Annecy Announces 2013 Edition Award Winners

The 2013 edition of the prestigious and very well-attended Annecy Festival and market drew to a close on Saturday with the annual Cristal Award ceremony. The jurors selected director Luiz Bolognesi’s inventive Rio 2096: A Story of Love and Fury as Best Feature and Canadian helmer Chris Landreth’s (Ryan) Subconscious Password as Best Short. Also receiving top Cristals were Australia’s Julian Frost’s Metro Train spot Dumb Ways to Die (Best Commissioned Film) and U.K.’s Jean Lachaeur and Max Lang for Room on the Broom (Best TV Project). A special distinction was given to the My Mother is in America, and She Met Buffalo Bill, directed by France’s Marc Boreal and Thibaut Chatel. The audience prize was handed to the Spanish feature O Apostolo, a stop-motion thriller from director Fernando Cortizo Rodriguez.

This year’s festival offered a rich program that according to first-time artistic director Marcel Jean attempted to “redefine animation.” Boasting record-breaking attendance, the festival screened 236 films (selected from a total of 2, 460 entries). Among the many highlights were premieres of several of this year’s big summer animated features, including Monsters University, Despicable Me 2 (which received a thundering, standing ovation from attendees), Oggy and the Cockroaches: The Movie, Disney’s Mickey Mouse short Get a Horse!, Aya de Yopougon and an opening night bash in honor of popular European animated character Calimero’s 50th birthday, hosted by Gaumont Animation.

Other Annecy attractions included panels on the making of Sony’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and DreamWorks How to Train Your Dragon 2 and a sneak peek at the art and pre-production design of Tomm Moore’s Song of the Sea. Screenings of Khumba, Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return, Pinocchio, Consuming Spirits and Persistence of Vision also added to the event’s global buzz factor.

MIFA, the animation market arm of the festival reported record-breaking numbers as well. Despite the tough global economic climate, 2,400 delegates, 454 exhibitors, 340 buyers, distributors and investors from 80 countries showed up to take in to rub elbows with fellow industry professionals, students and die-hard animation fans. The date has already been set for the 2014 edition of the festival: June 9th to 14th. The organizers also revealed that next year’s festival will have a special spotlight on stop motion! For more info, visit www.annecy.org.

Here is the complete list of the 2013 Annecy Prize winners:

Best Feature
Uma historia de amor e furio (Rio 2096: A Story of Love and Fury)
By Luiz Bolognesi (Brasil, Buriti Filmes, Gullane)

Best Short
Subconscious Password
By Chris Ladnreth (Canada ONF, Copper Heart Ent. Productions)

Best TV Production
Room on the Broom
By Jean Lachaeur, Max Lang (U.K. Magic Light Pictures)

Best Commissioned Production
Dumb Ways to Die
By Julian Frost, (Australia, McCanne Melbourne)

Special Distinction
My Mommy Is in America and She Has Met Buffalo Bill
By Marc Boreal, Thibaut Chatel (France, Luxemberoug; Label Anim, Melusine, Studio Canal)

Audience Award
O Apóstolo
By Fernando Cortizo Rodriguez (Spain, Artefacto Producciones)

Short Films

Special Jury Award
The Wound
By Anna Budanova (Russia, studio Ural-Cinema)

Distinction for a First Film
Trespass
By Paul Wenninger (Austria)

“Jean-Luc Xiberras” Award for a First Film
Norman
By Robbe Vervaeke (Belgium, Cinnamon Entertainment)

Special Distinction
The Triangle Affair
By Andres Tenusaar (Estonia) estonia

Sacem Award for original music
Lonely Bones
By Rosto (Netherlands)

Junior Jury Award for a Short Film
Feral
By Daniel Sousa (USA)

Audience Award
Lettres de femmes
By Augusto Zanovello (France, Pictor Media, XBO Films)

Special Award for a TV Series
Tom & The Queen Bee
By Andreas Hykade (Germany Studio Film Bilder)

Award for Best TV special
Poppety in the Fall
By Pierre-Luc Granjon, Antoine LanCiaux (France, Foliascope, Carpediem Film & TV, ONF)

Commissioned Films

Special Jury Award
The Lion
By Benjamin Scheuer (U.K., Peter Baynton)

Graduation Films

Award for Best Graduation Film
Ab ovo
Anita Kwiatkowska-Naqvi (Poland, The Polish National Film, TV and Theatre School)

Special Jury Award
I Am Tom Moody
By Ainslie Henderson (U.K., Edinburgh College of Art)

Special Distinction
Pandas
By Matus Vizar (Slovakia, BFILM, FAMU)

Junior Jury Award for a Graduation Film
Rabbit and Deer
By Peter Vacz (Hungary, Mome)

Unicef Award
Because I’m a Girl
By Raj Yagnik, Mary Matheson, Hamilton Shona (U.K.)

Fipresci Award
Gloria Victoria
By Theodore Ushev (Canada, ONF)

Fipresci Special Distinction
Feral
By Daniel Sousa

CANAL+ Creative Aid Award for a Short Film
Autour du lac
By Carl Roosens, Noémie Marsily (Belgium,Zorobabel)

Festivals Connexion Award
Feral
By Daniel Sousa (U.S.A.)

Funniest Film According to the Annecy Public∙
KJFG No 5
Alexey Alekseev (Hungary, Studio Baestarts)