10/06/2013 - 236 films and 2,300 professionals from 63 countries make the festival of this town in Savoy and its Market a wide-reaching strategic platform

In the global universe of animated cinema, when representatives from American studios Pixar, DreamWorks, Disney and Illumination actually go somewhere and agree to present their latest productions in avant-premières, you can safely say that the event in question is seen as a first-class strategic platform. This is indeed the case for the Annecy International Animation Film Festival whose 37th edition begins today. Until June 15th, the event will present 236 films in a selection prepared by its new artistic delegate, Marcel Jean, and over 2,300 professionals from 63 countries will make their way to the Market (Mifa – from June 12th to 14th).

Four European films stand out amongst the nine feature films selected for the official competition: O apòstolo [+see also:
trailer
making of
film profile] (photo) by Spanish director Fernando Cortizo, Pinocchio [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Enzo D'Alò
film profile] by Italian director Enzo d'Alò (coproduced with France, Luxembourg and Belgium), Jasmine [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by French director Alain Ughetto and the Franco-Luxembourg coproduction My Mommy Is In America and She Met Buffalo Bill [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by duo Marc Boréal - Thibaut Chatel.

As for the 18 feature films out of competition, the Swedish film Tito on Ice by Max Andersson and Helena Ahonene stands out, as well as Aya de Yopougon by duo Marguerite Abouet - Clément Oubrerie, Ogy and the Cockroaches by Olivier Jean-Marie and Tante Hilda [+see also:
trailer
interview: Jacques-Rémy Girerd
film profile] by Jacques-Rémy Girerd and Benoît Chieux (article), not forgetting the American blockbuster Despicable Me 2 by French director Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud (images by the Parisian company Illumination Mac Guff).

The first excerpts and trailer of the French production Jack et la mécanique du cœur by Mathias Malzieu and Stéphane Berla will also be unveiled, while seven titles compose the enticing programme of the Work in Progress section. Amongst them, Solan and Ludwig's Christmas by Norwegian director Rasmus A. Sivertsen stands out, as well as the French production Mune [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by duo Alexandre Heboyan -Benoît Philippon, Another Day of Life by Spanish director Raúl de La Fuente and Polish director Damian Nenow, the French-Belgian-Luxembourg-Chinese coproduction Le prince et les 108 démons by Pascal Morelli, the Franco-Belgian film Loulou, l'incroyable secret by duo Grégoire Solotareff - Eric Omond and Song of the Sea by Tomm Moore (coproduced by Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, France and Luxembourg).  

The Annecy Festival offers many other events such as a zoom on Polish animation cinema (including about 50 films and the awarding of a Crystal of honour to director Jerzy Kucia) and several conferences, notably on the Danish studio Copenhagen Bombay, four studies deciphering how to create original universes without benefiting from powerful American financial backing (based on the example of The Congress [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Ari Folman), optimisation of the quality/productivity ratio, the keys to crowdfunding and the distribution of animated feature films. 

(Translated from French)