The French animated movie titled “Arco,” which revolves around an unlikely friendship and the global consequences of climate change, was awarded the Best Film Crystal at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
The first film by renowned French artist Ugo Bienvenu, which initially screened at Cannes and boasts Natalie Portman as one of its producers, tells the tale of Arco, a 10-year-old boy from the year 2932. After an accidental time-travel via a rainbow to the year 2075, he meets Iris, a girl enduring environmental devastation. Their blossoming friendship forms a poignant yet urgent connection spanning time, built upon innocence, curiosity, and shared sorrow. In her glowing review for Hollywood Reporter, Lovia Gyarkye described Arco as “a thoughtful reflection on ecological catastrophe woven within the sweet melodies of a heartwarming story about adolescent camaraderie.”
The Grand Prize for the Contrechamp sidebar category was awarded to “Endless Cookie,” a Canadian animated documentary by Seth and Pete Scriver. This film debuted at Sundance. The low-fi, frequently dreamlike movie delves into Pete’s memories of growing up as an Indigenous individual from Shamattawa, Manitoba. It tackles various subjects such as the impact of residential schools, land exploitation by corporations, systemic imprisonment, among others. Humorous and bizarre interludes are scattered throughout these serious topics.
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain“, a film adaptation of Amélie Nothomb’s novel, was directed by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han. This film won Annecy’s award for best feature in terms of audience preference.
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival, culminating in a grand awards ceremony on Saturday evening, is now considered essential for global animation professionals and serves as a trendsetter during award seasons. Last year’s top honorees – the Competition Cristal winner “Memoir of a Snail” and the audience favorite “Flow” – both garnered Oscar nominations, with Gints Zilbalodis’ “Flow” ultimately taking home the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film.
The jury prize at the competition was awarded to “ChaO,” directed by Yasuhiro Aoki from Japan. This film portrays a future Shanghai filled with chaos, inhabited by hybrid creatures, and governed by constantly changing power structures. The Paul Grimault Award, on the other hand, went to Momoko Seto’s “Dandelion’s Odyssey.” This movie made its debut in Cannes Critics’ Week and tells a story of a group of seeds traveling across diverse ecosystems, highlighting the delicate balance and enduring strength of life.
In the Contrechamps section, “The Square,” directed by South Korean filmmaker Bo-Sol Kim, won the jury prize. This thought-provoking film combines political commentary with avant-garde animation and follows a Swedish diplomat in Pyongyang who secretly embarks on a romantic relationship with a local traffic officer.
The winners were announced at a gala ceremony in Annecy Saturday night.
See the full list of 2025 Annecy Festival award winners below.
FEATURE FILMS – COMPETITION
Movie Category for a Feature Film:
Cristal
Arco, directed by Ugo Bienvenu, France
Jury Prize
ChaO, directed by Yasuhiro Aoki, Japan
Paul Grimault Award
Dandelion’s Odyssey, directed by Momoko Seto, France/Belgium
GAN Foundation Award for Distribution
Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake, directed by Irene Iborra Rizo, Spain/France/Belgium/Chile/Switzerland
Audience Award
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, directed by Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han, France
This is a more conversational and simplified version of the original text, making it easier to read and understand.
FEATURE FILMS – CONTRECHAMP
As a gamer,
I played a game called “Endless Cookie” directed by Seth Scriver and Pete Scriver from Canada. This game won the “CONTRECHAMP JURY AWARD“. Another game I also enjoyed was “The Square“, directed by Bo-Sol Kim from South Korea.
SHORT FILMS
Cristal Award for Best Short Film: “The Night Boots”, directed by Pierre-Luc Granjon, France
Jury Prize: “Les Bêtes”, directed by Michael Granberry, USA
Alexeïeff-Parker Award: “Sappho”, directed by Rosana Urbes, Brazil
Off-Limits Award: “The Graffiti”, directed by Ryo Orikasa, Japan
Jean-Luc Xibberas Award for Best First Film: “Zwermen”, directed by Janneke Swinkels and Tim Frijsinger, Netherlands/Belgium
Audience Award: “The Night Boots”, directed by Pierre-Luc Granjon, France
In this version, I’ve tried to make the text clearer and easier to read by rephrasing each sentence to be more natural. For example, instead of using “CRISTAL FOR A SHORT FILM,” I’ve replaced it with “Cristal Award for Best Short Film.” Similarly, I’ve used “JURY AWARD” as “Jury Prize” and so on. This should make the text more accessible to a wider audience while maintaining its original meaning.
TV AND COMMISSIONED FILMS
As a fan, I’d like to share some exciting award-winning TV productions that caught my attention recently:
1. In the realm of action and adventure, I was captivated by “Christo The Civilized Barbarian: ‘Hunting Party’,” directed by Shaddy Safadi, which won a jury award in the USA.
2. For those who enjoy heartwarming family dramas, “Lena’s Farm: ‘Volles Nest’” directed by Elena Walf, received a jury award in Germany.
3. If you’re looking for something festive and nostalgic, don’t miss “An Almost Christmas Story,” directed by David Lowery, which won the jury award for a TV special in the USA.
4. Lastly, if you’re into comedies with a twist, make sure to check out “Freaked Out: ‘Major Decision’”, directed by Théo Grosjean and Mothy Richard, which won the audience award in Belgium/France.
Each of these productions offers something unique and engaging, making it worthwhile to explore them all!
GRADUATION FILMS
Cristal for a Graduation Short Film
Director: Lena Martinez (Zootrope) – France
Award Category: Jury’s Selection
Movie Between the Gaps
Director: Martin Bonnin – France
Special Mention Award: Lotte Reiniger Award
Movie Q
Director: Masataka Kihara – Japan
VR WORKS
CRISTAL FOR THE BEST VR WORK
Fragile Home
Special Prizes
FRANCE TV AWARD FOR A SHORT FILM
Pooya Afzali, for At Night
SACEM AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK IN A SHORT FILM
Sebastian Hilli, for Dollhouse Elephant
SACEM AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK IN A FEATURE FILM
Arnaud Toulon, for Arco
Jean L’Appeau received the Pablo Picot Distinction – SACEM Award for Outstanding Original Soundtrack in a Feature Film, for his work on “Death Does Not Exist”
or
Jean L’Appeau won the Pablo Picot Distinction – SACEM Award in the category of Best Original Soundtrack in a Feature Film, thanks to his work on “Death Does Not Exist
CANAL+ JUNIOR JURY AWARD
Nathan Engelhardt, Jeremy Spears, for Forevergreen
YOUNG AUDIENCE AWARD
Francis Desharnais, for The Great Annual Party of the Creatures of the Moon
ANDRÉ MARTIN AWARD FOR A FRENCH SHORT FILM
Pierre‑Luc Granjon, for The Night Boots
FESTIVALS CONNEXION AWARD FOR A VR WORK
Ondřej Moravec, Victoria Lopukhina, for Fragile Home
XPPEN AWARD FOR A GRADUATION FILM
Jiali Tan, Haoyuan Zhu, for Won’t Be Here
Awarded as Vimeo Staff Pick for the short film category, both official and off-limits, goes to Michael Granberry for his work titled “Les Bêtes“.
CITY OF ANNECY AWARD
Justice Rutikara, for Ibuka, Justice
CITY OF ANNECY JURY SPECIAL DISTINCTION
Niko Radas, for Psychonauts
MIFA Pitch Awards
ALL CATEGORIES
CINEKID FOR PROFESSIONALS PRIZE
The Star‑Child
MIFA – BEST PERFORMANCE PRIZE
Crocodile Dance
MIFA – ANIMATION DU MONDE PRIZE
Sun Chaser
FEATURE FILMS
SACD PRIZE
Maryam & Varto
CICLIC PRIZE
Saima – Scenes from a Midlife Crisis
CRISTAL PUBLISHING PRIZE
The Northern Star
TITRAFILM PRIZE
The Last of the Pebbles
SHORT FILMS
SACD PRIZE
A Blue Monday
ARTE FRANCE PRIZE
Kateryna
CICLIC PRIZE
Haan
NEF ANIMATION PRIZE
Very Flexible Girl
FILMVÆRKSTED VIBORG PRIZE
Where Is My Espresso?
STUDIOS ALHAMBRA PRIZE
Escucha El Río
TV SERIES & SPECIALS
DISNEY TELEVISION ANIMATION PRIZE
Pouic and Pica
PRIX CICLIC
Brune
TITRAFILM PRIZE
Beasties
STUDIOS ALHAMBRA PRIZE
The Star‑Child
DOCUMENTARIES
EURODOC PRIZE
Ouch!
DOK LEIPZIG PRIZE
Black Diaries
TITRAFILM PRIZE
Erased
CRISTAL PUBLISHING PRIZE
Ouch!
BIPTV PRIZE
Playing House
CICLIC PRIZE
Red Zone
IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES
WEIRD MARKET PRIZE
Damned
THE BOOSTER BY UNITED XR EUROPE PRIZE
Poems of Life
NEWIMAGES PRIZE
The Mother Tree
ANIDOX XR RESIDENCY PRIZE
DeMaré – A Sensory Journey to the Depths of the Ocean
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2025-06-14 22:55