Finalists for Cartoon Movie Tributes 2009 Announced

The European Association of Animation Film has announced this week the nominees selected for the Cartoon Movie Tributes 2009, one of the most prestigious prizes in the world of animation. Created in 2001, the awards for best director, distributor and producer of the year seek to reward companies and personalities who have contributed to the development of European animation over the last year.

Cartoon Movie Tributes has fostered a reputation as one of the most professional and significant awards in this field, with the winners selected by the participants attending Cartoon Movie 2009, the annual meeting point for the European animation industry which will be held this year in Lyon, France, from March 4-6.

Directors and companies from eight different countries are among the nominees. The winners will be announced at the Centre de Congres in Lyon on March 7.

The nominees are:

Best European Director of the Year
-- Thorbjorn Christoffersen, Craig Frank and Kresten Vestbjerg Andersen (Denmark) for JOURNEY TO SATURN
-- Jacques-Remy Girerd (France) for MIA AND THE MIGOO
-- Tomm Moore (Ireland) for THE SECRET OF KELLS

Best European Distributor of the Year
-- BAC Films (France)
-- Intersonic (Slovak Republic)
-- Lusomundo (Portugal)

Best European Producer of the Year
-- Anima Vitae / Cinemaker (Finland) / Ulysses (Germany) / A. Film (Denmark) / Magma Films (Ireland) for NIKO & THE WAY TO THE STARS
-- Crone Film (Denmark) / Sola Media (Germany) for SUNSHINE BARRY AND THE DISCO WORMS
-- Kandor Graphics / Perro Verde Films / Green Moon (Spain) for THE MISSING LYNX
_ Cartoon Saloon (Ireland) / Les Armateurs (France) / Vivi Film (Belgium) for THE SECRET OF KELLS

The organizers of Cartoon Movie also announced that the Danish film JOURNEY TO SATURN has been chosen to open the event on Wednesday, March 4. Produced by A. Film and directed by Thorbjorn Christoffersen, Craig Frank and Kresten Vestbjerg Andersen, this unconventional CGI animation tells with adult humor the space journey of an incompetent crew of Danish astronauts. Based on the classic Danish graphic novel by Claus Deleuran, the film was released last September in Denmark.

Organized every year since 1999 by Cartoon -- European Association of Animation Film, Cartoon Movie brings together some 500 producers, investors and distributors of feature-length animation films from across Europe. The objective of the event is to increase the number of co-productions and cross-border projects, to facilitate financing and production and ensure the distribution of the films both across Europe and internationally.

Cartoon Movie 2009 is organized with the support of the Media Programme of the European Union, CNC (Centre Nationale du Cinematographie), the Rhone Alpes Region, Greater Lyon and in collaboration with the Cluster Rhone Alpes Imaginove (Lyon).