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Werner Herzog’s The Twilight World, the German director’s first feature animation and new projects from leading animation directors including Anca Damian,Alain Ughetto, Filip Pošivač, Vincent Paronnaud and Alexis Ducord, will be among the projects presented at European co-production and pitching event Cartoon Movie, taking place in Bordeaux, France, from March 4-6.

Additionally, Chloé Nicolay’sBrume, based on a script written by Celine Sciamma and produced by French animation powerhouseFolivari, is being showcaed as a film in development.It is a 2D coming-of-age film for children about a feisty seven-year-old girl who dreams of becoming a powerful witch.

“Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light” continues to ward off the darkness.

LevelK’s Czech stop-motion animation has sold to over 40 territories, including Germany (Eksystent Distribution), France (Eurozoom /Panoranime), Spain (MODIband Projectes Culturals), Italy (Just Wanted), Portugal (Film4you), Israel (New Cinema), Slovenia (Demiurg), Mena (Empire Networks), Switzerland (Out-side the Box), Estonia (Estin Film) Sweden (Njutafilms) and Denmark (Angel Distribution).

“From the first moment we watched it, we saw its uniqueness and quality. It’s a thrill we have so many distributors onboard, believing in its core values and trusting that it can resonate across borders,” said sales executive Alexandra Cruz.

“We hope that all who watch the film will leave the cinemas with [feelings of] warmth and hope.”

Directed by Filip Pošivač, “Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light” world-premiered at Annecy, where it was awarded the Contrechamp Jury Award.

Produced by Pavla Janoušková Kubečková for nutprodukce and Jakub Viktorín for nutprodukcia,...

2D computer animation also took the distribution award.

Sebastien Laudenbach and Chiara Malta’s French-Italian 2D computer animation Chicken For Linda! won the Cristal for best feature film at Annecy International Animation Film Festival this evening.

It was one of two prizes received by the film, alongside the Gan Foundation award for distribution.

Scroll down for the list of feature film winners

Chicken For Linda! (French title: Linda veut du poulet!) follows a mother and daughter, grieving following the loss of the mother’s late husband, who go on a quest across strike-paralysed Paris in search of the key ingredient...

Chicken for Linda! a French and Italian kids feature from directors Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach, has won top prize, the Cristal award, for best film at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

The 2D feature follows a mother struggling to make a chicken dinner for her daughter Linda, despite the fact that she doesn’t know how to cook and has picked a day when the whole country is on strike, making it nearly impossible to find a chicken to buy. Produced by Dolce Vita Films, Chicken for Linda! also picked up Annecy’s Gan Foundation Award for distribution.

Four Souls of Coyote, a 2D feature about Indigenous creation tales, from director Áron Gauder, took the jury prize, while Japanese feature The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes, from director Tomohisa Taguchi, took the Paul Grimault Award.

Sirocco and the Kingdom of Air Streams from French director Benoît Chieux,...

Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach’s hand-painted marvel “Chicken for Linda!” took home dual honors at the Annecy Animation Festival on Saturday, scooping up the festival’s top prize, the Cristal Award for best feature, as well as the Gan Foundation award for distribution.

A bittersweet childhood tale that finds screwball humor in mourning and melancholy, the French-language film premiered to some acclaim out of Cannes’ Acid sidebar last month, and was picked up for North American distribution by Gkids while competing in Annecy.

“We wanted something both funny and affecting,” said co-director Chiara Malta. “The two elements were never in conflict, because we made the film for children, putting ourselves in their perspectives while adopting their language.”

“We wanted a [joyful mess],” added co-director Sébastien Laudenbach. “The film is sad and funny. It’s full of energy and emotion, and as a result, the graphic style is dynamic as well.”

Hungary...

France’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival has unveiled the prize winners of its biggest edition to date, running from June 11 to 17.

Italian-French directorial duo’s Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach’s Chicken For Linda! has won the top Cristal award for best film.

The heartwarming tale revolves around a mother and daughter struggling to come to terms with a personal tragedy in their lives.

Following a misunderstanding, the mother embarks on a mission to cook her daughter her favorite dish of chicken with peppers against the backdrop of a national strike.

The features is coproduced by Dolce Vita Films, Miyu Productions, and Dorje Film.

Hungarian director Áron Gauder’s Four Souls Of Coyote won the Jury Award.

The adventure tale tackles environmental issues through the prism of a Native American creation myth, revisited by four teenagers trying to save ancestorial land from an oil pipeline project.

Gauder previously won...

Danish sales agent LevelK has fallen for stop-motion animation “Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light”, set to premiere in Annecy’s feature film Contrechamp competition in June.

Directed by Filip Pošivač and written by Jana Šrámková, the film is produced by Pavla Janoušková Kubečková and Jakub Viktorín for nutprodukce (Czech Republic) and nutprodukcia (Slovakia), with Hungary’s Filmfabriq, Česká televize and Rtvs – Rozhlas a televízia Slovenska also on board.

“I believe we are creating a film which, on one side, can be entertaining for the whole family, but it can also motivate the upcoming generation of viewers to be more open to different art genres. And, most importantly, to be open to diversity and tolerance in our society,” says Viktorín, also behind Oscar submission “Victim.”

“We are super happy that LevelK joined us on this journey to share this work with audiences all around the world.”

“With its inspirational story...

Leading animation festival will open with Benoît Chieux’s Sirocco And The Kingdom Of The Winds.

French director Benoît Chieux’s Sirocco And The Kingdom Of The Wind is to open the Annecy International Animation Film Festival which runs from June 11-17.

The film – about two young sisters who discover a passage between this world and the extraordinary universe of The Kingdom of the Winds - is one of 11 titles selected for the festival’s official competition, where it will compete for the Crystal award.

Scroll down for full list

Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry’s Kensuke’s Kingdom – which is...