From our special correspondent in Annecy,
What happiness! Our favorite Linda wants chicken!, by Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach, won the Cristal d’or, Grand Prize at the Annecy Festival, as well as that of the Gan Foundation for broadcasting. The jury celebrated the originality of this beautiful story where a mother and her little girl are looking to get a chicken in the middle of a general strike when all the stores are closed.
“We are surprised as much as we are incredulous, confides Charia Malta to 20 minutes. Already, the official screening where everyone laughed and cried was a fantastic gift. The relationship between a mother seeking forgiveness after unfairly punishing her daughter and a lively kid determined to eat the recipe that reminds her of her late father has thrilled festival-goers with its unique aesthetic. “We went through the whole range of feelings that our characters experience when we were making the film, adds Sébastien Laudenbach. To think that this work, so different, could seduce so much is wonderful! »
Various and varied films
Diversity in all its forms was at the center of an event which welcomed 15,820 accredited members (i.e. 19% more than in 2022), from 102 countries. “This new participation record is the symbol of the recognition and confidence of professionals, declared Mickaël Marin, the director of the festival. More than ever, Annecy deserves its status as the world capital of animated cinema. The quality of the programming orchestrated by artistic director Marcel Jean was remarkable.
Robot Dreams, by Pablo Berger Sirocco and the kingdom of drafts, by Benoît Chieux and Four Souls of Coyote, by Aaron Gauder were also among the winners of an exciting edition. The only disappointment is the absence from the charts of the French science fiction film Mars Express, by Jérémie Perrin, and Canadian independent comedy Adam changes slowly, by Joël Vaudreuil, two daring works that will be released in France in the coming months.
After the tragedy of June 8, animated cinema has put balm on the wounds of spectators and made the imagination triumph. The 2024 festival will be in the colors of Portugal. We would already like to be there to make new discoveries.