Annecy 2007: Facets of the Diamond or, 20 Irritating Questions
The Queen and Her Crown Jewels Most of us do not. We are here for the festival. The frantic pace of screenings, meetings, press conferences, workshops and parties generally excludes such frivolities. It seems a pity to waste an animation festival there, because we do not have time to savor our meal, it is all so -- un-French.
Annecy is the queen of animation festivals, dignified, noble and gracious, even though it lacked the ambassadors of the overseas dominions of Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network at her court this year. Perhaps a parade is in order: 1,800 films submitted, among which were 46 features. Nine features, 51 shorts in five programs, 43 television programs, 28 commissioned films and 51 graduation films were in competition. It takes awhile for all those troops to go by on review.
Scudding clouds over a lake of clear alpine water. Medieval stone arches leading past heavy wooden doors with iron locks to rock bridges and a round towered prison dating back to the 15th century. Outdoor cafes along a crystalline river quay serving up Savoyard delicacies such as tartiflette and entrecote. Annecy is not so much a city as a setting, a gorgeous gem of a town. The French Alps beckon with hiking, biking, kayaking and a gourmet cruise on the lake if you have the time.
For all is well in the realm, but do not imagine it is all pomp and circumstance. In the screenings jesters hurl paper planes onto the stage and burble bubble noises between cartoons. Irreverence reigns, as she should, but majesty and awe were also there in abundance.
The Tyranny of Choices How to decide what to see? I met one college professor who attended everything, grabbing the occasional baguette sandwich (excellent fast food fare) and plunging into as many screenings and press conferences as possible. After five days, he looked a little the worse for wear, and seemed to be coming down with something.
Some, like me, discover that they booked most of their screenings with French subtitles -- well, you get to work on your French. Or, by accident, you booked one program out of competition -- which really makes you appreciate those in competition. You then walk around the festival with your string of tickets folded in the pouch of your festival badge, much as the scroll of your life waiting to be unrolled. Like the student who has just registered, you hope you don't wind up with rhythmic gymnastics or public administration accounting. Like life, the festival contains its delightful surprises and... like life, all the rest.
I was in heaven because I was there to do what I normally love to do; watch cartoons and ask irritating questions.
For most of us mortals, unlimited consumer choice is a pain in the butt. With a surfeit of animation you begin breathing fast, like a kid worried he can get around to all the rides at Disneyland. What makes it worse is that you must choose four screenings for each day and decide what you are going to see right away. A first time visitor flips through the catalogue and schedule in a Hamlet-like agony, as others wait to get on the scheduling computers and programs close through overbooking. Finally, you print out the tickets hoping you have made the right choices.
Strong Shorts Yes, but. That is Pixar. Most of the 1,800 films were not made with the resources of that studio.
"Artists and creators do shorts independently because meeting a market demand is a problem for their freedom of speech and inventiveness." Serge persists, unflappable.
Whether the selection committee is simply another market is beside the point. One tends to want to ask hard questions because, inevitably, there will be winners and losers, and some of the losers will be of high quality.
The first irritating question I asked of festival artistic director Serge Bromberg. I wanted to know if perhaps the short animation format is a bit odd, forcing production companies into no-win battles and draining off precious resources. "It's about prestige and training." Serge shot back. "Production companies use them to see whether a director is ready for larger films. All the directors at Pixar were doing shorts five years ago... "
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