Out of 130 film submissions, 10 make the Official Competition, with 11 selected for the Contrachemp Competition; festival runs June 8-14.
The 2025 Annecy Festival has unveiled the official selection of feature films in competition for the 49th edition, which runs June 8-14.The announcement was made by Mickaël Marin, CITIA CEO, and Artistic Director Marcel Jean.
The short films in competition were revealed last month.Out of the approximately 130 feature films submitted, 11 have been selected in the Official Competition.They are as follows: by Zaven Najjar, based on the book of the same name by Ahmadou Kourouma – WIP 2024 (Belgium, Canada, France, Luxembourg) "For his first feature film, Zaven Najjar rose to the challenge of adapting Ahmadou Kourouma's novel Allah is Not Obliged.
It's a tall order given the book's raw, unusual language, which the director manages to preserve in this first-person narrative of a child soldier." by Sylvain Chomet, based on Confidences by Marcel Pagnol (France, Luxembourg, Belgium) – release date 15th October 2025 – Wild Bunch Distribution "Sylvain Chomet makes his comeback with this feature film dedicated to Marcel Pagnol.It is such a delight to see the filmmaker's sophisticated graphics again, and for the first time he uses dialogue to capture the musical Marseille accent." by Ugo Bienvenu (France) "True to his graphic style, Ugo Bienvenu offers us an astonishing first science-fiction feature film for all the family, in which a 10-year-old girl takes in a boy of the same age from the future." by Yasuhiro Aoki (Japan) "This whimsical tale comes to us from Japan, with its assertive graphic style and bold colours, somewhat reminiscent of Masaaki Yuasa and Taiyō Matsumoto." by Momoko Seto – WIP 2024 (Belgium, France) – release 2026 – GEBEKA Films "It is an understatement to say that Momoko Seto's debut feature was eagerly awaited! We are delighted to discover that, from the very first seconds of the film, we were fascinated by this original imagery, a skilful blend of scientific shooting techniques and digital animation.Like dandelion seeds, we are hurtling along a strange and perilous journey…" by Félix Dufour-Laperrière – WIP 2024 (Canada, France) "Félix Dufour-Laperrière, who won an award in the Contrechamp selection in 2021 with Archipel, returns to Annecy with his third feature.
Visually stunning, the film plunges us into the torments of a young woman haunted by guilt following an attack that went wrong." by Zhong Ding (China) "This is yet another demonstration of the exceptional expertise of Chinese studios.Into the Mortal World is intended for all audiences, a spectacular, funny film, full of action and emotion." by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han, based on , by Amélie Nothomb – WIP 2023 (France) – release date 25th June 2025 – Haut et Court "For their first feature film, Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han adapted Amélie Nothomb's novel with finesse and sensitivity.A dazzling offering, brought to life by both the magical script and Mari Fukuhara's music, the film will appeal to audiences of all ages." by Irene Iborra, based on the work by Maite Carranza – WIP 2024 (Belgium, Chile, Spain, France) – release date 21st January 2026 – KMBO "One of the great surprises of the selection! This is the only stop-motion feature film in the Official competition, Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake intelligently and skillfully addresses children tackling an essential social reality without pettiness or sentimentality." by Baku Kinoshita – WIP 2024 (Japan) "The Last Blossom is set in the yakuza underworld and evokes the atmosphere of some of Takeshi Kitano's films (Hana-bi, Sonatine).
An opportunity to discover a truly unique director, Baku Kinoshita." 11 feature films were selected for the Contrechemp Competition.They are as follows: by Giovanni Columbu (Italy) "A delightful discovery, this unique film follows two children in the 1940s Sardinian countryside.A moving and gripping experience due to its interesting subject matter and experimental form." by Seth Scriver and Pete Scriver (Canada) "Seth Scriver brought us Asphalt Watches in competition in 2014, now he's back this year with Endless Cookie, co-directed with his half-brother Pete Scriver.
In a bursting, humorous style, it parallels the differences between the experience of the two brothers, one white and the other Native." by Ryuya Suzuki (Japan) "Ryuya Suzuki's first feature film reminds us of the minimalist visual aesthetics of On-Gaku: Our Sound by Kenji Iwaisawa.Jinsei is an uncompromising social satire that examines identity and the meaning of life.Through a videotape, the viewer becomes witness to a man's life who has no history and is in search of an identity." by Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese (Australia) "This wacky comedy comes to us from Australia, where the title already says it all.
Directed by Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese, Lesbian Space Princess is both delightful and surprising." by Heinrich Sabl (Germany, France) "In his highly stylized debut feature, German Director Heinrich Sabl transports us to 1945, to a strange hotel where little Sophie encounters horrors, loses her memory and finds it again, while history's tragedy is played out all around her." by Tania Anaya (Brazil, Peru) "Out of Brazil comes this astonishing Curt Unckel biopic, the famous German ethnologist and writer christened Nimuendajú by the Guarani people in 1906.Director Tania Anaya succeeds in capturing this man's deep commitment as he witnessed first-hand the persecution suffered by the indigenous people." by Tomás Pichardo Espaillat (Dominican Republic) "Tomás Pichardo Espaillat's fourth selection for Annecy is the first animated feature to come out of the Dominican Republic, an amazing journey between four characters and even more animation techniques." by Eric San, aka Kid Koala, adapts his own graphic novel (Canada) "For his first feature film, musician Eric San (Kid Koala) adapts his own graphic novel, published in 2011.It features Celeste, the orphaned daughter of a famous astronaut, raised by a robot guardian and herself destined for space exploration.
A film for all the family that tackles the subject of memory." by David Sukup, Patrik Pašš, Leon Vidmar, Jean-Claude Rozec (Czech Republic, France, Slovakia, Slovenia).Release spring 2026 – GEBEKA Films "Four directors from four countries join forces to create a bundle of tales spotlighting the imagination.We're almost surprised to find so much cohesion in this children's film, whose very genesis proves that across different origins and cultures, collaboration and understanding are possible." by Aria Covamonas (Mexico) "Aria Covamonas, an unclassifiable filmmaker, openly uses several great historical figures to deliver a delirious satire using collage with surrealist overtones." by Bo-Sol Kim (South Korea) "This is perhaps the most unexpected film of the selection.
The forbidden love story between a Swedish diplomat and a young North Korean woman, under the watchful eye of his interpreter and, no doubt, the secret services."
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
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