A press conference announcing a special programme titled Tribute to Japanese Animation at this year's Annecy International Animated Film Festival was held today, April 18th at Institut français du Japon-Tokyo.
Annecy International Animated Film Festival, the world's largest and most influential film festival dedicated to animation, will take place in Annecy, France from June 10th to 15th. It is also the longest running animated film festival in the world and continues to go from strength to strength.
Each year, the festival focuses on one nation as its “Tribute Country,” and introduces its animation culture. In 2019, and for the first time in 20 years, that country is Japan.
Annecy's top honors have previously been awarded to Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata, and in 2017, its grand prize was won by Masaaki Yuasa for “Lu Over the Wall,” while its Jury Award was given to Sunao Katabuchi's “In This Corner of the World.”
The theme for this special programme is “NEW MOTION: The Next of Japanese Animation.” As technological innovation broadens diversity, what will Japanese animation set its sights on, and what direction will it take?
At the festival, up-and-coming creators and state-of-the-art technology and animation will be presented to the world, while at adjacent international market MIFA, animation companies will be introduced who represent the next generation in the vast animation industry hub of Tokyo.
At the press conference, numerous events were announced for Japan's year as Annecy's Tribute Country, including the festival's official screenings, live animation concerts and outdoor screenings at Annecy Castle, and large-scale displays and production announcements of new content at MIFA.
