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The Annecy Animation Festival, now in full swing, offers a vibrant mix of world premieres and unique screenings aimed at animation fans and industry execs alike. For the latter, the MIFA Feature Pitches are undoubtedly
a festival centerpiece.
Showcasing projects of independent filmmakers across the globe, these highly anticipated pitch sessions consistently serve as the launching pad, from Academy Award winner “Flow” to Michel Ocelot’s “Kirikou” and César Award winner “Chicken for Linda!”
From standout stop-motion and trailblazing projects to new cross-continental collaborations, here’s a peak at five titles which stood out at this year’s MIFA Features Pitches, which made the cut from the more than 200 submissions Annecy receives each year.
“Pachapuriqkuna, Wanderers of Time,” (Peru)
Mariano returns to his small town after his father’s death in Siwar Peralta’s stop-motion feature debut. Forgetting his bond with the land, Mariano awakens the Ch’iqmi, a dark force that corrupts his people. Guided by ancestry and community, he embarks on a journey of healing and memory to restore balance.
Produced by Valeria Salinas (Pachakuti) with the support of the Peruvian film development fund, “Wanderers of Time” could become Peru’s first stop-motion feature. “Beyond the film,” confessed Peralta, “our ‘Pachapuriqkuna’ project is also a way of reconnecting with our knowledge, and remembering it in this troubled world.” Working with local Amazonian communities, the team is bringing cinema, both screenings and workshops, to children and adults along the river.
Blending themes of environmental conservation, Indigenous advocacy, inclusion and a respect for nature imbued with Andean philosophy, “Wanderers of Time” also hopes to empower the local animation industry. “Through it,” added Salinas, “we aim to build a sustainable stop-motion pipeline that will help us create more films, and both teach and nurture local artists, our future talents.”
“And on That Day…” (India)
As a kid, 10-year-old Parth shines only as he dons his superhero costume and becomes Synapse Son, a guardian of nature. One rainy evening, his parents take him to a wedding reception, where the family reconnects with relatives and friends. During the festivities, an unexpected incident threatens to change the course of their lives for the worse.
An Indian animated feature combining 2D and paper-drawn animation, “And on That Day…” is currently in late pre-production stages, with twins Kushal and Kushagra Kishore bring this project to Annecy with dedication, communicative energy and dynamic shots reminiscent of 1990s superhero TV shows.
“For us, the very essence of our movie isn’t in superheroes. It lies in the fact that life as we know it is just a bunch of random events happening just one after the other,” added the duo. “We try to find meaning, but sometimes life doesn’t make sense. And in those cases, the only thing we can do is move forward and continue living.”
The team is looking for partners to help promote this universal story set in Delhi, a city rarely seen on the animated world stage.
“Uncle Jo’s Cabin” (France-Belgium-Luxembourg)
In 1967, the Six-Day War breaks out in West Asia. At the same time, Mina sends her 9-year-old daughter Lili from Tunisia to the Parisian suburb Saint-Denis. Unhappy in this forced exile, the young girl gradually rediscovers a taste for life in a bleak public housing estate, alongside her uncle Jo, by creating a garden and putting down new roots.
A France-Belgium-Luxembourg co-production bringing together legacy French studio Folivari, Oscar-winning producer Take Five and acclaimed company Doghouse Films, “Uncle Jo’s Cabin” adapts the same-titled book by Brigitte Smadja. Its story resonated deeply with Catherine Blanc-Maurizi, producer at Offshore, who brought the project to the aforementioned partners and also got co-directors Maud Garnier and Marc Robinet on board.
“We want to convey with this project the real possibility of living together,” explained Garnier. “Visually, we’ll craft a lush, colorful film blending 2D animation, digital painting and live action reference footage to make ‘Uncle Jo’s Cabin’ memorable for children and parents alike.”
Part of the Annecy Festival Residency program two years ago, the project has since received strong backing from the France’s CNC National Film Board and already has a distributor on board for France with Gebeka Films.
“Rise of Ying Ge” (China-France)
A one-of-a-kind Chinese-French co-production, “Rise of Ying Ge” was presented June 24 in Annecy by director Denis Do and producer Sébastien Onomo (Special Touch Studios).
This 100-minute 2D/3D animated film turns on Lucie, a young girl who lives in Paris Chinatown and has to accompany her parents to China to attend her grandfather’s funeral. As she develops a passion for Ying Ge dance, a form of Chinese folk square dance of which her grandfather was a master, Lucie is drawn into a fantastical world where she discovers the true essence of this art, and the legacy her grandfather left behind. “The film intertwines two storylines that echo one another,” explained Do, “both responding in a different way to the same issue: Lucie’s grief, and her struggle to keep her grandfather’s legacy.”
With an expected budget of $11.3 million split between France and China and $2.8 million secured already in China, the team comes to Annecy looking for all types of partners to secure financing and start production by 2028.
“Factory Beyond the Hill”
In an isolated village, the arrival of enigmatic outsiders divides the community. Determined to understand what is really going on, two teenagers begin an investigation that leads them to challenge the invaders, their town’s conformity and their own uncertainties.
Helmed by animation director Ricardo Kump and live-action director Lucas Abrahão and targeting adults and teenagers, the 2D digital features adapts of J.J. Veiga novel of the same name. Presented at Ventana Surin 2024, the project now heads to MIFA with extensive visual development, an almost complete storyboard and the animatic already in the pipeline.
“The movie is no longer an idea,” emphasized Lucas Pelegrino, executive producer at Brazil’s LPB Content. “It’s a project I’m very close to, since it brings together my love for the countryside, and for genre stories.”
Bringing this Brazilian-Spanish co-production to Annecy, Pelegrino is looking for co-production and international partners who can help bring this story to a global audience.
“Lucas Abrahão and I are both hardcore cinephiles,” added Krump, “and being able to blend horror, dark comedy and an eerie atmosphere allows us to play and to adapt, making together the best film possible.”
All the 10 MIFA Feature Pitches information is available on Annecy’s website, including video interviews with the teams and sneak peeks.
