The Violinist triumphs at Annecy

29/06/2026 – Ervin Han and Raúl García’s film scooped the Crystal for Best Feature Film while Iron Boy scored a spectacular hat-trick and Blaise claimed victory in the Contrechamp Competition

At the close of an edition memorable for the intense heatwave which engulfed France, for the inauguration of the Cité Internationale du Film d’Animation and for its array of incredibly lively debates around the use of generative AI within the film industry, the 45th Annecy International Animated Film Festival unveiled its champions, spearheaded by The Violinist by Singapore director Ervin Han and Spanish filmmaker Raúl García, which bagged the Crystal for Best Feature Film, courtesy of a jury composed of Mònica Garcia Massagué, Maïlys Vallade and Faisal Baltyuor.

Scripted by Ervin Han and Jordan K. See, and put to music by Ricky Ho and Isabel Latorre, the directorial duo’s first feature film – unfolding across a colossal 50-year period (from 1932 to 1982) – blends a moving, intimate tale with an epic war history, with the flame of music guiding the way. The Violinist is produced by Robot Playground Media (Singapore) together with TV On Producciones (Spain) and Altri Occhi (Italy), and is sold worldwide by France tv distribution.

The festival’s other big winner was Iron Boy by French director Louis Clichy. Previously honoured with the Special Jury Prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section, the film scored a hat-trick in Annecy, walking away with the Jury Prize, the Audience Award and the Gan Foundation Broadcasting Prize. Produced by Eddy Cinema in co-production with Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, Regular Production and Belgium’s Beside Productions, Iron Boy is sold worldwide by Playtime and will be distributed in French cinemas on 14 October via KMBO.

Equally attention-worthy in the main competition was the Paul Grimault Prize bestowed upon Decorado by Spanish filmmaker Alberto Vazquez, while the Contrechamp feature film Competition jury (Anna Ida Orosz, Lola Lefèvre and Suresh Eriyat) awarded its Grand Prize to Blaise (due for release in France on 21 January 2027, courtesy of The Jokers) by French directors Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guigue, and, last but not least, the Jury Prize to Japanese director Yoshitoshi Shinomiya’s A New Dawn  (co-produced by France and discovered in competition in Berlin).

The full list of winners is as follows:

Feature Films

Official Competition

Best Feature Film
The Violinist - Ervin Han and Raúl García (Singapore/Spain/Italy)

Jury Prize
Iron Boy – Louis Clichy (France/Belgium)

Paul Grimault Prize
Decorado – Alberto Vazquez (Spain)

Gan Foundation Broadcasting Prize
Iron Boy – Louis Clichy

Audience Award
Iron Boy – Louis Clichy

Contrechamp Competition

Grand Prize
Blaise – Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guigue (France)

Jury Prize
A New Dawn – Yoshitoshi Shinomiya (Japan/France)

Short Films

Best Short Film
Trace écrite – Don Hertzfeldt (USA)

Jury Prize
Dieu est timide – Jocelyn Charles (France)

Alexeïeff-Parker Prize
Les pelures d’estomac – Étienne Bonnet (France) 

Jean-Luc Xiberras Award for Best First Film
Please – Anna Mantzaris (Sweden/France/Czech Republic/Norway/Finland)

Off-Limits Film Prize
Core Dump – Alona Rodeh (Germany) 

Audience Award
Dieu est timide – Jocelyn Charles

TV and Commissioned Films

Best TV Production
La grande rêvasion – Rémi Durin (Belgium/France) 

Jury Prize for Best TV Series
Lena’s Farm “Volles Nest” – Elena Walf (Germany)

Jury Prize for Best TV Special
Le péché originel de Takopi – Shinya Iino Enishiya (Japan)

Audience Award
Les Groos – David Mirailles (France)

Best Commissioned Film
Mal aimé – Victor Caire, Lucas Navarro and Théophile Dufresne (France)

Jury Prize for Best Commissioned Film
Eco Beat – Eva Benert and Max Mörtl (Austria/Germany) 

Graduate films

Best Graduate Film
Ball Face – Laurence Thérien (UK) 

Jury Prize for Best Graduate Film
Les dernières braises – Léa Pulini (France)

Lotte Reiniger Prize for Best Graduate Film
Gently (Křehce) – Jamaica Kindlová (Czech Republic)

VR Works

Best VR Work
A Long Goodbye – Kate Voet and Victor Maes (Belgium/Luxembourg/Netherlands)

Special prizes

Sacem Prize for Best Original Music in a Feature Film
Ricky Ho and Isabel Latorre – The Violinist

Sacem Prize for Best Original Music in a Short Film
P.R2B (Pauline Rambeau de Baralon) – Dieu est timide

Annecy Presents Audience Award
Brave Cat - Gabriel Osorio (Chile)

Canal+ Junior Jury Prize
Piccolo Piccolo – Marta Gennari (France/Switzerland, short film)

Young Audience Award
Into The Forest – Antonin Niclass (Switzerland, short film)

André Martin Prize for Best French Short
Sundruð – Fan Sissoko (Iceland/France/Belgium, short film)

Arte Prize for Best European Short
Uka-uka – Henri Veermäe (Estonia)

Festivals Connexion Prize for Best Immersive Work
Voooooo—Peeeeee— – Hyeunjoo Woo (South Korea)

Vimeo Staff Pick Prize for Best Short
Creation – Béla Kling (Hungary)

Warner Bros. Animation Prize for Best Graduate Film
Le Pianiste de 12 pouces – Lucas Ansel (USA)

Midnight Shorts Prize
Eclosión – Luis Morillo (Domenican Republic/Spain)

City of Annecy Prize
Because Today Is Saturday) – Alice Eça Guimarães (Portugal/France/Spain)

Titmouse WTF Prize
You Are Not Part of the Cake – Ting-Jui Chen (Taiwan/UK, short film)
Jury Special Mention
I Have a – Rory Waudby-Tolley (UK, short film)

(Translated from French)