Film Premiere: ‘Annecy: First Time Perspective’ (Exclusive)

I’d always heard that Annecy is the animation festival for animation lovers, and it was a long-held dream of mine to someday visit the festival myself.

Unfortunately, by the time I reached a point in my career where that trip looked possible, Covid tossed those dreams in the trash. So, for the past two years I did the next best thing and streamed the festival from my room, online.

This year, however, I finally got to experience Annecy in person.

It all happened so quickly. I found out fairly late that I would get the opportunity to attend and managed to book a room at the last minute before getting my flights in order. Only then, with everything confirmed, did I allow myself access to my excitement. With no idea what to expect, little guidance, and a job to do, I was on my way to Annecy.

It’s difficult to process what you’ve been through immediately after returning home from Annecy. I knew what I loved and I knew what I was frustrated by, but I couldn’t entirely wrap my head around it, let alone communicate it in a way that would be digestible to others. Once the silt of my emotions settled, I laid out my experience the best way I know how, in a short film. You can watch it below:

Annecy is amazing. Being surrounded by people who work in and love the medium of animation is electric. The passion on display by those who attended fueled me everyday to seek out new conversations and experiences. I was lucky to be representing Cartoon Brew, and through my work for the site was given great background insight into how the festival operates beyond the screenings.

There is so much on display at Annecy. While there, you always miss out on something you really want to see by choosing something else that you just can’t miss.

This video is a collection of the joys, frustrations, stumbles, and new connections I experienced while in Annecy. For anyone who has been there before, a lot of this may look familiar. For those who haven’t, I hope this serves as a grounded look at the festival, and that you get the chance to attend someday.