The Annecy International Animated Film Festival is one of the most prestigious international events in the field of animation. The program of the 48th edition will include six Slovak and co-produced works, including two feature-length films and four shorts. This is the largest representation of Slovak cinema at this event so far, with five of the films being presented in their world premiere. The festival will take place from June 9 to 15, 2024, and also includes the MIFA Film Market.
Living Large, a feature-length animated film made with stop-motion technique, will compete in Annecy in the Feature Films Contrechamp section. The film tells the story of twelve-year-old Ben, who has a weight problem but eventually discovers that what matters in life is not what a person looks like, but how they feel. Directed by Kristina Dufková, the film will have its world premiere at the festival. In a new section called Annecy Presents, which brings feature films of different genres from all over the world, the second Slovak animated feature Diplodocus by Wojtek Wawszczyk will be screened in its world premiere. This animated family comedy about a curious little dinosaur challenges children to believe in their own creativity, find the courage to stand up for their opinions, and follow their goals.
Slovakia will be represented by two animated shorts in the Official Short Films in Competition section, both of which will be presented in their world premiere. Free the Chickens, directed by Matúš Vizár, is about a group of activists who unsuccessfully try to rescue chickens from a breeding farm, while Hurikán, directed by Jan Saska, is about a beer adventure in one of the wildest parts of Prague. Both directors have made successful and award-winning student films. Eleven years ago, Matúš Vizár won a Special Mention in the Student Film category for his film Pandas (2013) in Annecy, and shortly before that, his film took third place in the Cinéfondation section at the Festival de Cannes. For his film Happy End (2015), director Jan Saska was awarded Best Student Film in the International Competition at Anifilm.
The world premiere at Annecy will also be given to the short animated film I Died in Irpin, directed by Anastasiia Falileieva, which reconstructs a true story of survival through subjective optics, with the magical power of animation that pushes the civilian narrative into new meanings. The film will compete in the Perspectives Short Films in Competition section. The last of the short films that will represent Slovakia at the event is Hello Summer, a new film by the successful Slovak director Martin Smatana. The film, which he co-directed with Veronika Zacharova, will be screened in the Young Audiences Short Films in Competition and is currently having its world premiere at Animafest in Zagreb. Hello Summer was made using a technique combining stop-motion and cartoon animation and follows a family who decide to go on a holiday to the seaside, but upon arrival, find that the hotel is not as stellar as the travel agency promised. Award-winning director Martin Smatana’s previous film The Kite (2019) had its world premiere at the Berlinale and won the Young Audience Award at Annecy.
The Annecy International Animated Film Festival is a world-renowned event dedicated to animation, attended by prominent figures in the field. The festival showcases creative and diverse animation styles and techniques. This year, 3,400 films from 100 countries have been submitted to the program. For Slovak cinema, participation in this event is a great success.
“The Annecy Festival is undoubtedly one of the most important events in the field of animation. Thousands of films compete for a place in the program every year and the competition is very high,” says Lea Pagáčová from the Audiovisual Information Centre of the Slovak Film Institute, responsible for the presentation of Slovak animation. “After last year, when the festival screened four Slovak and co-production films, this year is even more favorable. It is the largest participation in the history of independent Slovakia so far and a clear signal that last year was not a lucky coincidence but proof of the good shape of Slovak animation. Through these films, Annecy audiences can get to know our talents as well as the co-production possibilities and infrastructure that made their creation possible. And this is the best advertising Slovak animation can have.“
During the festival, similarly to the festivals in Berlin or Cannes, the Annecy International Animation Film Market (Mifa) takes place, which is attended by the world’s top animators. In addition to film screenings, the market hosts important working meetings, professionals make foreign contacts, create important partnerships, and deepen existing collaborations. The Slovak Film Institute (SFI) and the Slovak Association of Animated Film Producers (APAF) are the organizers of the presentation of Slovak animation at the MIFA in Annecy.
More information about the 48th edition can be found on the official website of the festival.
