By Nancy Phelps
The 2011 Annecy International Animation Festival was so full of films, business, friends, special events, and parties this year that it was impossible to do and see everything. The first screening at the festival on Monday morning was The Big Sleep, a tribute to animators who passed away since last year’s festival, which was a very appropriate way to begin a week of films.
It was a treat to see work by renowned Japanese director Satoshi Kon (1963-2010) on the big screen, even under such sad circumstances. His unique style of directing and the complex psychology of his characters were evident in such classics as the 2006 Paprika, Millennium Actress (2001), and Tokyo Grandfather (2003).
The passing of Gael Brisou (1971-2010) was a great loss for Folimage Studio. His gift for color was exemplified in his 2005 film Sucre with its extremely sensual, dreamlike qualities. His gift for working with color added a special luster to the backgrounds of such films as Jacques Remy Girard’s Raining Cats and Dogs and Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol’s current success Une vie de chat (The life of a Cat,) as well as numerous short films.
Last but certainly not least, Michel Boschat was honored for a career that spanned fifty years. In an age where animation was not widely used in advertising, industry, or even considered as an art form, Boschat forged a career making commissioned films and intelligent adult animation. In 1962 he was awarded the Emile Cohl award for his film Mas ou sont passes les negres d’antan (But Where Are the Negroes of the Past), a denunciation of the pursuit of profit. He also received a Cesar for his 1980 film Demain le petite sera en retard a l’ecole.
Another very important contribution to animation by Boschat occurred in 1956 when he joined with Andre Martin and Barbin to create the first meeting of animators as a separate event at the Cannes Festival. The gathering was a forerunner of the Annecy Festival, which was created two years later.
The opening night festivities kicked off with the Mayor’s Cocktail Party at the majestic Ville d’Annecy (City Hall).
From there we strolled to the Grand Salle in the festival headquarters, Bonlieu. This year the festival spotlighted American animation, paying tribute to animators and studios big and small. The opening night ceremony ran the gamut from a beautifully restored Disney Silly Symphony short, to new 3D Road Runner cartoons by Warner Brothers and a new Disney/Pixar 3D short, La Luna. The highlight of the evening was a rarely seen live action short showing the Termite Terrace Gang at play. The film, made for a Christmas party at the Warner Brothers animation studio, shows the animators mugging for the camera and having a Keystone Kops style romp. It was a really special treat for all of us who were lucky enough to be at opening night.
The festivities continued at the lovely La Plage Restaurant. Ample food and drink against the back drop of the beautiful Lake Annecy set a perfect tone to see old friends and catch up on the latest news.
Throughout the week the ten programs that made up “Coast to Coast, A Tour of American Animation lived up to its name. Disney Laugh-O-Grams gave the audience a look at the earliest films by the great American animation icon. The twelve beautifully preserved low budget films from 1923 to 1924 were created in Disney’s Kansas City Studio before he went to Hollywood.
Bill Plympton is a Superstar in Europe, so any salute to American animation has to include a Plympton program. He gave a workshop to an enthusiastic audience, and in between he signed copies of his new book Independently Animated.
Adventures in Plymptoons is a new documentary about the life and times of the two time Academy Award Nominated animator. Alexia Anastasio’s first feature length documentary grew out of her great admiration for Bill’s independent spirit to live his dream. Interviews with family, friends, colleagues, critics and fans give us new insights to the amazing world of Bill Plympton.
The most exciting part of the United States salute for me were the two Will Vinton programs. From the 1974 Oscar winning Closed Mondays to the 2001 PJ’s Lets Get Ready to Rumba the audience was reminded why the great claymation master Will Vinton continues to be an inspiration to so many animators. His 1 hour 26 minute The Adventures of Mark Twain was a rare treat. The film is still as entertaining and fresh as when it was first released 25 years ago.
In the short film competition I am usually most impressed by smaller, quieter films, but this year I was completely bowled over by the 30 minute The Monster of Nix. Internationally renowned Amsterdam animator and graphic artist Rosto has created an animated musical that filled all of my senses –eyes, ears, and mind. In a departure from his previous abstract work, Rosto has created a story about 10 year old Willy who lives in the village of Nix and goes into the forest to defeat a monster. Rosto told me that his dark fairy tale was begun when his son was six years old, and made as a gift for Max It took six years to complete The Monster of Nix.
A Rosto film is always multi-layered and visually dense. This film is no exception but it is the most accessible film he has ever made. Every scene is lush,rich and full of depth and texture. Willy is also an engaging figure. His immense eyes and waifish appearance are a perfect contrast to the dark, menacing forest and the monster that lurks there. Rosto’s sense of humor shines bright with subtle pop culture references like two characters named Nancy and Sid. These private jokes are dropped throughout the film like a trail of bread crumbs in the forest.
Rosto managed to work with some iconic legends familiar to us all for his character’s voices. Tom Waits is perfectly cast as a menacing giant black swallow and Terry Gilliam is the epitome of a terrified ranger who locks himself up in his forest cabin. The Residents, an internationally known group with a cult following, contributed music along with the Finnish born French pop star Olivia Merilathi. The words and music were composed by Rosto and the score was performed by the Metropole Orkest. Rosto traveled worldwide to record this remarkable collection of artists in their home studios. He said that working with Waits in his Northern California studio was a lifelong dream come true.
Often when I watch a 30 minute film I reach a point where I think “this could be over now” but this time I was so absorbed in the film that it seemed like only five minutes had passed. I walked out of the screening room and couldn’t think of anything else except the amazing experience I had just had. I didn’t want to see anything else that day. Since then I have watched the film at home again and saw so many things that I had missed the first time. I look forward to watching it again and again.
In a totally different vein, the 10 minute Something Left, Something Taken is an autobiographical account of New York animators Ru Kuwahata and Max Porter ‘s visit to San Francisco where they encounter a man who they believed to be the Zodiac Killer. The duo used cut-outs, puppets, animated objects, and anything that they could lay their hands on to make this extremely humorous low budget film. I lived in San Francisco during the era of the real Zodiac Killer, who was never caught, and remember what terrifying times they were. I’m not sure that people who were not there during that time can relate to the film as much as I did but I certainly enjoyed it.
In a world where computer animation dominates it is a treat to see beautiful hand-crafted Russian animation. Maria Mouat used traditional puppets in Snowstorm to tell a very tangled love story based on a Pushkin short story. I read the story three or four months ago and Maria’s sensitive treatment brought the characters vividly to life.
In Household Romance Irini Litmanovich used traditional cut-outs to maximum effect to tell the simple story of a family recalling their past in Soviet Russia. The film is not full of bells and whistles but tells a simple story of everyday life in a beautiful visual style. As the film unfolded before my eyes I was reminded of Yuri Norstein’s magnificent work. I wasn’t surprised to learn that Irina had studied with the great Russian master. It is reassuring to know that there is a new generation carrying on the traditional style and techniques of classic Russian animation.
In the last couple of years I have been very happy to see adult feature films that are not full of violence or strong political content but are pure well made entertainment including Chico & Rita and A Cat in Paris, both of which were screened at Annecy this year.
Of course there is always room for more serious films. Japanese director Keiichi Hara’s film Colorful addresses the high rate of suicide today in Japan’s young people in a unique manner. Adapted from Eto Moris’ young adult novel, a spirit who wins a lottery in the angel world is brought back to life in the body of a 14 year old boy who has just committed suicide. As his new life cycle begins, the angel is given the chance to learn from his past mistakes. Colorful won a Special Jury Mention and the Feature Film Audience Award.
Set in 1930’s Algeria, The Rabbi’s Cat is the story of a widowed rabbi, his daughter, and their cat. Based on the work of French commix artist Joann Sfar, the Rabbi’s cat learns to speak after swallowing the family ‘s obnoxious parrot. The core of the story is religion but you don’t have to be religious to be captivated by this charming story of family and the art of truth telling. The Rabbi’s Cat received the Cristal for Best Feature Film.
I began each morning at Shorts and Breakfast where Serge Bromberg, festival artistic director, discussed the short competition films from the previous day with their directors. As we drank tea and coffee to wake up at the early hour of 9 AM we all had the opportunity to ask the directors questions about their work. Listening to someone talk about their film has never changed my opinion of their films. Listening to them explain how and why they made their films does give me insights into their creative process which is sometimes more interesting than the film.
Noon found me at Features at Noon. The presenter, Monica Tasciotti, has such a delightful, relaxed approach to interviewing that she makes the most nervous director feel at ease. She also knows how to listen and allow her guests to tell their stories in their own way.
I was invited to a special presentation of 70 Years of Animation at the NFB (National Film Board of Canada). Monique Sinard and Cindy Witten talked about future projects at the NFB. Since its founding in 1939 NFB has been synonymous with excellence and their new crop of films is no exception.
Fillmmakers Kamil Polak (The Lost Town of Switez), Patrick Doyon (Sunday), and Jody Kramer (Don’t Tell Santa You’re Jewish) talked about their films which were in competition. The Lost Town of Switez is based on a poem by the renowned Polish writer Adam Mickiewicz. The film is about a fantasy city that lies at the bottom of a forgotten lake. Although the animation is visually lush, I felt at 20 minutes the film is a bit too long for the story that was told. The musical score composed by Irina Bogdanovich was very rich but sometimes seemed to overpower the visual images.
Jody Kramer’s short but sweet Don’t Tell Santa You’re Jewish is humorous on the surface but the humor masks a very serious issue. Jody’s tale of being Jewish at Christmas strikes a chord with anyone who has felt they didn’t fit in at some time in their life.
The festival honored the NFB’S 70th Anniversary with a program of eleven films that have won awards at Annecy in previous years. Beginning with Norman McLaren’s Synchromy (1971) and ending with Ryan which won the Cristal for Chris Landreth in 2004, the program showed why so many renowned animators from all over the world want to work with the NFB.
The Festival brings animation to the Annecy residents with free open air screenings programmed with films that the entire family can enjoy. From Rango to Go West, A Lucky Luke Adventure there was something for everyone. This year you could trek up the hill to the Chateau Museum to watch such excellent films as Popeye and the Thousand and One Nights, made up of three episodes of the intrepid sailor’s adventure. Coraline, The Spongebob Squarepants Movie, and Idiots & Angels were also screened in the beautiful Chateau Courtyard.
A trip to MIFA (International Animation Film Market) is a must every year. From 7 to 10 June the Imperial Hotel turns into the place where art and business meet. 450 exhibitors from every arm of the animation industry representing 70 countries came together to sell films, demonstrate the latest in technology, and promote production companies and festivals. You would have to spend all day every day at MIFA to take in everything there is to hear and see so I know I missed a great deal in my half day visit. The booths seemed very busy and exhibitors that I talked to said that they had had a very successful time.
For the first time this year MIFA and Creative Focus joined forces to provide a platform for creatives and investors to meet and exchange ideas. Creative Focus is based on three key elements. The Call For Projects gives teams the opportunity to present their projects to seasoned professionals. The Meeting Events are dedicated to the different facets of animation and the Recruitment Sessions are self explanatory. Creative Focus was arranged around theme days; i.e.: feature films on Tuesday, shorts on Wednesday, etc.
Annecy is as much about parties as it is about film because parties are where you meet people and do business. My dance card was certainly full this year. Besides the luxurious Open Nite and MIFA openings, Nik and I started out the week at the Stuttgart Animation Festival/German Film Commission Party. We were driven in buses down the lake to a lovely restaurant where we were treated to a truly traditional feast on the grassy lake shore. This is always my favorite party of the week because it is so relaxed and with plenty of food and drink it is the perfect place to have a quite chat.
An unexpected treat at the party was a gift to me from Tobias Wengert of his newly released book Animators: How Did They Do That?”. The beautifully illustrated book available in English explores the remarkable success of Stuttgart’s innovative animation artists with in depth interviews with such internationally known artists as Thomas Meyer-Herman of Studio Film Builder, Andreas Hykade, and Studio Soi, the geniuses behind the 2011 Academy Award Nominated The Gruffalo. Look for my detailed review of this exciting book on my blog soon.
Over drinks Bruno Edera the delightful Swiss television producer/programmer for the French channel of Swiss television and animation historian told me about his latest project. For the past five years, Bruno has been working on Erotisme et Sexualite Dans Le Film D’Animation. The thick volume tracing the history of erotic animation which he showed me is lushly illustrated. Even though the plans are to publish it in French initially I hope that the book will be translated into other languages so that many more people can enjoy this important historical reference book.
Bruno’s 1977 book Full Length Feature Films, part of the Library of Animation Technology series edited by John Halas is a must have for any animation library. At an age when most people have slowed down a bit, Bruno is still going strong and has not lost a bit of his delightful sense of humor or the twinkle in his eye.
One more book note. I first met the charming Spanish director Pedro Rivero at the Stuttgart Festival and wrote about his film Birdboy based on Alberto Vazquez’s graphic novels. At Annecy Pedro gave me a copy of Psychonauts, a Birdboy graphic novel. The art work is bold and the stories filled in the histories of the characters in the film. For anyone who is a fan of graphic novels I highly recommend the book and if you are not familiar with Alberto’s work Psychonauts is a good place to begin.
On Wednesday we started out the evening at the Swiss Film Commission Party held at the Hotel Splendide. Each year I look forward to receiving information about the new Swiss animation projects. The Swiss Animation Community has much to celebrate this year with ten shorts in composition programs. They were also very excited that Kamil Poolak’s The Lost Town of Switez which is a Polish, French, Canadian, Danish, and Swiss (Archangel Film Group) co-production was awarded the Jean-Luc Xiberras Award for the best first film later in the week.
Happily MIFA throws a Wednesday opening night party, or there would be friends at MIFA that I would not see at all. The party at the lovely La Plage Restaurant was sponsored by Ankama Games this year. With plenty of delicious food and very strange colored drinks I had a chance to catch up on news with my Latvian friends.
Latvian producer Vilnis Kalnaellis and his animator son Reinis (When Apples Roll) had a MIFA booth to showcase their Riga Films Company. Vilnis told me that they had just finished work on the Estonian co-prroduction Lotte and the Moonstone Secret directed by Janno Poldma and Heiki Ernits. The 72 minute feature premiers on 26 August in Riga.
Lotte and her Uncle Klause are internationally known from the television series Lotte Traveling South as well as the feature film Lotte From Gadgetville (2007). The films are made for the younger set but I find the characters, stories, and animation delightful.
As each guest left the MIFA party we were given a goodie bag. My favorite gift is a small plastic cylinder containing a golden egg. After adding water to the container part of the egg has broken off and I am now waiting the three to ten days for the bean to germinate so I can discover what sort of bean stalk I have.
Thursday is always a very eventful day. After my trip through MIFA I attended the Nordic party on the lawn behind the Imperial Hotel. In a delightful departure from the festival catering which seemed to follow us from party to party, the Scandinavians made traditional think pancakes topped with delicious native jam. An ample supply of aquavit with an alcohol content of 42 to 45 per cent definitely added to the animated conversations as we sprawled on the lawn. For the past couple of years Finnish animators have constructed a sauna on the lake shore and invited everyone to join them in sweating out our late nights and heavy partying.
Next we strolled back along the lake to the Café des Arts for the Dutch Film Party hosted by the Association of the Netherlands Animation Producers. The Dutch have hosted their party at the cafe on the island in the Old City for several years and it is the perfect location with a big courtyard enclosed on one side by the old prison wall for the big crowd of party goers to spill out into. Each guest was given a DVD of Selected Dutch Shorts from 2010 which contains some excellent animation.
After the Dutch Party we went to the Hotel Splendide again for the Belgian party where we saw all of our friends from one of our favorite festival, Anima Brussels. With more lovely food and drink the Annecy + Band (Nik, Alexei Alexov, and keyboardist Wesley Allard on melodica) entertained us on the balcony with an impromptu concert.
All week the skies had rained down on the festival. Friday and Saturday brought three special outdoor events: The DreamWorks Picnic, Annecy +, and our annual picnic. Shelly Page, hostess of the DreamWorks Picnic and I used all of our combined magic spells to conjure good weather for the events and it worked!
The Friday DreamWorks picnic is always a relaxed gathering of top industry professionals. Shelly is head of International Outreach at DreamWorks and is responsible for such ground breaking titles as Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Antz, and Shrek when she is not being the perfect hostess. There are always lots of yummy sandwich makings, French cheese and plump juicy strawberries spread on tablecloths on the ground.
The wine and conversation always flow and I was happy to have a chance to get to find out about the current Irish animation scene from Darragh O’Connell. Darragh is a director/Executive producer at Brown Bag Films in Dublin which gave us Nicky Phelan’s Oscar Nominated Granny O’ Grimms Sleeping Beauty. It was certainly difficult to leave the picnic and return to the screening room and I was sorely tempted to skip the first afternoon screening but I dutifully went back into the dark for the last shorts competition screening.
Each year there are many excellent films submitted to Annecy that the selection committee passes by. I was amazed to learn that Koji Yamamura’s latest animation Muybridge’s Strings and Wild Life by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby the duo that created the magical When Day Breaks were rejected this year. Several years ago Bill Plympton and I decided to host a definitely NOT festival sanctioned event and so Annecy + was born. The event has grown in popularity every year and Friday evening Le Code Bar, a few blocks from the festival center, was packed full of people for our four programs of rejected films.
This year we had beautiful color programs courtesy of Brandon Oldenberg and Moonbot Studios. Nik led the Annecy + Band. Since neither Bill or I live in Annecy finding the right location has always been a problem. This year we owe a deep debt of gratitude to my good friend Carole Martinato of the festival press office for arranging the use of Le Code Bar.
The audience at Annecy + selected Bottle by Los Angeles animator Kirsten Lepore as the best film. Bottle also won Best Student Film at the Stuttgart Trickfilm Festival last month. Kirsten received a signed copy of Bill’s wonderful new book Independently Animated. Second prize, a boxed set of Best of Show of Shows donated by Ron Diamond and Acme Films was won by Dutch animator Joost Lieuwma for Things You’d Better Not Mix Up. Last but not least William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg from New Orleans received Fetch, a CD by music for Nik Phelps and the Sprocket Ensemble and a Sprocket T-Shirt for The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore. A good time was definitely had by all.
Saturday morning the weather gods continued to smile on us for our 11th Annual picnic, paddle boat race and Joanna Quinn Memorial Rounders Game. Since most parties at Annecy require invitations. Nik and I decided to host a picnic that everyone is welcome to attend. Every year the picnic grows and has become an institution. Everyone brings food and drink to share as we all spread out on the grass by the lake’s edge.
Last year Joanna proposed a rounders game at the picnic. This year she was at home in Wales working on a new project, and Tom Brown presided over the game in her absence. Tom brought a bat signed by Joanna,rounders balls and a lovely trophy which Joanna created for the winning team. I still don’t exactly understand rounder rules but everyone who played had a good time.
After everyone had eaten and drunk a lot we took to the water for the annual paddle boat race. So many very “happy” animators trying to navigate the boats is always a remarkable site. There are no rules except that each boat must paddle out and around the island trying to avoid the spraying fountains and low hanging tree branches. Our august judges, Margot Grimwood, Linda McCarthy, and Stephen Appleby declared the winners. I am not sure which teams came in first and third but second place went to the mother/daughter team of Norwegian animator Anne Kirstin Berge and her daughter.
I always speculate about what interesting outfit Serge Bromberg, co-MC with the elegant Tiziana Loschi CITIA Managing Director at the closing ceremony, will show up wearing. One year it was a kilt, another year it was a Korean ceremonial robe, so I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when he arrived on stage on horseback in full western attire! Enough said about that, I’m sure you get the picture.
As usually happens I did not agree with some of the prize winning selections. I definitely felt that Pixels directed by French animator Patrick Jean was not the very best short film that I had seen at the festival. Watching New York City transformed into a gigantic video game as retro characters ala Packman and Donkey Kong invade the city was fun and the 1 minute 30 second film was an impressive use of technology but it seemed more like a music video and once you’ve seen it you’ve seen it. I prefer films that I want to watch several times and have to think about. That said, I know that awards are made by a committee who has to come to an agreement.
The closing night party in the now empty MIFA tents was a last chance to discuss films and have fun with old and new friends. The animation community is a close knit family, so for me it is never “goodbye”, but just “see you soon”. This year there was one very big exception. The Bonlieu, heart of the festival, will be torn down next year and construction of the new, larger theatre complex will not be completed in time for Annecy 2012. There was a lot of speculation about where the festival will be located next year but no decision has been announced yet. All I know for sure is that I am looking forward to Annecy 2012 and hope to see you all there.
PRIZEWINNING FILMS
SHORT FILMS
Jury: Akeksandra Korejwo, Poland; Regina Pessoa, Portugal; Pes, United States
Annecy Cristal – Pixels, Patrick Jean, France
Special Jury Award – Big Bang Big Boom, Blu, Italy
Jean-Luc Xiberras Award For A First Film – Switez, Kamil Polak, Poland, France, Canada, Switzerland, Denmark
Special Distinction – Paths of Hate, Damian Nenow, Poland
Sacem Award For Original Music – Maska, Quay Brothers, Krzystof Penderecki
JUNIOR JURY AWARD FOR A SHORT FILM
Jury – Lisa Hachim, 12 years old; Thomas Jacoulet, 14 years old; Khalil Benani, 12 years old; Oumaima Aziz, 13 years old
A Morning Stroll, Grant Orchard, Great Britian
AUDIENCE AWARD – Luminaris, Juan Pablo Zaramella, Argentina
FEATURE FILM JURY
Marc Du Pontavice, France; Mathias Malzieu, France; Yoshihiro, Japan
Feature Film Cristal – The Rabbi’s Cat, Joann Sfar, Antoine Delesvaux, France
Special Distinction – Colorful, Keiichi Hara, Japan
AUDIENCE AWARD – Colorful, Keiichi Hara, Japan
GRADUATION FILMS
Jury – Matthew O’Callaghan, United States; David Sproxton, Great Britian; Will Vinton, United States
Graduation Film Cristal – Plato, Leonard Cohen, France
Special Jury Award – Trois Petits Points, Lucrece Andreae, Alice Dieudonne, Tracy Nowocien, Florian Parrot, Ornelie Prioul, Remy Schaepman, France
Special Distinction – The Eagleman Stag, Mikey Please, Great Britian
JUNIOR JURY GRADUATION FILM AWARD
JUNIOR JURY: llyes Boutemeur, 15 years old; Noemie Tarpin, 16 years old; Oumayma Rmila, 14 years old; Bassam Lhnaoui, 13 years old
Plato, Leonard Cohen, France
TV AND COMMISSIONED FILMS
Jury – Laurence Blaevoet, France; Tapaas Chakravarti, India; Lucineh Kassarjian, Armenia
TV and Commissioned Films Cristal – The Amazing World of Gumbal “The Quest”- Mic Graves, Ben Bocquelet – France
Special Award For A TV Series – Le Petit Nicolas “A La Recre On Se Bat” (Little Nick “At Playtime We Fight) – Arnaud Bouron, France, Luxembourg, India
Award For Best TV Special – Das Bild Der Prinzessin (Princess’s Painting) –Joannes Weiland, Klaus Morschheuser, Germany
Educational, Scientific, or Industrial Award – Comment Nourrir Tout Le Monde? (How to Feed the World?)- Denis Van Waerebeke, France
Advertising or Promotional Film Award – Canal J “Royaume Du Gnagnagna”- Olivier Jeannel, France
Award For Best Music Video – Wax Tailor Featuring Charlie Winston “I Own You” – Romain Chassaing, France
ADDITIONAL AWARDS
Unicef Award – L’Apprenti Pere Noel (Santa’s Apprentice) – Luc Vinciguerra, France
Fipresci Award – Luminnaris – Juan Pablo Zaramella, Argentina
“Canal + Creative Aid” Award For A Short Film – Chroniques De La Poisse (Sticky Ends)- Osman Cerfon, France
Fnac Award for a Feature Film – Chico & Rita – Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal, Tono Errando, Spain
Annecy 2011 You Tube Award – Sidewalk Scribble – Peter Lowey, Australia
PRIZE WINNING PROJECTS
SHORT FILMS
Jury Prize Rhone-Alps Cinema, TVPaint Development- Oripeaux,Sonia Gerbeaud, Mathias de Panafieu, France
Arte France Prize – Le Sens Du Toucher (The Sens of Touch) – Jean-Charles Mbotti Malolo, France
Abbaye de Fontevraud Prize – Tagli Di Capelli (Haircuts), Virginia Mori, Italy
Prix ToonBoom Prize – Stripes, Heather Larkin, United States
Canal +, Folimage, ONF Prize – Amelia E Duarte (Amelia and Duarte) – Maria Alice Eca Guimaraes Azevedo, Monica Fernandes dos Snatos, Portugal
Prix Cube Creatiive Productions Prize – Quartet, Jean Bouthors, Thibault Chimier, Vincent Djinda, France
FESTIVAL – TV PAINT DEVELOPMENT SPECIAL MENTIONS
Feature Film – A Poings Fermes – Jean-Jacques Kahn, Franck Van Leeuwen, Jean-Jacques Jauffret, France
TV Series – Le Bien Chasser – Boris Belgghiti, Dimitri Cohen-Tanugi, Pierre Razetto, Maxime Paccalet, France
Cross-Media – Bubbleman Superstar- Alban Gily, France
Nancy Phelps has produced music for animation for the past 16 years. She has written about animation and animation festivals for such publications as Animatoons, Film/Tape World, Reel World and the ASIFA/San Francisco news magazine and is a member of the ASIFA International Board. In 2006, Nancy and her composer/musician husband Nik Phelps moved from San Francisco to Gent, Belgium, where they now have their home.