Annecy In Pictures

Every year the world animation community convenes in Annecy, France for a week of animation screenings, showcases, retrospectives, announcements and parties. A short walk from the Bonlieu Theater reveals the Imperial Palace, which becomes home to panels, workshops, exhibits and a restaurant/bar overlooking the lake and Alps, hopping with business deals and meetings.

Here are just a few of the highlights from The Annecy International Film Festival and Market, which was held from Monday, June 5 through Saturday, June 10, 2001.

The MIFA's home, The Imperial Palace. © AWN, Inc. Alpenhorns serenaded participants of the MIFA's opening night party. © AWN, Inc.

In Competition

The Oscar winner for best short animated film, Father And Daughter, won the coveted grand prize in Annecy. In an elaborate and festive closing ceremony held on Saturday, June 9, 2001, the awards were handed out by the festival's artistic director, Serge Bromberg. The Short and Feature Fiction Films jury was comprised of Ron Diamond, USA, Florence Miailhe, France, John R. Dilworth, USA, Françoise Reymond, France and Oscar Grillo, Argentina. A complete list of winners is available in AWN's Headline News section.

Annecy 2001 Grand Prix For Best Animated Short Film Father And Daughter Director: Michaël Dudok de Wit, The Netherlands, Great Britain © Cinété Filmproduktie, Cloudrunner Ltd. Award For Best TV Series The Big Knights "Knights In Distress" Directors: Mark Baker, Neville Astley, Great Britain © The Big Knights Ltd.

Mike Gribble Award Moya Zhizn / It's My Life Director: Natalia Berezovaya, Russia© Argus International. Annecy 2001 Grand Prix For Best Animated Feature Mutant Aliens Director: Bill Plympton, USA © Bill Plympton.

Focus on the Master of Pinscreen

A definite highlight of Annecy 2001 was the unveiling of Giannalberto Bendazzi's latest text on pinscreen legend Alexandre Alexeïeff. The Alexeïeff: Itinerary of a Master book signing and reception accompanied an exhibition of Alexeïeff's work which included not only a pin screen, original artwork and tools, but also a video installation and screenings in the main theater.

Being it a tree simmering against a bleak background, a man who, as he bows, not only removes his hat but his head as well, a squirrel who jumps in the middle of nowhere, two pendulums criss crossing each other at infinitum, in the silence of his studio, my father would disassemble each of his subjects and illuminate them one after the other, in order to bring them to life again. As if sifted through his childhood's dreams, they would magically settle on his copper plate or in front of his camera.

This slow metamorphosis done step by step, this dialogue between what is real and what is imagined, created in him and gave others, a dreamlike sense of irreality. This very tension gave both his life and his work a particular thrust and dimension.

Unpopular as it may be, he still forces us, thank goodness, to slow down the way we see and the way we listen.

-- Svetlana Alexeïeff-Rockwell upon her father's centennial and the launch of Alexeïeff: Itinerary of a Master at the Annecy 2001 Festival.

Svetlana Alexeïeff-Rockwell and the NFB's Jacques Drouin, today's leading proponent and proprietor of pinscreen animation. © AWN, Inc. Bendazzi with his family and Cinédoc film distributor representative. © AWN, Inc.

Britain and Aardman Highlighted

This year Annecy had a focus on British animation. These special screenings featured some of the best films in the U.K.'s illustrious animation history.

The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb Director: Dave Borthwick, 1993 © Bolex Brothers. Mr. Pascal Director: Alison de Vere, 1979 © Wyatt Cattaneo Prod. Ltd.

Aardman Animations had a special exhibition in Annecy's castle, which was fascinating. Not only did the exhibit feature sets and models, but original, conceptual drawings of Wallace and Gromit (when they were but a man and a dog), storyboards and a slew of different removable mouths, noses, et. al. that are needed to make puppets living breathing characters.

Need we say who any of the below characters are?

© 2001 Aardman Animations. © Aardman/W&G Ltd. 1989 © 2001 Aardman Animations.

Gene Deitch on the Web

A highlight for the AWN team at Annecy 2001 was the announcement of Oscar-winner Gene Deitch's latest book, How To Succeed In Animation (Don't Let A Little Thing Like Failure Stop You!), which is featured at GeneDeitch.AWN.com. Readers are invited to comment, argue and contribute, thereby creating an interactive dialogue with one of animation's true greats. Since interesting contributions will be incorporated into the book and credited, we think this is one of the first truly interactive books on the Internet. "Publishing my new book on the Internet lets me reach out and interact with people from around the world in ways not possible with the printed page," explained Gene during the press conference.

© AWN, Inc.

From left to right: AWN co-founder and co-publisher Ron Diamond, the legendary Gene Deitch and Dan Sarto, AWN co-founder and co-publisher.

If You'd Only Been There

Heres a selection of films featured during the Annecy festival screenings. If youd been there, you could have seen them in their entirety, plus so much morein fact, you would have proved your mother right and your eyes would have probably turned square if youd attended every screening throughout the week.

Karaván Director: Ferenc Fischer (Short film made on film print.) © Cako Studio Ltd. Credo Director: Jonas Raeber (Short film made on film print.) © Swamp Switzerland's Weeniest Animated Motion Pictures.

Fridge Magnets Director: Danny Bergeron (Pilot.) © Tube Studios. Le bain Director: Florent Mounier (Short film made on video print.) © 2D/3D Animations.

Les ballons ne reviennent jamais Director: Cecilia Marreiros Marum (Short film made on film print.) © La Boîte,...Productions. Le calendrier du père noël Directors: Jean-Paul Guigue, Guillaume Febvrel, Stéphane Roche (TV series.) © Je Suis Bien Content.

1001 Pugovitsa "Lady in a Black Hat" Director: Victor Azeev (TV series.) © TV Company Confetti. Blink Director: Peter Dodd (Pilot.) © Cosgrove Hall Films Ltd.

Driving Home Director: Susan Kim (School and graduation films.) © VCA Victorian College of the Arts. The Canterbury Tales "The Journey Back" Director: Jonathan Myerson (TV special.) © Right Angle.

Rimodelim Director: Stephan Taci (Short film made on film print.) © 4+1 Production-Distribution Sh.P.K. Noé Noé Director: Manuel Hauss (Short film made on video print.) © Manuel Hauss.

Do you have photos that you'd like to share? Let us know! Email heather@awn.com and put "Annecy Photos" in the subject line of your note. We look forward to hearing from you.