{"id":730976,"date":"2026-06-28T12:31:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-28T12:31:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/730976\/"},"modified":"2026-06-28T12:31:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T12:31:17","slug":"annecys-top-winners-the-violinist-iron-boy-don-hertzfeldt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/730976\/","title":{"rendered":"Annecy’s Top Winners: ‘The Violinist,’ ‘Iron Boy,’ Don Hertzfeldt"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\u201cThe Violinist<\/a>\u201d beat out major competition at Annecy, such as \u201cIn Waves,\u201d \u201cViva Carmen\u201d and \u201cIron Boy<\/a>,\u201d all already big hits at Cannes, to win on Saturday the biggest festival prize in animation: Annecy\u2019s feature film Cristal.<\/p>\n

\n\tA tale of two young violinist virtuosos in and after WWII Singapore, \u201cThe Violinist\u201d certainly had its fans at Annecy, but most pundits thought the top feature prize would go to either \u201cIron Boy\u201d or \u201cTangles,\u201d both also being talked up as Awards season contenders.<\/p>\n

\n\tThough an outsider, \u201cThe Violinist\u2019s\u201d victory seems particularly appropriate at an Annecy edition which not only packed the most powerful competition lineups in years and major studio announcements and unveils, led by Warner Bros. Animation, Netflix and Disney, but also underscored clearly major factors now galvanizing animation. \u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tOne is Asia and another co-production. Here \u201cThe Violinist\u201d weighs in a Singapore\u2019s first ever feature film in Annecy main competition which was made remarkably in co-production with Spain \u2013 another first \u2013 and Italy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tProduced by Singapore\u2019s Robot Playground Media, Spain\u2019s TV ON Producciones and Italy\u2019s Altri Occhi, and directed by Singapore\u2019s Ervin Han and Spanish Disney veteran Ra\u00fal Garc\u00eda, \u201cThe Violinist\u201d also suggests an anime influence in its rich painterly 2D (enhanced by 3D in key set scenes) as the embrace of anime by Hollywood and Europe proved one of the major industry narratives at this year\u2019s Annecy.<\/p>\n

\n\tFollowing on a Cannes Un Certain Regard Special Jury Prize win, \u201cIron Boy\u201d had to content itself at Annecy with its Jury Award, plus feature Audience Award and Gan Foundation Award for Distribution.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tMarking former Pixar animator (\u201cWALL-E,\u201d \u201cUp\u201d) Louis Clichy\u2019s embrace of 2D, so beloved in his native France, \u201cIron Boy\u2019s\u201d glowing reception at Annecy will do nothing to dim talk of Awards season contention, thanks to a storyline of 11-year-old Christophe, struggling with the challenges of his age despite a metal body brace he\u2019s made to wear to correct his torso\u2019s tendency to tilt to its left. There are few things Hollywood love more than an individual\u2019s inspiring battle against adversity.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Iron Boy\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Cannes Film Festival<\/p>\n

\n\tIn a third competition prize, \u201cDecorado<\/a>,\u201d from Alberto V\u00e1squez, one of Spain\u2019s premier auteurs, scooped the Paul Grimault Award for a existential fable on freedom, family and friends, which adds to V\u00e1zquez\u2019s \u201cUnicorn Wars\u201d and \u201cBirdboy,\u201d GKids U.S. pickups like \u201cDecorado.\u201d Produced by Spain\u2019s UniKo, Abano Produci\u00f3ns The Glow Animation Studio and Portugal\u2019s Sardinha em Lata, \u201cDecorado\u201d was hailed by Variety this May as \u201cthe year\u2019s most mind-bending animated film.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Decorado\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of GKDS<\/p>\n

\n\tAt Annecy\u2019s closing night prize ceremony, attended by Alfonso Cuar\u00f3n, the Festival organization confirmed a new all-time historical record of 19,100 accredited attendees.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnnecy\u2019s growth has come from its embrace by Hollywood and nascent animation industries around the world and the expansion of feature film animation in itself. The festival\u2019s soul, and any true animation buff\u2019s delight, remains its shorts. Double Academy Award winner Don Hertzfeldt<\/a> (\u201cRejected,\u201d \u201cWorld of Tomorrow\u201d) added to this January\u2019s Sundance Special Jury Prize win for \u201cPaper Trail\u201d with Annecy\u2019s still highly coveted short film Cristal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tA 14-minute high-speed study of someone\u2019s life, seen only through pieces of paper, \u201cPaper Trail\u201d was developed to create the film\u2019s unique look and pace by blending 2D computer animation and animated objects.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe prize felt unearned, Hertzfeldt said on stage at Annecy. \u201cI started animating when I was a kid, 30 years ago. It was just fun, it was to make my friends laugh.\u00a0I\u2019ve always thought of myself as a director who draws. I had never been to Annecy before. Maybe I can finally call myself an animator.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWinning two of the six Annecy short film prizes on offer, fest favorite Cannes Critics\u2019 Week player \u201cGod is Shy,\u201d from The Weeknd vid-clip director Jocelyn Charles, delivers a train-set, fear-laced mind-bender, animated in gorgeous tones and shot with a mobile camera underscoring two of the dominant influences on young creators worldwide these days: Anime and genre.\u00a0\u201cGod Is Shy\u201d also took the SACEM Award for best original soundtrack, aother sign of Charles\u2019 across-the-board talent.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnother welcome short film winner: Anna Mantzaris\u2019 \u201cPlease,\u201d which depicts slightly not all-together characters\u2019 self-obsessive need for love with merciless irony yet deep compassion.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Alexe\u00efff-Parker Award went to \u201cMy Bellyaching Skin,\u201d the third part of young \u00c9tienne Bonnet\u2019s autobiography, described by Annecy artistic director Marcel Jean as one of the funniest voices in French animation. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tElsewhere, in key plaudits, Contrechamp, Annecy major sidebar for edgier or newer talent plays, was won by France\u2019s \u201cBlaise,\u201d from Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guige and a \u201cperfect introduction to French absurd humour, questioning the political engagement of youth and the existential crisis of adults,\u201d Jean told Variety.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tElsewhere, in key plaudits, Contrechamp \u2013 Annecy\u2019s major sidebar for edgier or newer talent plays \u2013 was won by France\u2019s \u201cBlaise,\u201d from Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guige and a \u201cperfect introduction to French absurd humour, questioning the political engagement of youth and the existential crisis of adults,\u201d Annecy artistic director Marcel Jean told Variety. <\/p>\n

\n\tThe Jury Award went to Japan\u2019s \u201cA New Dawn,\u201d a co-production between Japan\u2019s Asmik Ace and France\u2019s Miyu Productions which made a splash at the Berlin Festival and heralds almost certainly more Japan-France collaborations in the future.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tIn Annecy\u2019s Special Prize category, the Annecy Presents Audience Award, a new prize, went to \u201cBrave Cat,\u201d the feature film debut of Gabriel Osorio, director of\u201cBear Story,\u201d an Academy Award winning animated short which marked Chile\u2019s first Oscar win. Also set up at Punkrobot, Osorio\u2019s Chilean production house run with\u00a0 producer Pato Excala, \u201cBrave Cat\u201d began to build a reputation at Annecy for packing a similar emotional punch to \u201cBear Story,\u201d which is saying quite a lot. <\/p>\n

\n\tAnnecy\u2019s 2026 TV Production Cristal was won by \u201cThe Great Dreamscape,\u201d from Remi Durin (\u201cYuku and the Flower of the Himalayas\u201d) and French animation stalwart Autour de Minuit. The half-hour special turns on Andrea, around 6, suddenly overwhelmed by stage-fright at school who is transported to a magical kingdom depicted in exquisite 2D tones.<\/p>\n

\n\tMIFA Feature Pitches Awards were dominated by Ellis Kayin Chan\u2019s \u201cWilderness of Greenriver,\u201d produced by Eddy Cinema (\u201cIron Boy\u201d) and a 2D sci-fi depiction of grief and loss, which won three sponsor awards, and the warmly-animated sense of belonging-themed \u201cLights of April,\u201d from Mexico\u2019s Jorge Aguilar Rojo.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Wilderness of Green River\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEllis KAYIN CHAN<\/p>\n

\n\tAt Saturday\u2019s prize ceremony, the Festival also confirmed dates of June 13-19 for its 2027 edition, which see it moving back to its traditional mid-month slot, and that Colombia will be the Annecy Animation Festival<\/a>\u2018s 2027 Country of Honor<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\n\tA list of some of this year\u2019s winners can be found below.<\/p>\n

\n\tFEATURE FILMS<\/p>\n

\n\tCristal for a Feature Film<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Violinist,\u201d Ervin Han, Ra\u00fal Garc\u00eda (Throne Inc., Robot Playground Media, TV ON Producciones, Altri Occhi\/Singapore, Spain, Italy)<\/p>\n

\n\tJury Award<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIron Boy,\u201d Louis Clichy (Eddy Cin\u00e9ma, Beside Productions\/France, Belgium)<\/p>\n

\n\tPaul Grimault Award\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDecorado,\u201d Alberto V\u00e1zquez (UniKo, Abano Produci\u00f3ns The Glow Animation Studio, Sardinha em Lata\/Spain, Portugal)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tGan Foundation Award for Distribution<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIron Boy\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAudience Award<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIron Boy\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tCONTRECHAMP FEATURES<\/p>\n

\n\tGrand Prix<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBlaise\u201d Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guige (KG Productions\/France)<\/p>\n

\n\tJury Award<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cA New Dawn,\u201d (Asmik Ace, Miyu Productions\/Japan, France)<\/p>\n

\n\tSHORT FILMS<\/p>\n

\n\tCristal for a Short Film<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cPaper Trail,\u201d Don Hertzfeldt (U.S)<\/p>\n

\n\tJury Award<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cGod Is Shy,\u201d Jocelyn Charles (France)<\/p>\n

\n\tAlexe\u00efeff \u2013 Parker Award<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cMy Bellyaching Skin,\u201d Etienne Bonnet (Girelle Production, France)<\/p>\n

\n\tOff-Limits Award<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cCore Dump,\u201d Alona Rodeh (Germany)<\/p>\n

\n\tJean-Luc Xiberras Award for a First Film<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cPlease,\u201d Anna Mantzaris (Apparat Filmproduktion, Passion Paris Production, Arte, Film i V\u00e4st, SVT, Mikrofilm AS, Kuli Film, YLE and B\u00f6hle Studio\/Sweden, France, Czech Republic, Norway, Finland)<\/p>\n

\n\tAudience Award<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cGod is Shy\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tTV AWARDS<\/p>\n

\n\tCristal for a TV Production<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Great Dreamscape,\u201dR\u00e9mi Durin (Autour de Minuit\/Belgium, France)<\/p>\n

\n\tJury Award for a TV Series<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cTakopi\u2019s Original Sin,\u201d Shinya Iino Enishiya (Tokyo Broadcasting System Television\/Japan)<\/p>\n

\n\tJury Award for a TV Special<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSong of the Storms,\u201d Caroline Attia (Sacrebleu Productions\/France, Belgium)<\/p>\n

\n\tAudience Award for a TV Production<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Broos\u201dDavid Mirailles (Bobby Prod, Arte\/France)<\/p>\n

\n\tCOMMISSIONED FILMS<\/p>\n

\n\tCristal for a Commissioned Film<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cUnloved,\u201d Victor Caire, Lucas Navarro, Th\u00e9ophile Dufresne (Illogic Studios, Wizz\/France)<\/p>\n

\n\tJury Award for a Commissioned Film<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cEco Beat,\u201d Eva Bienert, Max M\u00f6rtl, (Vorarlberger Gemeindeverband, Austria, Germany)<\/p>\n

\n\tGRADUATION FILMS<\/p>\n

\n\tJury Award<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cDying Embers,\u201d L\u00e9a Pulini (La Poudri\u00e8re\/France)<\/p>\n

\n\tLotte Reiniger Award<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cGently,\u201d Jamaica Kindlov\u00e1 (FAMU \u2013 Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague\/Czech Republic)<\/p>\n

\n\tVR WORKS<\/p>\n

\n\tCristal for the Best VR Work<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cA Long Goodbye,\u201d \u00a0 Kate Voet, Victor Maes (Cassette For Timescapes, Tarantula, Valk Productions\/Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands)<\/p>\n

\n\tSPECIAL PRIZE WINNERS<\/p>\n

\n\tSACEM Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Short Film<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cGod Is Shy,\u201d Jocelyn Charles (Remembers\/France)<\/p>\n

\n\tSACEM Award for Best Original Soundtrack, Feature Film<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Violinist,\u201d Ervin Han, Ra\u00fal Garc\u00eda (Throne Inc., Robot Playground Media, TV ON Producciones, Altri Occhi\/Singapore, Spain, Italy)<\/p>\n

\n\tAnnecy Presents Audience Award<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBrave Cat,\u201d Gabriel Osorio (Punkrobot\/Chile)<\/p>\n

\n\tCanal+ Junior Jury Award<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cPiccolo Piccolo,\u201d Marta Gennari (Gebeka Films, Folimage, Reginald de Guillebon, Nadasdy Film\/France, Switzerland)<\/p>\n

\n\tYoung Audience Award<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cInto the Forest,\u201d Antonin Niclass (Milos-Films SA\/Switzerland)<\/p>\n

\n\tAndr\u00e9 Martin Award for a French Short Film<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHold It Together,\u201d Fan Sissoko (Compass Films, Komaw\u00e9, Art\u00e9mis Productions \u2013 Art\u00e9bis Entertainment\/Iceland, France, Belgium)<\/p>\n

\n\tARTE Award, European Short Film\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cUka-uka,\u201d Henri Veerm\u00e4e (Grafik\/Estonia)<\/p>\n

\n\tFestivals Connexion Award for an Immersive Work<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cVoooooo\u2014Peeeeee\u2014,\u201d Hyeunjoo Woo, Jiyun Park (Ubac Studio\/South Korea)<\/p>\n

\n\tVimeo Staff Pick Award for a Short Film<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cCreation,\u201d B\u00e9la Klingl (B\u00e9la Klingl\/Hungary)<\/p>\n

\n\tWarner Bros. Animation Award for a Graduation Film\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe 12 Inch Pianist,\u201d Lucas Ansel (Rhode Island School of Design\/U.S.)<\/p>\n

\n\tMidnight Shorts Award<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cEclosi\u00f3n,\u201d Luis Morillo (Luis Morillo, Edwin Gautreau Santana, Claudio Lluberes, Miguel Caba\u00f1as, Jaime Cano, Daysi Cruz\/Dominican Republic, Spain)<\/p>\n

\n\tCity of Annecy Award<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cBecause Today Is Saturday,\u201d Alice E\u00e7a Guimar\u00e3es (Animais AVPL, La Clairi\u00e8re Ouest, Studio Kimchi, Os Filmes do Pinguim\/Portugal, France, Spain)<\/p>\n

\n\tTitmouse WTF Award\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cYou Are Not Part of the Cake,\u201d Ting-Jui Chen (Royal College of Art\/Taiwan, U.K)<\/p>\n

\n\tTitmouse WTF Jury Distinction\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI Have a,\u201d Rory Waudby-Tolley (Rory Waudby-Tolley\/U.K)<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\u2018Lights of April\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJorge AGUILAR ROJO<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThe Violinist\u201d beat out major competition at Annecy, such as \u201cIn Waves,\u201d \u201cViva Carmen\u201d and \u201cIron Boy,\u201d all…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":730977,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[309702,314818,314819,88,283053,313695],"class_list":["post-730976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-annecy-animation-festival","tag-decorado","tag-don-hertzfeldt","tag-entertainment","tag-iron-boy","tag-the-violinist"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=730976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/730977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=730976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=730976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=730976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}