Every year the beautiful French town Annecy hosts the top ranking competitive international festival entirely dedicated to animation.

Over forty years after coming to the town, the Festival competition is now open to four categories giving a diversity of techniques, ranging from watercolour to 3D, by way of paper cut-outs and plasticine. The categories: short and feature fiction films, commissioned films (TV films and commercials, etc), school and graduation films, and shorts and series made for the internet are also awarded a prize, since 2002.

This year’s selection includes 5 feature films, 52 shorts, 40 commercials and 69 student movies. Click on more to find out about the most interesting entries in the competition, or go to the Annecy web site for a full list.

Oseam – Baek-yeop Sung – Korea

This Korean movie tells the story of Gil-son, a little orphan who strongly believes that his mother is still alive. His blind, kind-hearted sister, Gam-I, keeps him from finding out about their mother’s death.

Driven by this hope Gil-son journeys to Oseam, a place where all wishes of the heart are said to someday come true.

Pinocchio 3000 – Daniel Robichaud – France

In the year 3000, in the city of Scamboville, sheltered between skyscrapers, stands an eccentric dilapidated house and its small garden. It is here that Geppetto, the old computer craftsman enthusiast, carries out his dream of having a son. With the help of his assistant, Spencer the robot penguin, Geppetto creates an exceptional robot prototype: Pinocchio.

Hair High – Bill Plympton – USA

An outrageous gothic comedy telling the legend of Cherri and Spud, a teenage couple who are murdered on prom night and come back to life one year later.

Lorenzo – Mike Gabriel – USA

Produced by Disney, this short is the tale of Lorenzo, the spoiled and pampered cat, and what happens the day his tail is hexed and comes to life.

Love Cube – Donato Sansone – Italy

A tragic-comic love story, both broad and narrow at the same time. The main characters are two cubes.

La chanson du pharmacien – Daniel Suter – Switzerland

A girl hurts herself while cutting her bread. She runs to a pharmacy where the chemist has just been killed.

Legowelt “Disco Rout” – Mateus de Paula Santos – Brazil

A ski adventure set in the mountains between friends in the style of a 1930’s poster.

Smoke – Claudia Romero – Germany/Chile

Leila alias Lillith bewitches the audience by her singing and dancing and presents her strong personality most provocatively.