Annecy International Animation Film Festival Ends
From June 9-15, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival was held in the city of Annecy (France). This year, over 17,000 viewers and guests participated in the world’s largest animation festival. The winners of the festival were announced on the festival’s official website – www.annecyfestival.com.
At the festival’s MIFA market, the Association of Turkic Animation (ATA) and the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TÜRKSOY) were represented with a joint booth. The booth showcased the animation products, projects, associations, and festivals from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Turkey. The “Animation of Turkic Countries 2024” catalog was also among the items displayed at the booth. The catalog can be downloaded from the official ATA website, www.atanimation.org.
It should be noted that this project is being carried out within the framework of the “Creative Azerbaijan” program for the development of the creative industry, supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TÜRKSOY), with additional support from the Ministry of Culture of Turkmenistan.
Members of the Azerbaijan Animation Association attended Annecy Festival – Elchin Hami Akhundov, Nazrin Agamaliyeva (ANIMAFILM Studio), Oktai Iusibov (Alove Animation Studio), Rashid Aghamaliyev (ANIMAFILM Studio), and Shahin Aliyev (Dynamic Box).
From other countries, Anita Chernykh (Kazakhstan) and Serdar Durdyyev (Turkmenistan) participated in the festival.
Also, animation director Ravan Muradov (Crambone Inventive League) attended the Annecy Festival. His participation in the festival was made possible due to his film “The Half – “Birdən ölsək” winning the “Best Azerbaijani Short Animation Film” award at the 6th ANIMAFILM International Animation Festival. The sponsors of the award are the Annecy Festival, the Embassy of the French Republic in Azerbaijan, and the French Institute.
It should be noted that the next Annecy International Animation Film Festival will be held from June 8-14, 2025.
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Elchin Hami Akhundov (Member of the Board of the Azerbaijan Animation Association): “Since 1960, the Annecy Festival has been held every year, bringing together and integrating the cultures of different countries. This festival provides a great opportunity to introduce Azerbaijani animation to other countries. It’s wonderful that this year Azerbaijan joined the festival in Annecy with the Association of Turkic Animation (ATA). ATA’s participation in this festival is very important. It shows the unity among Turkic countries. Although the ATA booth was small, it gave detailed information about our films. The posters and brochures attracted a lot of interest from the participants. I was very happy to take part in the Annecy Festival this year. I saw firsthand how influential the event is worldwide.”
Rashid Aghamaliyev (Chairperson of the Azerbaijan Animation Association): “I first participated in the Annecy Festival in 2018 and set a goal for myself that we would return with a larger team. In 2020, we established an official collaboration with the Annecy Festival, which has allowed the winners of our ANIMAFILM festival to participate here every year. In 2022 and 2023, Azerbaijani animated films participated in the Annecy Festival’s competition program for the first time. This time, we achieved a new major success – we represented Azerbaijan and other Turkic countries at the MIFA market. This marks a new stage for the animation industry of Azerbaijan and the entire Turkic world.”
Oktai Iusibov (Chairperson of ATA): “Annecy festival and MIFA market is a place where leading professionals of the animation industry meet: producers, directors, distributors, and many others. The atmosphere was incredibly dynamic, filled with energy and opportunities to establish new contacts with influential industry representatives, discuss new projects, and learn about the latest trends and technologies in animation. Participation in MIFA helped us present our studios’ projects to a wide audience and find potential partners for future projects. Overall, MIFA in Annecy became an important event for ATA. We made our debut as a united front, and moreover, we agreed with industry experts that we would be able to prepare our projects for evaluation from a sales perspective for the global market. I believe in success because new ideas and a fresh perspective, which characterize our culture, can enrich global animation with unique stories.”
Nazrin Agamaliyeva (“ANIMAFILM Studio”, Azerbaijan): “The Annecy Festival is a celebration of animation that every animation professional should attend at least once in their lifetime. This year, the most memorable event for me was the masterclass with Wes Anderson.”
Shahin Aliyev (Director of “Dynamic Box”, Azerbaijan): “Participating in the Annecy Festival as Dynamic Box was very beneficial for us. We learned about new trends in the animation industry, established professional connections, and secured funding for our animation project ‘Hard Times.’ During the event, we had the opportunity to attend workshops by Wes Anderson, ‘Fortiche’ studio, ‘Tencent Animation,’ and ‘Weta Fx.'”
Revan Muradov (Director of “Crambone Inventive League”, Azerbaijan): “Although we are closely connected with the animation field in Azerbaijan, we were not familiar with the alternative platforms in this field internationally. Thanks to the partnership of ANIMAFILM Festival, the French Embassy, and the French Institute, we got acquainted with these platforms at the world’s most famous animation festival – Annecy. We were able to gain a deeper understanding of the international perspectives of the field.”
Anita Chernykh (CEO of ReAnimation Studio, Kazakhstan): “The festival left a wonderful impression! Being surrounded by such a large number of projects from around the world makes our strengths more noticeable, as well as the aspects in which the animation of our countries still needs development and growth. And, of course, it brings inspiration and energy to realize new ideas.”
Serdar Durdiyyev (CEO of MenzilMekan Animation, Turkmenistan): “Participating as an exhibitor at MIFA marked a significant milestone for ATA in its launch year. Our aim is to broaden the horizons of Turkic animation. Personally, I have gained valuable experience from the festival and benefited from networking opportunities within the animation industry.”
Sources:
https://www.annecyfestival.com/en/news/official-prizes-ceremony
https://www.annecyfestival.com/en/the-festival/awards
