Annecy 2023 Adds Extra Day, Expands MIFA Talents Sidebar

Annecy 2023’s opening ceremony will be held on Sunday, June 11, a day earlier than it has been in the past.

That means that Annecy 2023 will run for a full week of programming. According to organizer CITIA, the decision was made to facilitate a denser lineup than the festival has hosted in the past. The 2023 Annecy spotlight country is Mexico, as was announced last year by Guillermo del Toro.

According to CITIA CEO Mickaël Marin:

Each year, the number of festivalgoers is higher and the content is increasingly varied and comes from all walks of life, subsequently, we find ourselves too restricted by the festival’s historical format. Bringing the opening day forward should enable us to improve everyone’s experience and put the opening ceremony in the spotlight to increase its prestige in the week’s overall programming.

Marcel Jean, the festival’s artistic director, added:

In recent years, programming has become increasingly dense. By moving the opening ceremony to Sunday, we are re-establishing the agenda so that Monday becomes a fully-fledged festival day. Also, a few screenings will enable festivalgoers to begin discovering the program on Sunday. It’s only December, yet we already know that the program will satisfy the most critical audiences. Quality and diversity have already made the cut, both with the major studios and the independent studios alike.

Annecy’s MIFA marketplace, one of the most important events on the global animation industry calendar, is also changing things up next year. In the face of evolving challenges facing the animation industry, MIFA is restructuring itself for professionals and young talents and expanding its offerings.

The traditional pavilion and exhibition area and the conferences, discussion panels, and meetings at the Impérial Palace and at La Volière will continue to run Tuesday through Friday, but MIFA’s Talents showcase – training, recruitment, and more – will relocate to a new dedicated area called Le Campus. The Talents platform will also be extended from one day to run the full Tuesday-Friday MIFA timeframe.

And in one final change, Annecy has a new website address which can be found here.