

Artistic director Marcel Jean comments: "The 2022 selection is diverse and surprising. It bears witness to the vitality of animation film and the exceptional evolution of global production in the past few years.

In a world where all interpretations of visual media are free from the bounds of convention, the success of the recent winners of the 2022 Annecy awards solidify this. Exploring the multidimensionality of international animation, it is clear to see the prosperous future of this filmic subgenre and its contribution to cultural cinema on a whole.

Still reaping the benefits of being a growing art form, international animation is a relatively unexplored playing field. Critically acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro along with artistic director Marcel Jean aim to see Mexican animation brought to its deserved forefront. With anticipation for its success next year, Mexico’s superseding of Switzerland in a 2022 retrospective is just a taste for what is to come.

Image courtesy of Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2022