28/04/2023 - Films by Benoît Chieux, Áron Gauder, Jérémie Degruson, Sepideh Farsi and the duo Chiara Malta - Sébastien Laudenbach are among those vying for the Cristal

23 feature films make up the line-ups of the Official and Contrechamp competitions of the 42nd Annecy International Animated Film Festival (headed by Mickaël Marin) which will unfold from 11 to 17 June (one day longer than previous editions).

Put together by artistic director Marcel Jean, this selection unveiled yesterday evening includes the 11 candidates for the 2023 Cristal award of the Official Competition. Standing out among them are eight European (co)productions including the French-Belgian film Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Benoît Chieux which will open the festival, The Inseparables [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jérémie Degruson and Matthi…
film profile] by Belgium’s Jérémie Degruson (news), Mars Express [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jérémie Périn
film profile] by France’s Jérémie Périn, The Inventor [+see also:
trailer
film profile] from American-French duo Jim Capobianco - Pierre-Luc Granjon and Kensuke's Kingdom [+see also:
trailer
film profile] from British filmmakers Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry.

Also vying for the award are Four Souls of Coyote [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Áron Gauder
film profile] by Hungarian filmmaker Áron Gauder (released last month in his country), Chicken for Linda! [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Italian-French duo Chiara Malta - Sébastien Laudenbach (also selected in Cannes’ ACID programme) and The Siren [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Iran’s Sepideh Farsi (which opened the Panorama section of the latest Berlinale). Facing them will be two Japanese (signed Tomohisa Taguchi and Keiichi Hara) and one Chinese production (directed by Liu Jian and discovered in competition in Berlin).

Sevent European (co)productions are among the 12 features selected for the Contrechamp competition: Robot Dreams [+see also:
film review
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film profile] by Spain’s Pablo Berger, Tender Metalheads by Spain’s Carlos Perez-Reche and Tomas Joan, Johnny & Me - A Journey through Time with John Heartfield [+see also:
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film profile] by Germany’s Katrin Rothe, Rosa and the Stone Troll [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Denmark’s Karla Nor Holmbäck, Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light [+see also:
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film profile] by Czech filmmaker Filip Posivac, Toldi [+see also:
film review
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film profile] by the Hungarian duo composed by the departed Marcell Jankovics and Csakovics Lajos, and White Plastic Sky [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tibor Bánóczki, Sarolta Szabó
film profile] by Hungary’s Tibor Banoczki and Sarolta Szabo (well-received in the Encounters programme in Berlin). Also represented in this eclectic Contrechamp competition line-up are Cameroon (Daniel Minlo and Cyrille Masso), Jordan (Cynthia Madanat Sharaiha), the United States (Bill Plympton), Canada (Joël Vaudreuil) and Japan (Masayuki Yoshihara).

This edition of the festival, which will shine a spotlight on Mexican animation and hand out a Honorary Cristal to English animator Barry Purves, will also offer around twenty special screenings, including Nina et le Secret du hérisson by Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli, Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow by Spain’s Julio Soto Gurpide, Ozi, Voice of the Forest by Tim Harper, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget by Sam Fell, The Canterville Ghost by Kim Burdon, Elemental by Peter Sohn (which will be unveiled as a “last screening” in Cannes) as well as the mid-length film The Forest of Miss Tang by Denis Do.

The selected films:

Official Competition

Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Benoît Chieux (Belgium/France) (opening film)
Art College 1994 - Liu Jian (China)
Four Souls of Coyote [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Áron Gauder
film profile] - Áron Gauder (Hungary)
Kensuke's Kingdom [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry (UK/Luxembourg/France)
The Siren [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Sepideh Farsi (Germany/Belgium/France/Luxembourg)
Chicken for Linda! [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach (France/Italy)
Lonely Castle in the Mirror - Keiichi Hara (Japan)
Mars Express [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jérémie Périn
film profile] - Jérémie Périn (France)
The Inventor [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Jim Capobianco and Pierre-Luc Granjon (United States/France/Ireland)
The Inseparables [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jérémie Degruson and Matthi…
film profile] - Jérémie Degruson (Belgium/Spain/France)
The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes - Tomohisa Taguchi (Japan)

Contrechamp Competition

Adam change lentement - Joël Vaudreuil (Canada)
Tender Metalheads - Carlos Perez-Reche and Tomas Joan (Spain)
Johnny & Me - A Journey through Time with John Heartfield [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Katrin Rothe (Austria/Switzerland/Germany)
Komada - A Whisky Family - Masayuki Yoshihara (Japan)
La Grotte sacrée - Daniel Minlo and Cyrille Masso (Cameroon)
Robot Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Pablo Berger (Spain/France)
Rosa and the Stone Troll [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Karla Nor Holmbäck (Denmark)
Saleem - Cynthia Madanat Sharaiha (Jordan)
Slide - Bill Plympton (United States)
Toldi [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Marcell Jankovics and Csakovics Lajos (Hungary)
Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Filip Posivac (Hungary/Czech Republic/Slovakia)
White Plastic Sky [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tibor Bánóczki, Sarolta Szabó
film profile] - Tibor Banoczki and Sarolta Szabo (Hungary/Slovakia)

(Translated from French)