It was a night for both 2D animation and women directors to find their own path to win in the 2023 Annecy Animation Festival. In a festival in which stop-motion was underrepresented in the prize list, the Hungarian Flóra Anna Buda doubled its victories; fresh from her recent Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival, she won the Annecy Cristal for a short film for her sexually charged (and still family-related), '27'.

A film in which the Hungarian National Film Fund support is conspicuously absent, '27' is a co-production between the French MIYU Productions and Boddah. The Hungarian Boddah production company is the recipient of last year's Annecy Cristal as well ('Amok' by Balázs Turai).

MIYU Productions was also the winner in the Feature Film Category, in which the French/Italian production 'Chicken for Linda' by Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach won the Annecy for a Feature Film.

Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia (Torino) was responsible for the Annecy Graduation winner, in the Martina Generali, Simone Pratola, Francesca Sofia Rosso film 'La Notte', a Venice carnival retelling of a Vivaldi concerto.

Marjolaine Perreten (read her interview here) was the recipient of the Annecy Cristal for TV production, with her 'Pebble Hill'.

One high-profile short was conspicuously absent from the Annecy Prizes. 'Electra' by the Oscar-nominated Daria Kashcheeva didn't feature anywhere in the awards; her 25-minute pixilation/live-action film on female sexuality and repression had a silent run at Annecy Festival.  

Finnish Heta Jäälinoja won deservedly the Audience Award for a short film for her comic turn in 'Nun or Never?, while 'Sirocco and the Kingdom of Airstreams' by Benoit Chieux (Sacrebleu Productions) won the corresponding award in the Feature Animation category

The full lineup of Annecy Awards:

Short Animation Competition
Cristal for a Short Film:
'27', by Buda Flóra Anna / France, Hungary

Jury Award:
'Drijf', by Levi Stoops / Belgium

Alexeïeff – Parker Award:
 'Eeva', by Lucija Mrzljak & Morten Tšinakov  / Estonia, Croatia

Jean-Luc Xiberras Award for a First Film:
'Our Uniform', by Yegane Moghaddam / Iran

'Off-Limits Award':
'Is Heaven Blue? #2', by Menno De Nooijer, Paul De Nooijer / Norway, Netherlands

Audience Award:
'Nun or Never', by Heta Jäälinoja / Finland

Feature Animation Competition:
Cristal for a Feature Film
'Chicken for Linda!', by Chiara Malta, Sébastien Laudenbach / France, Italy

Jury Award:
'Four Souls of Coyote', by Áron Gauder / Hungary

Paul Grimault Award:
'The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes', by Tomohisa Taguchi / Japan

Contrechamp Grand Prix:
'Robot Dreams', by Pablo Berger / Spain, France

Contrechamp Jury Award:
'Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light', by Filip Pošivač / Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia

Gan Foundation Award for Distribution:
'Chicken for Linda!', by Chiara Malta, Sébastien Laudenbach / France, Italy

Audience Award:
'Sirocco and the Kingdom of Airstreams', by Benoît Chieux / Belgium, France

Graduation Film Competition
Cristal for a Graduation Film:
'La notte', by Martina Generali, Simone Pratola, Francesca Sofia Rosso / Italy

Jury Award:
'The Harbourmaster', by Mia L. Henriksen, Konrad Hjemli / Norway

Lotte Reiniger Award:
'Mano', by Toke Madsen / Denmark

TV Competition
Cristal for a TV Production:
'Pebble Hill', by Marjolaine Perreten / Belgium, France, Switzerland

Jury Award for a TV Series:
'Scavengers Reign "The Wall"', by Vincent Tsui / USA

Jury Award for a TV Series:
'Shape Island "Square's Big Prank"', Drew Hodges / USA

Commissioned Films Competition
Cristal for a Commissioned Film:
'November Ultra "Come Into My Arms" ', by Tamerlan Bekmurzaev / France

Jury Award for a Commissioned Film:
'The Beatles "I'm Only Sleeping" ;, by Em Cooper / UK

VR Works Competition
Cristal for the Best VR Work:
Red Tail, by Fish Wang

• Check the special Annecy Prizes here

At Annecy 2024, Portuguese animation will be in the spotlight. The next Annecy Festival will take place from 9 to 15 June 2024.