Annecy Festival 2024 celebrates Portugal as its focus country, and it seems there's no more fitting person to express it than the Portuguese animation filmmaker and artist Regina Pessoa (Tragic History with A Happy Ending, Kali the Little Vampire, Uncle Thomas: Accounting for the Days).

It is not the first time. Regina Pessoa also designed the 2015 Annecy Festival poster.  "With Portugal as our guest country this year, it was only natural to invite Regina to design the poster for this edition", Marcel Jean, the artistic director of Annecy Festival comments.

 The Annecy Festival has been an integral part of my life for more than 30 years and many key moments in my artistic career have happened here. o create this image, I drew on my deep love for Annecy, for Portugal and its history, but also the fact that I’m a woman. Hence, a woman is at the heart of the poster’s image as a tribute to them. They are endowed with supernatural powers, these unsung, overshadowed heroines and devoted their entire lives to their families. And yet, they still sing and dance. 

In the clear Annecy Lake waters or in our Portuguese ocean, this woman represents the balance between grace and power in the face of adversity. She is both a swimmer and dancer as she sings in her long dress. A reference to the fado, an expression of the balance between exhilaration and solemnity, intertwines with red carnations, a symbol of the democratic revolution celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. - Regina Pessoa

Find all Regina Pessoa films, Ranked
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Annecy Film Festival takes place from 9-15 June 2024 in Annecy, France.

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