Annecy 2025 Full Report

Yet again, the world capital of animation film was abuzz with artists, industry professionals, young talent in training and enthusiasts from across the globe, in a warm (boiling hot!) and welcoming atmosphere.

With 18,200 badgeholders from 118 countries, the atmosphere was electric in the theatres and lakeside once again this year! The Annecy Festival screened a host of sneak previews, greeted leading international talents and its Market celebrated its 40th anniversary!

Award Winners

The Festival finished on a high note with the Closing Ceremony and the presentation of the Cristal for a Feature Film to Arco by Ugo Bienvenu. The Paul Grimault Award went to Dandelion’s Odyssey by Momoko Seto. The feature film ChaO, by Yasuhiro Aoki, received the Jury Award. The Audience Award went to Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han.

Full list is here:

https://www.annecyfestival.com/en/the-festival/2025-awards?utm_source=brevo&utm_campaign=Bilan%202025&utm_medium=email

In the short films category, Pierre-Luc Granjon won over both the jury and the public by scooping the Cristal, the Audience Award and the André Martin Award for his pinscreen work The Night Boots.

18,200 participants and 118 countries represented, including 4 new countries (Afghanistan, Guatemala, Montenegro and Rwanda), 6,550 Mifa professionals, 196 stands, 400 journalists, more than 2,000 pupils and thousands of spectators every evening on Le Pâquier also joined our must-attend annual event. Additionally, over the course of the week, 23,500 festivalgoers and fans were able to discover the exclusive exhibition on the series Arcane.

Let’s not forget the 650 volunteers without whom none of this would have been possible.

“Above and beyond the figures, it is your laughter, emotional silences in the darkened theatres, and your passionate discussions by the lake that gives this Festival its meaning and beauty.  […] I also want to highlight the 10th anniversary of the 2015 edition dedicated to women in animation. This is a symbolic milestone, but more importantly a foundation to continue to take action, examine our methods, open new doors and create space for all voices. It is with this in mind that I announced this week that CITIA will create a residency especially for female feature film directors.”

Mickaël Marin, CEO of CITIA, during the Closing Ceremony on Saturday 14th June.

2025 also marked the Mifa’s 40th anniversary. The perfect opportunity to take stock of the Market’s role in the industry’s progress and evolution, to promote access to new technologies and address the crises and other new challenges that the sector may be facing globally. More than ever, this year was a chance to underline the unifying role that the Mifa plays in making animation more widely accessible in general, to new countries where it is still in the throes of development, and also to female filmmakers.

Still very much under-represented in the industry, many events were dedicated to them including the “Women in the Animation Industry: A Decade of Change, A Future to Shape” conference, during which the creation of a residency devoted to female feature film directors was announced, and a workshop, at the Campus, jointly organised by the Lab Femmes de Cinéma, the Festival and the Mifa.

nnecy commits

Throughout this 2025 edition, CITIA has continued its environmental and societal action plan initiated several years ago. This represents the following:

Zero generators

• 1 Carbon footprint calculator and 1 “Agir pour la forêt” (Act for the forest) collection with the ONF to help offset the festivalgoers’ carbon footprint.
• Shuttles, an electric tuktuk, car-sharing and special offers on Annecy urban buses to optimise festivalgoers’ transport, and a large number of bicycle parks for gentle mobility.
• Vegetarian options in all the catering areas and food trucks associated with the event.
• 72 waste sorting bins and a 12-person team to manage waste.
• 70% reduction on paper printing in the space of 5 years and over 400 signage materials that can be reused the following year.
• 1 Accessibility Guide, a programme of events, workshops and facilities dedicated to all forms of disability for a Festival for all audiences.
• Gender parity in the juries and conference speakers, a struggle that began 10 years ago with an entire edition devoted to women in animation.
• 1 Guide for Responsible Festivalgoers updated every year, to raise awareness among all participants and help us move forward together.

For more information, please check the Youtube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/@annecyfestival/featured

Thanks to the support of La Matmut pour les arts there were 8 accessible screenings and the Festival’s identity in audio description.