Press release from Cartoon Movie:

The European animation industry will pay tribute to the sector's personalities of the year during the Cartoon Movie Tributes ceremony on 9 March in Lyon, France. Participants of the co-production market Cartoon Movie will vote for the director, producer and distributor who they believe have made an outstanding contribution to the animated feature industry over the past year. The shortlist include nine nominees from Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain and the UK.

Competing in the category of European Director of the Year are Eric "Bibo" Bergeron for "A Monster in Paris", a French film produced by EuropaCorp that has sold more than 1.6 million tickets in its home country and has also been a hit in the UK, Russia and Belgium; Thorbjørn Christoffersen, Philip Einstein Lipski & Kresten Vestbjerg Andersen for "Ronal the Barbarian", a stereoscopic 3D Danish parody film already released in 20 countries; and French directors Rémi Bezançon & Jean-Christophe Lie for "Zarafa", a 2D film selected for competition at the Berlinale 2012 and inspired by the true story of the first giraffe arrived in France.

Three companies will compete for the European Distributor of the Year award: Cinéart, the independent distributor from Belgium and the Netherlands that has released films like "Waltz with Bashir", "Persepolis", "The Rabbi's Cat", "Eleanor's Secret" and "A Town Called Panic" ; Pathé Distribution, the film distribution and international sales arm of French giant Pathé with collaborations in France and the UK, which has bought titles such as "The Illusionist", "Zarafa" and "Pourquoi j'ai (pas) mangé mon père"; and Romania's Transilvania Film, an active company focusing on arthouse cinema which has distributed "Persepolis", "The Illusionist" and "Ronal the Barbarian."

Blue Spirit Animation, Moonscoop and Perro Verde Films will vie for the European Producer of the Year tribute. With a long track record in the animation world, France's Blue Spirit Animation produced "Le Tableau", a film by Jean-François Laguionie selected for Cartoon Movie 2012. Headquartered in Paris with studios in Wales, Luxembourg and Los Angeles, Moonscoop is one of the leading worldwide animation production studios and has recently produced "Titeuf" which has reached 1.3 million admissions. Rounding up the list of finalists is Perro Verde Films, Spanish production company which has just premiered the Goya award-winning "Wrinkles", a film about Alzheimer's and friendship, selected to open this year's Cartoon Movie.

A total of 55 new European animation films and projects will be presented at Cartoon Movie 2012 with the aim of speeding up financing and distribution. France, which is behind 40% of the projects, once again stands out at this professional forum, which continues to showcase more and more films developed in stereoscopic 3D and targeting adult audiences. Cartoon Movie 2012 will be held in Lyon, France, from 7-9 March.

Cartoon Movie Tribute Nominees

European Director of the Year
Eric "Bibo" Bergeron for "A Monster in Paris" (France)
Thorbjørn Christoffersen, Philip Einstein Lipski & Kresten Vestbjerg Andersen for "Ronal the Barbarian" (Denmark)
Rémi Bezançon & Jean-Christophe Lie for "Zarafa" (France)

European Distributor of the Year
Cinéart (Belgium/Netherlands)
Pathé Distribution (France/United Kingdom)
Transilvania Film (Romania)

European Producer of the Year
Blue Spirit Animation (France)
Moonscoop (France)
Perro Verde Films (Spain)

About CARTOON MOVIE
The 14th edition of Cartoon Movie is organised with the support of the MEDIA Programme of the European Union, CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée), the Rhône-Alpes Region, Greater Lyon and in collaboration with the Cluster Imaginove (Lyon).