Catalan animated cinema at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival
Animated cinema is one of the main strengths of the Catalan audiovisual industry, and this will be reflected in the next Annecy International Animated Film Festival. This festival is one of the most important events for the animation industry and will take place from June 9 to 15. In this edition, three Catalan productions have been selected to participate in the festival, in addition to the presence of almost 40 Catalan companies in the festival market, known as MIFA.
Different Catalan productions in competition
One of the Catalan productions that will compete in the Official Feature Film Section of the festival is ‘Rock Bottom’, directed by Maria Trenor. This animated film is inspired by the music and life of Robert Wyatt. Another Catalan proposal that will be present at the festival is ‘Mariposas negra’, directed by David Baute, which will compete in the Llargmetratges Contrechamp Official Section. This film is a co-production with Panama and addresses issues such as migration and climate change.
Special screenings and market picks
In addition to the official competitions, the festival will also feature special screenings. One of them is ‘Buffalo Kids’, a western directed by Juan Jesús García Galocha and Pedro Solís. This film was selected at the latest Cartoon Movie, an event dedicated to animated feature films. Regarding market selections, two Catalan projects in development have been chosen. One of them is ‘Olivia and the invisible earthquake’, a stopmotion animated feature film directed by Irene IborraRizo. The other project is ‘Caramel’s Words’, directed by Salvador Simó, which tells the story of the friendship between a boy and a camel in a refugee camp in the Sahara.
Catalan presence at conferences and industry sections
In addition to the screenings and competitions, the festival will also feature conferences and industry sections. In one of the conferences, the ‘Catwalk’ project by Lidia Luna, Toni Mortero and OmayraGonzàlez will be presented, which will address technology and animation. On the other hand, two Catalan projects will be presented in the industry section ‘Women in Animation From Spain’, thanks to the collaboration between MIFA, ICEX and ICAA. These projects are ‘Jasmine & Jambo’, directed by Sílvia Cortés, and ‘WixiAgainsttheBinaryLens’, directed by AngieCornejo.
