09/03/2009

Tomm Moore’s The Secret Of Kells [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Didier Brunner
interview: Tomm Moore
interview: Viviane Vanfleteren
film profile] has bagged two major prizes at the 11th annual Cartoon Movie Tributes at Lyon. Moore was named Best European Director Of The Year. The other nominees were Thorbjørn Christoffersen, Craig Frank and Kresten Vestbjerg Andersen (Denmark) for Journey to Saturn and Jacques-Rémy Girerd (France) for Mia and the Migoo.

Kells producers Cartoon Saloon (Ireland)/ Les Armateurs (France)/ Vivi Film (Belgium) also took home the prize for Best European Producer Of The Year. The other nominees were Anima Vitae/ Cinemaker (Finland)/Ulysses (Germany)/ A Film (Denmark)/ Magma Films (Ireland) for Niko & the Way to the Stars [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Crone Film (Denmark)/Sola Media (Germany) for Sunshine Barry and the Disco Worms [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Kandor Graphics/ Perro Verde Films/ Green Moon (Spain) for The Missing Lynx.

French independent distributor Bac Films was named Best European Distributor Of The Year. In 2008, the company released Niko & the Way to the Stars (700,000 admissions in France), and Dragon Hunters. Their 2009 releases include Lascars, Round Da Way, A Case for Friends and Jasper, while recent acquisitions include Journey to Saturn and The Sandman and the Lost Sand of Dreams. The other nominees in this category were Intersonic (Slovak Republic) and Lusomundo (Portugal).

Cartoon Movie Tributes is organised every year by Cartoon – European Association of Animation Film and brings together over 600 producers, investors and distributors of animation films from across Europe. The 2009 edition was organised with the support of the Media Programme of the European Union, Centre Nationale du Cinématographie, the Rhône Alpes Region, Greater Lyon and in collaboration with the Cluster Rhône Alpes Imaginove (Lyon).