European pitch event Cartoon Movie, which this year takes place March 5-7 in Lyon, France, has named the finalists for its Cartoon Tribute 2014, which celebrate outstanding contributions to the development of European animation over the last year in three categories: Director, Distributor and Producer of the Year. Over 730 professionals participating in the event will be charged with selecting the winners, who will be revealed in Lyon on March 7.
France leads the Director of the Year pack with two nominees. Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart from first-time feature director Mathias Malzieu (whose band Dionysos created the original graphic novel and gold-selling album) and co-director Stephane Berla, and Miniscule by Thomas Szabo and Helene Giraud. Also vying for the award is Swedish-Danish co-production Beyond Beyond by Esben Toft Jacobsen (see our feature story in Animation Magazine – March 2014 Issue), and The Art of Happiness from Italian tyro Alessandro Rak.
Three companies are competing for European Distributor of the Year, including for the first time the United States’ GKIDS (Ernest & Celestine, Chico & Rita). France-based Le Pacte (Miniscule, Waltz with Bashir) and Luxembourg’s Paul Thiltges Distributions (Kirikou and the Sorceress, The Congress).
The Producer of the Year shortlist includes France’s Label Anim (My Mommy Is in America and She Met Buffalo Bill), Luxembourg’s Melusine Productions (Aunt Hilda!, Song of the Sea, A Town Called Panic!) and Belgium’s Walking The Dog (Jack and the Cuckoo-Clock Heart, Enzo d’Alo’s Pinocchio). Additionally, the Rhone-Alpes Region will award a special Tribute to highlight regional animation talent.
