Annecy 2018: 23 Animated Feature Films In Official Selection

The Annecy International Animation Festival has revealed its official selections for feature films that’ll be screened in competition and out of competition at its 2018 edition.

The festival selected 10 features in competition, which will compete for the Annecy feature film Cristal Award, as well as 13 features that will screen out of competition.

It would appear to be the most diverse year ever in terms of the geographic origins of the selected films films. The 23 features were made in 23 different countries: Belgium, Cambodia, France, Luxembourg, Italy, Chile, Canada, Japan, U.S., Estonia, Ireland, U.K., Brazil, Colombia, China, Switzerland, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Iran, Germany, Taiwan, and Mexico.

The films in competition tackle a range of subjects uncommon in commercial animation, including the Cambodian genocide (Funan), the wall separating Israel and Palestine (Wall), a retelling of Exodus with new twists (Seder-Masochism), and an experimental nightmarish stop-mo fairytale (The Wolf House).

Considering the dearth of woman animation directors of American features, it’s worth pointing out that the two U.S. features selected are both films directed by women: Seder-Masochism by Nina Paley and North of Blue by Joanna Priestley. Overall, seven of the 23 selections were directed by women.

The full list of selected films is below:

Feature Films In Official Selection – In Competition

• Funan by Denis Do – Belgium, Cambodia, France, Luxembourg
• Cinderella the Cat by Ivan Cappiello, Alessandro Rak, Marino Guarnieri, and Dario Sansone – Italy
• The Wolf House by Cristóbal León and Joaquín Cociña – Chile
• Wall by Cam Christiansen – Canada
• Mirai by Mamoru Hosoda – Japan
• Okko’s Inn by Kitaro Kosaka – Japan
• The Breadwinner by Nora Twomey – Canada, Ireland, Luxembourg
• Seder-Masochism by Nina Paley – USA
• Tito and the Birds by Gustavo Steinberg, Gabriel Matioli Yazbek Bitar, and André Catoto Dias – Brazil
• Virus Tropical by Santiago Caicedo – Colombia

Feature Films In Official Selection – Out-of-Competition

• Captain Morten and the Spider Queen by Kaspar Jancis – Belgium, Estonia, Ireland, United Kingdom
• Cats and Peachtopia by Gary Wang – China
• Chris the Swiss by Anja Kofmel – Switzerland
• Kikoriki: Déjà Vu by Denis Chernov – Russia
• The Tower by Mats Grorud – France, Norway, Sweden
• Liz and the Blue Bird by Naoko Yamada – Japan
• The Last Fiction by Ashkan Rahgozar – Iran
• Maquia – When the Promised Flower Blooms by Mari Okada – Japan
• Marnie’s World by Christoph Lauenstein and Wolfgang Lauenstein – Germany
• North of Blue by Joanna Priestley – USA
• On Happiness Road by Hsin-Yin Sung – Taiwan
• The Angel in the Clock by Miguel Ángel Uriegas – Mexico
• A Man is Dead by Olivier Cossu – France