In this very turbulent festival atmosphere, Annecy Festival announced its 2020 selection films.  The festival going partially online (content and terms of access are still being under discussion), Annecy Festival artistic director Marcel Jean promises "a funnier and less serious" selection than previous years. 

Festival Statement:

On the whole the 2020 Selection is less serious, and funnier, than the previous few years. We still find several films dealing with current themes, in particular ecology, migration and gender identity. Some films – Empty Places by Geoffroy de Crécy, The Physics of Sorrow by Theodore Ushev and Something to Remember by Niki Lindroth Von Bahr – even appear to anticipate the present situation. We are particularly proud of the quality and variety of the Off-Limits selection, which testifies to the vitality of experimental approaches. In addition, six of the twelve films from this section were directed by women, which represents the level of equity that characterises the selection in the diverse categories of the Short Films. We are also thrilled with the diverse countries where the selected films come from, there are works from Iceland, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt and Indonesia, countries that are rarely represented at Annecy.

The Graduation Films revealed a very high level of productions from the Lodz School in Poland, where three films from this educational institution were selected. Meanwhile the programmes destined for television indicate that this sector is going through a great era with so many audacious and ambitious productions targeted to diverse audiences - Marcel Jean, Artistic Director

The Numbers:

The festival has received more than 3,000 films, all categories together, from 94 countries (the most represented are: France, USA, United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, China, and South Korea)

• 37 films in the Official Short Films Competition and 12 in the Off-Limits category
• 20 in the Perspectives section, 10 in the Young Audiences section
• 44 Graduation films, 221 TV Films and 35 Commissioned Films

The Names:

Theodore Ushev, Dmitry Geller, Kaspar Jancis, Niki Lindroth vn Bahr, Alexandre Siqueira, Patrick Smith, Reinhold Bidner, Sasha Svirsky are some of the names competing in the official selection.

Check out for Marcin Gizycki (Wieczór,, Off-limits section) and Max Hattler (Serial Parallels, Off-Limits), Ross Hogg (4:3, Off Limits), Maria Lorenzo Hernandez (Urban Sphinx, Perspectives) 

Notable absences: Andreas Hykade (Altõtting) and Stephen Irwin (Wood Child and Hidden Forest Mother) -both were selected at Animafest Zagreb. We learn (National Film Board of Canada) that Joanna Quinn's new film Affairs of the Art was not ready for the festival (due to COVID-19 circumstances, which could not have the production finished on time).

Would the Annecy selection programmers miss out an Andreas Hykade film (who won at Annecy in 2007 the FIPRESCI Prize for The Runt, best music in 2010 for Love and Theft,  and Best TV film in 2013 for Tom & The Queen Bee), and not include it anywhere in official festival selection? Perhaps the Annecy Festival going online -and certain filmmakers objecting to this practice- could be a reason for all these 'omissions'.

UPDATE 16/04: Now Andreas Hykade's film is in the Annecy official competition

Talking on this subject to Zippy Frames (15/4), Annecy Festival artistic director Marcel Jean comments that only one short film  actually withdrew from the festival programme, while "3 films were selected as work in progress" -and they still had a lot of creative work to be done. Confinement took its toll, and all three WIP films were unable to complete their production in time for the June festival. 

We have a lot to learn and discover at this age of confinement, and Annecy Festival going online is an experiment by itself -to monitor.

Annecy Festival Lineup:

Short Films in Competition 
10 000 Ugly Inkblots Directed by: DMITRY GELLER / Country: China, Russia
Altötting Directed by: ANDREAS HYKADE / Country: Germany, Canada, Portugal (added 16/4)
A Mãe de Sangue Directed by: Vier NEV / Country: Portugal
Arka Directed by: Natko STIPANICEV / Country: Croatia
Average Happiness Directed by: Maja GEHRIG / Country: Switzerland
Bela, Directed by: Nick SIMPSON / Country: Australia
Beyond Noh, Directed by: Patrick SMITH, Kaori ISHIDA / Country: USA
Carne, Directed by: Camila KATER / Country: Brazil, Spain
Carrousel, Directed by: Jasmine ELSEN / Country: Belgium, Czech Republic
De Passant, Directed by: Pieter COUDYZER / Country: Belgium
Empty Places, Directed by: Geoffroy DE CRÉCY / Country: France
Familie Zilla macht Picknick, Directed by: Christian Franz SCHMIDT / Country: Germany
Freeze Frame, Directed by: Soetkin VERSTEGEN / Country: Belgium
Friend of a Friend, Directed by: Zachary ZEZIMA / Country: France
Genius Loci, Directed by: Adrien MERIGEAU / Country: France
Ghosts, Directed by: Jee-youn PARK / Country: South Korea
Gorodskaya Koza, Directed by: Sveltana RAZGULYAEVA / Country: Russia
Homeless Home, Directed by: Alberto VÁZQUEZ / Country: Spain, France
Hot Flash, Directed by: Thea HOLLATZ / Country: Canada
How to Disappear, Directed by: Robin KLENGEL, Leonhard MÜLLNER, Michael STUMPF / Country: Austria
Já-Fólkið, Directed by: Gisli D HALLDORSSON / Country: Iceland
Kosmonaut, Directed by: Kaspar JANCIS / Country: Estonia
Lursaguak. Escenas de vida, Directed by: Izibene OÑEDERRA / Country: Spain
Machini, Directed by: Frank MUKUNDAY, Trésor TSHIBANGU / Country: Congo (The Democratic Republic of the), Belgium
Moi, Barnabé, Directed by: Jean-François LÉVESQUE / Country: Canada
Murder in the Cathedral, Directed by: Matija PISACIC, Tvrtko RASPOLIK / Country: Croatia, Serbia
My Galactic Twin Galaction, Directed by: Aleksandr Sasha SVIRSKY / Country: Russia
Något att minnas, Directed by: Niki LINDROTH VON BAHR / Country: Sweden
No, I Don't Want to Dance! Directed by: Andrea VINCIGUERRA / Country: Italy, United Kingdom
Physique de la tristesse, Directed by: Theodore USHEV / Country: Canada
Purpleboy, Directed by: Alexandre SIQUEIRA / Country: Belgium, France, Portugal
Rebooted, Directed by: Michael SHANKS / Country: Australia
Rivages, Directed by: Sophie RACINE / Country: France
Schast'e, Directed by: Andrey ZHIDKOV / Country: Russia
The Town, Directed by: Yifan BAO / Country: China
Time o´ the Signs, Directed by: Reinhold BIDNER / Country: Austria
To: Gerard, Directed by: Taylor MEACHAM / Country: USA
Yo, Directed by: Begoña AROSTEGUI / Country: Spain

My Galactic Twin Galaction

jury for Short Films: Matt KASZANEK, Director, Animation Is Film Festival, USA, Naomi VAN NIEKERK, Director, Dryfsand, South Africa, Denis WALGENWITZ, Director, France

Perspectives Short Films in Competition
3 Teaspoons of Sugar, Directed by: Dr Tshepo P. MAAKA, Kabelo MAAKA/ Country: South Africa
Algo-Rhythm, Directed by: Manu LUKSCH / Country: Austria, United Kingdom, Senegal
Annah la Javanaise, Directed by: Fatimah Tobing RONY / Country: Indonesia
Black Loop, Directed by: Adel ELBADRAWY / Country: Egypt
Eclosion, Directed by: Rita BASULTO / Country: Mexico
Esfinge urbana, Directed by: Maria LORENZO HERNÁNDEZ / Country: Spain
Hier oben, bei den weißen Göttern, Directed by: Jalal MAGHOUT, Alexander LAHL, Mike PLITT / Country: Germany
Home, Directed by: Anita BRUVERE / Country: United Kingdom
jù rén, Directed by: Harry ZHUANG / Country: Singapore
Just a Guy, Directed by: Shoko HARA / Country: Germany
Kapaemahu, Directed by: Hinaleimoana WONG-KALU, Dean HAMER, Joe WILSON, Daniel SOUSA / Country: USA
Migrante,Directed by: Esteban Ezequiel DALINGER, César Daniel IEZZI / Country: Argentina
Mosaic, Directed by: Imge ÖZBILGE, Sine ÖZBILGE / Country: Belgium
Night Session, Directed by: Peter TOMADZE / Country: Georgia
Only the Seas Live Forever, Directed by: David EHRLICH / Country: China, USA
Pogovorim?, Directed by: Ekaterina MIKHEEVA / Country: Russia
Prirodni Odabir, Directed by: Sanja RAJIC-BANJAC / Country: Bosnia and Herzegovina
Todo es culpa de la sal, Directed by: María Cristina PEREZ / Country: Colombia
Wade, Directed by: Bhattacharyya UPAMANYU, Kalp SANGHVI / Country: India
White Paradise, Directed by: Xavier ISTASSE / Country: Belgium

Wade 

Off-Limits Short Films in Competition

4:3 Directed by: Ross HOGG / Country: United Kingdom
Aletsch Negative, Directed by: Laurence BONVIN / Country: Switzerland
Aquamarine, Directed by: Billy ROISZ, Dieter KOVACIC / Country: Austria
Black, Directed by: Ao CHEN / Country: China, United Kingdom
Collapsing Mies, Directed by: Claudia LARCHER / Country: Austria
Dune, Directed by: Gabor ULRICH / Country: Hungary
My Dear Lover, Directed by: Milva STUTZ / Country: Switzerland
Pulsator, Directed by: Thor SIVERTSEN / Country: Norway
Schneestaub, Directed by: Betina KUNTZSCH / Country: Germany
Serial Parallels ,Directed by: Max HATTLER / Country: Germany, Hong Kong
Trauma Chameleon, Directed by: Gina KAMENTSKY / Country: USA
Wieczór, Directed by: Marcin GIZYCKI / Country: Poland

Graduation short Films in Competition

100,000 Acres of Pine Directed by: Jennifer Alice WRIGHT / Country: Denmark
1000 rêves: Zenti l'invincible Directed by: Jonathan PHANHSAY-CHAMSON / Country: France
3 Minutes to Live Directed by: Vittorio ASCOLANI / Country: Italy
A forrás és a torony Directed by: Melinda KADAR / Country: Hungary
À la mer poussière Directed by: Héloïse FERLAY / Country: France
Airship of Unknown Direction Directed by: Alexandra GALITSKOVA / Country: Russia
Any Instant Whatever Directed by: Michelle BRAND / Country: United Kingdom
Better Directed by: Emily DOWNE / Country: United Kingdom
Catgot Directed by: Tsz Wing HO / Country: Hong Kong
Ce n'était pas la bonne montagne, Mohammad Directed by: Mili PECHERER / Country: France, Israel
Cucaracha Directed by: Agustin TOURINO / Country: Argentina
Dogs Directed by: Benjamin BERREBI, Mohammad BABAKOOHI ASHRAFI, Jakub BEDNARZ, Marthinus David VAN ROOYEN, Théo LENOBLE, Karlo PAVICIC-RAVLIC, Diego CRISTOFANO / Country: France
eadem cutis: dieselbe haut Directed by: Nina HOPF / Country: Germany
I'm Not Feeling Very Well Directed by: Suncana BRKULJ / Country: Croatia
Inès Directed by: Elodie DERMANGE / Country: France
Inside Me Directed by: Maria A. TEIXEIRA / Country: Germany
Jestem tutaj Directed by: Julia ORLIK / Country: Poland
Jumping Moments Directed by: Jinsoo (Justin) KIM / Country: USA
Mate Directed by: Chaerin IM / Country: USA
Milk Directed by: Jennifer KOLBE / Country: Germany
Moundform Directed by: Catherine SLILATY / Country: Canada
Naked Directed by: Kirill KHACHATUROV / Country: Russia
Nausea Directed by: Subien HAN / Country: South Korea
Night Shift Directed by: Linda STURE / Country: Latvia
No Body Directed by: Ko HAEMIN / Country: United Kingdom
Pile Directed by: Tobias AUBERG / Country: United Kingdom
Podle Sylvie Directed by: Verica POSPISLOVA KORDIC / Country: Czech Republic
Portret Kobiecy Directed by: Natalia DURSZEWICZ / Country: Poland
Puppy Love Directed by: Chen I-WEN / Country: Taiwan
Shergar Directed by: Cora Susan MCKENNA / Country: Denmark
Six to Six Directed by: Neta COHEN / Country: Israel
Sous la glace Directed by: Ismaïl BERRAHMA, Milan BAULARD, Laurie ESTAMPES, Hugo POTIN, Quentin NORY, Flore DUPONT / Country: France
Such a Beautiful Town Directed by: Marta KOCH / Country: Poland
Sura Directed by: Hae-Ji JEONG / Country: South Korea
Tente 113, Idomèni Directed by: Henri MARBACHER / Country: Switzerland
Tête de linotte! Directed by: Gaspar CHABAUD / Country: Belgium
The Balloon Catcher Directed by: Isaku KANEKO / Country: Japan
The End Directed by: Wiebe BONNEMA / Country: Netherlands
The Fire Next Time Directed by: Renaldho PELLE / Country: United Kingdom
The Fox & The Pigeon Directed by: Michelle CHUA / Country: Canada
The Next Few Months Directed by: Kayleigh GEMMELL / Country: South Africa
The Piece of Tail in the Mouth of the Snake that Bites Its Own Tail Directed by: Pablo Nicolas MARTINEZ BALLARIN / Country: Estonia
There Were Four of Us Directed by: Cassie SHAO / Country: USA
Unraveled Directed by: Arden COLLEY, Asil ATAY, Isabel WIEGAND, Kellie FAY / Country: Spain, Canada, USA, Italy, Turkey

There were four of us


Jury for Graduation Films & Off-Limits Short Films: Signe BAUMANE, Director & Producer, My Love Affair With Marriage, Latvia, Jeanette BONDS, Festival Co-Founder & Director, GLAS Animation – Director & Producer, B&B Pictures, USA, Thomas RENOLDNER, Director & Head of Selection, Animation Avantgarde at Vienna Shorts Filmfestival, Austria

Young Audiences Short Films in Competition

Archie, Directed by: Ainslie HENDERSON / Country: United Kingdom
Boriya, Directed by: Sung-ah MIN / Country: France
Cinema Rex, Directed by: Eliran PELED, Mayan ENGELMAN / Country: Israel
Devochka-ptichka, Directed by: Ekaterina NEVOSTRUEVA / Country: Russia
Ghadameh Yazdahom, Directed by: Maryam KASHKOOLINIA / Country: Iran
Like and Follow, Directed by: Tobias SCHLAGE, Brent FORREST / Country: Germany, Canada
Matilda ir atsarginė galva, Directed by: Ignas MEILUNAS / Country: Lithuania
Nature, Directed by: Isis LETERRIER / Country: France
Reven og Nissen, Directed by: Are AUSTNES, Yaprak MORALI / Country: Norway
Teplaya zvezda, Directed by: Anna KUZINA / Country: Russia

TV Films in Competition

Bluey "Escape" Directed by: Joseph BRUMM / Country: Australia
Close Enough "100% No Stress Day" Directed by: JG QUINTEL / Country: USA
Culottées "Leymah Gbowee" Directed by: Phuong Mai NGUYEN, Charlotte CAMBON DE LAVALETTE / Country: France
Japan Sinks: 2020 "The Beginning of the End" Directed by: Masaaki YUASA / Country: USA, Japan
JJ Villard's Fairy Tales "Boypunzel" Directed by: J.J. VILLARD / Country: USA
L'amour a ses réseaux "Petit Piment" Directed by: Romain BLANC-TAILLEUR, Cécile ROUSSET / Country: France
L'Odyssée de Choum Directed by: Julien BISARO / Country: Belgium, France
Le Quatuor à cornes : là-haut sur la montagne Directed by: Benjamin BOTELLA, Arnaud DEMUYNCK / Country: France
Les espionnes racontent "Yola" Directed by: Aurélie POLLET / Country: France
Love, Death & Robots "The Witness" Directed by: Alberto MIELGO / Country: USA
Mlsne medvedi pribehy "Na lanýze!" Directed by: Katerina KARHANKOVA, Alexandra MAJOVA / Country: Czech Republic
My Better World "Being Creative and Resourceful" Directed by: Christian MORGAN, Michael CLARK, Johannes Abraham SCHEEPERS / Country: South Africa, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania
Non-Non Rétrécit Directed by: Wassim BOUTALEB / Country: France
Robot Chicken's Santa's Dead (Spoiler Alert) Holiday Murder Thing Special Directed by: Thomas SHEPPARD / Country: USA
Summer Camp Island "Midnight Quittance" Directed by: Julia POTT / Country: USA
Taffy "DNA" Directed by: Ahmed GUERROUACHE / Country: France
The Adventures of Paddington "Paddington and the Magic Trick" Directed by: Adam SHAW / Country: United Kingdom
The Midnight Gospel "Mouse of Silver" Directed by: Pendleton WARD, Mike L. MAYFIELD / Country: USA
The Snail and the Whale Directed by: Daniel SNADDON, Max LANG / Country: United Kingdom
The Tiger Who Came to Tea Directed by: Robin SHAW / Country: United Kingdom
Undone "The Hospital" Directed by: Hisko HULSING / Country: USA

Commissioned Films in Competition

12 MFFA Animator Trailer Directed by: Karolina SPECHT / Country: Poland
A Mother's Promise Directed by: Richard O'CONNOR / Country: USA
Beatbox Anima Mundi 2019 Directed by: Janet PERLMAN / Country: Canada
CBS "Pudsy's Christmas" Directed by: Steve ANGEL / Country: Canada
Ciné court animé trailer 2020 "Strange Light" Directed by: Simon VERGELY / Country: France
Disorder Directed by: Robert GRIEVES / Country: Australia
Followfood "In Your Hands" Directed by: Ralf KARAM / Country: Spain
France "Patrouille de France / Dernier tour" Directed by: Emmanuel LANTAM NINSAO / Country: France
Greenpeace "Turtle Journey" Directed by: Gavin STRANGE / Country: United Kingdom
Happy Year of the Rat 2020 Directed by: Lei LEI / Country: China, France
Jo Goes Hunting "Careful" Directed by: Alice SAEY / Country: France, Netherlands
Journey of Krok Directed by: Nijin NAZEEM / Country: India
LAI Awareness "Out of the Dark" Directed by: Chris CARBONI / Country: USA
Lea Porcelain "The Love" Directed by: Jakob SCHMIDT / Country: Germany
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society "Grace" Directed by: Natalie LABARRE / Country: USA
Lightning Bolt "Blow to the Head" Directed by: Caleb WOOD / Country: USA
Lucky Chops "Traveler" Directed by: Daniel ALMAGOR, Raman DJAFARI / Country: Germany
Mashrou' Leila "Radio Romance" Directed by: Vladimir MAVOUNIA-KOUKA / Country: France, Lebanon
Memoirs of Vegetation "The Castor Bean" Directed by: Jessica ORECK / Country: USA
My Friend Pedro Directed by: CRCR / Country: France
Past "Tíseň" Directed by: Nora STRBOVA, Alzbeta SUCHANOVÁ / Country: Czech Republic
Pixelatl 2019 "Raiz y Mañana" Directed by: César Gabriel CEPEDA SÁNCHEZ / Country: Mexico
Poulehouse : l'œuf qui ne tue pas la poule Directed by: AKAMA STUDIO / Country: France
S+C+A+R+R "The Rest of My Days" Directed by: Antoine (dit Jack) CHARLOT / Country: France
Selvforstyrrelser Directed by: Julian VARGAS / Country: Norway
Short Cuts "Cris et chuchotements" Directed by: Inés SEDAN / Country: France
TED-Ed "Why Should You Read Sci-fi Superstar Octavia E. Butler?" Directed by: Tomás PICHARDO / Country: USA, Dominican Republic
The Fish Directed by: PES / Country: USA
The Life Saving Twins "Dirty Hands Make You Sick" Directed by: Angelin PAUL / Country: Burundi, Ivory Coast, France, United Kingdom
The Mystical Journey of Jimmy Page's '59 Telecaster Directed by: SMITH & FOULKES / Country: USA, United Kingdom
Tricky Women / Tricky Realities - Festival Trailer 2020 Directed by: Rachel GUTGARTS / Country: Austria, Israel
Vow "Rebellion" Directed by: Parallel TEETH / Country: United Kingdom
Wantaways "The Turning Point" Directed by: Steve CUTTS / Country: United Kingdom
We Only Get One Planet Directed by: Aghil HOSSEINIAN / Country: Iran
WWF® x Ivan Dorn "Wild" Directed by: Ruslana MIRZAALIEVA / Country: Russia

Jury for TV & Commissioned Films: Marco DE BLOIS, Artistic Director, Les Sommets du cinéma d'animation, Canada, Dahee JEONG, Director & Producer, Between The Pictures, South Korea, Diane LAUNIER, Managing Director, Art Ludique Le Musée, France

The Annecy 2020 Official Selection is carried out by the Artistic Director,Marcel Jean, the Films & Programme Planning team,Laurent Million,Yves Nougarède, Sébastien Sperer, as well as:

• Peggy Zejgman-Lecarme, Director of the Cinémathèque de Grenoble
• Marie-Pauline Mollaret, Chief Editor of the magazine EcranNoir.fr
• Clémence Bragard, Independent Events Manager specialized in animation film, Programmer of the National Animation Film Festival for the Afca
• Isabelle Vanini, Programmer of the Forum des images (Carrefour du cinéma d’animation…) and "animation expert" for the CNC, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, Ciclic and the César

The list of Feature Films and VR Works in the Official Selection will be announced mid-May.

Annecy Festival takes place 15-20 June 2020.

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