The perennial crowd-pleasers Politically Incorrect, Spicy Animation and The Best of Bad Taste presented by Spike, "King of the Tasteless Toons," were back again this year. Another regular feature at Annecy is The Big Sleep, which pays homage to animators who have passed away in the last 12 months. It was a bittersweet pleasure to see works by such greats as Ollie Johnston, the legendary David Hilberman, and of course the sorely missed Russian genius Alexander Tatarsky.

This year India was the showcase country. Unfortunately, the majority of the films in the three programs were commercial rather than independent works. I really would have enjoyed seeing what was being done by animators working on their own, rather than what is being created in the production houses.

Two of my favorite parts of the festival are the morning Shorts and Breakfast with Serge Bromberg and Features at Noon hosted by Monica Tasciotti. The breakfast chats give the audience an opportunity to hear the animators from the previous day's short film program talk about their work. Serge is a very adroit interviewer and is able to draw out even the shyest director with his keen observations and impeccable wit. The listeners are able to ask questions while enjoying espresso and croissants. My opinion of a film is seldom changed at the chats, but I do enjoy getting insights into the animators' visions.

With feature films taking center stage this year, host Monica Tosciotti's Features at Noon sessions were even more important than when they were launched last year. Nik joined Nina Paley and one of the French musicians who also created music for Sita in the hot seat to talk about "the creation of" the film and about Nina's remarkable achievement in creating a first feature almost single-handedly on a very small budget.

Of course Annecy wouldn't be Annecy without great parties, and our dance card was certainly full. The opening night party at La Plage was the first opportunity to catch up with friends, while enjoying some delicious food and wine. Far and away my favorite party every year is the Stuttgart Festival picnic, held at a beautiful spot on the lake that is a 20-minute ride from the festival. For a few hours we escaped from the mad frenzy of the festival and spent time eating, drinking and visiting with friends on the grassy shore of the lake. Even the pouring rain throughout most of the picnic didn't dampen spirits as we all found shelter in the food tent.

Nancy Denney-Phelps, Serge Bromberg and Bill Plympton introduce Annecy Plus.

The KROK Festival party was a splendid affair and, in true Russian/Ukrainian style, there was plenty of vodka and food. The party featured a large screen that showed pictures from previous KROK trips and it was so nice to relive all of those happy memories. The Swiss Film Commission fête and the event hosted by Animafest Zagreb were also lovely parties. The DreamWorks picnic is always a lovely afternoon under the trees that border the lake. It is always a good place to mix business with pleasure while eating and drinking the copious food and beverages that the hostess with the mostest Shelly Page provides for our pleasure.

Friday evening, Bill Plympton and I hosted the fourth annual Annecy Plus event. It is billed as "the best films from around the world REJECTED by Annecy." This year the overflowing audience was not only treated to excellent films, but to a special surprise as well -- the Annecy Plus band, featuring Nik Phelps on horns, percussionist Rolf Bächler and David Silverman on tuba. The band played before the show and during intermission, as well as performing their original score for Bill Plympton's The Love Race.

Paley and Alexi Alexeev toast Nina's paddleboat race victory.

Saturday was dry and sunny for the annual potluck picnic and paddleboat race. Of course we had all been in training for the big race all year long and, after a week spent in screening rooms, an afternoon in the sun and on the water was just pure fun. It is also a good way for animators to forget the anxieties of who will go home with awards that evening. A hidden talent was revealed when Astor Parr played Alexi Alexeev's ukulele. Her husband Peter said that after all their years of marriage, he did not know that he was married to a ukulele virtuoso. The multi-talented couple also had the honor to be guest judges for the boat race.

Nina Paley and her paddling partner, Johannes Wolters of Germany, won first-place honors. For the first time in race history, Nik and I actually came in second, with a dynamic feat of paddling! Music was provided by Nik, Rolf, and Alexi.

The evening awards ceremony finally arrived and, by coincidence, Nik and I found ourselves seated next to the French voices of The Simpsons. The movie had been screened on the large outdoor screen by the lake earlier in the week. We were overjoyed when Bill Plympton was announced as the winner of a Special Distinction Award for Idiots and Angels, and we could hardly contain ourselves when Nina's name was announced as the winner of the Crystal for long features. She looked like she was in shock when she got to the microphone and kept thanking everyone. It was truly a night of great triumph for American independent animation. The short films Crystal was awarded to Kunio Kato of Japan for La Maison en Petits Cubes. This tender film tells the story of a grandfather whose home is being consumed by the sea. As the water rises, he is constantly adding rooms skyward and reliving family memories.