Annecy Animation Film Festival is Celebrating its 50th Birthday

The Annecy International Animation Festival kicks off next week, celebrating its 50th anniversary.

Festival director Serge Bromberg said, "How can we transform an event into a prime moment of joy and celebration? How can we pay tribute to this combination of techniques, which has become a state of mind today, interlinking us and uniting us all together here?

Of course, we won’t change a thing about the recurring activities of the official competition, the conferences, the premieres. This is a beautiful and well-oiled machine, the result of multiple arbitrations and experimentation. It’s so well-oiled that the slightest grain of sand or unplanned event could end up with us all questioning, smiling, laughing together.”

That said, as part of the celebration, the festival is holding several special events. The organizers have named 50 guests who have marked the history of animation. Many of them — including Chris Landreth, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Pete de Seve, Alain Chabat, Ari Folman, Matt Groening, Patrice Leconte, David Silverman, Peter Lord, Elie Seimoun, Mathias Malzieu, Nick Park and Ben Stassen — will be participating in the festivities.

Special screenings will commemorate the best of the best from each decade of the festival. "Nobody's Perfect: The Ones that Got Away" will collect significant films of the past 50 years that didn't screen at the event. Other screenings include "Retrospective: Short Annecy Prizewinning Projects," "25 Years of Annecy 'Openers'" and "Don't Blink! Animation in 50 Very Short Films."

The festival has also put together an anniversary book and collector's DVD set. It is also accepting drawings from artists. Some of the drawings will be presented in its exhibition in the baladoir area at Bonlieu where, each day festivalgoers will be able to discover new illustrations. Send off your work by email to exposition@citia.org.

The festival runs from June 7th to the 12th and the MIFA expo runs from June 9th to the 11th.