Annecy International Film Festival is the world's leading Film Festival and Market, and last year they teamed up with GKIDS to deliver the first
ANIMATION IS FILM festival in 2017. It sold out most screenings in advance and gained wide and mainstream press exposure. Boasting over 788 million social media impressions, it was certainly a hit.
In fact, it was such a hit, that after only one event, the festival is considered the number one US showcase for feature animation. The Breadwinner, which was it's opening night film, received nominations for Best Animated Feature at the 2018 Academy Awards and Golden Globes, and many of the other films that played at the festival also went on to play at places such as Sundance, AFI, and Berlin.
Over 5000 people were in attendance for the inaugural
ANIMATION IS FILM Festival, which featured many special guests, including but not limeted to Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie (
The Breadwinner), producer John Walker (
The Incredibles), director Chris McKay (
The Lego Batman Movie), and Academy Award-nominated directors Hiromasa Yonebayashi (
Mary and the Witch's Flower), Benjamin Renner (
The Big Bad Fox), and Nora Twomey (
The Breadwinner).
The jury of the 2017 consisted of renowned film critic and historian, Charles Solomon, Landmark Cinemas Head Film Buyer Mabel Tam, director Jorge R Gutierrez (
Book of Life), Oscar-winning director Brenda Chapman (
Brave), producer and DreamWorks Animation President Bonnie Arnold (
Toy Story, How to Train Your Dragon), and Warner Animation Group EVP Allison Abbate (
The Iron Giant, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Lego Movie). The second annual
ANIMATION IS FILM Festival will feature a showcase of feature films, as well as short film programs, retrospectives, and special presentations.
By creating a world class animation festival on par with the major events that normally occur in Europe and Asia, this festival certainly fills a gap in the US market. The festival prospers from holding nothing back and choosing to appreciate animation and embrace its highest ambitions as a cinematic art form and a vocal advocate for those filmmakers who might find it hard to push the boundaries of their work to the range they want to be in or their fullest capacity at other locations prior, and there is no doubt that it will continue to do so this year.
Will you be attending the festival this year? The second annual ANIMATION IS FILM Festival will run October 19-21, 2018 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theater in Hollywood.