The sun was out for the return of a very physical Annecy festival, the most important worldwide meeting for animation professionals. The festival and its market, the MIFA, were fully booked for this week of celebration of animated works, be it cinema, television and therefore XR. Back on the Competition where 8 works were selected by Yves Nougarède and Gala Frecon.
On the side, the Annecy festival offered a very complete line-up on the market side, with a cycle of XR conferences, 7 experience pitches and 3 work-in-progress (we’ll come back to that), without forgetting the presence of companies very involved in immersive – from Unity or Unreal to the French and international regions and funding institutions.
Annecy 2022 : a real success!
Yves Nougarède – After the hybrid edition of 2021, the choice was quickly made to focus on a 100% physical festival this year. And the response from professionals is impressive: we exceeded the number of accredited attendees of 2019 (+13000 in the end), so much so that we had to freeze the accreditations to properly welcome the registrants… including in the halls!
Gala Frecon – We received 3000 films in all sections, of which 250 were selected. And the level is there. It’s the same volume as in previous years, but with works that are often longer. And for us, more hours of viewing! On the VR side, it’s the same observation: the experiences last on average longer.
Y. N. – We received 91 VR projects from 30 different countries. 8 projects were selected for the Competition, including 3 documentaries. This is an obvious trend, which also allows us to propose animation experiences in different genres. We also receive educational or museum experiences with undeniable qualities, but which perhaps have less of a place here… We can also notice the strong presence of French and Taiwanese, less American.
G. F. – Documentary is a very powerful genre, especially in animation. GOLIATH: PLAYING WITH REALITY, ON THE MORNING YOU WAKE… These are impressive experiences, with current themes that allow us to address many topics. We can’t wait to see what the jury will reward among these VR films, which are ultimately very eclectic. And we are also following what is happening at MIFA (around the work of Arnaud Miquel) in terms of future projects and discussions to anticipate future editions.
XR, a very documentary medium
Y. N. – There is a large volume of production, but as in other festivals, the average quality is decreasing. However, the competition reflects the best of the last months and allows us to propose a real panorama of today’s XR – with some producers and creators already well identified. We were also able to offer 2 world premieres: KIDNAPPING A VOSTOK, a French production that focuses on comedy, and the Italian documentary 360 AFFIORARE, which explores the lives of families in prison.
G. F. – AFFIORARE is a fascinating work that is based on live-action images, but where the addition of animated elements singularly strengthens the story. It is the will to open the selection to this type of more intimate experience. We welcome in the VR space many animation professionals, but also students, and it’s interesting to see the reactions of those who discover VR for the first time.
Y. N. – And next to that, we are very happy to find KIDNAPPING A VOSTOK which had passed by us previously (during the Pitches 2019). It is a French production, made in Annecy, and that we have been able to follow for 6 years. It is at the level of the current industry, with a lot of humor and lightness. It is a good complement in the heart of a rather serious line-up!
To Annecy 2023 ?
G. F. – Each edition takes shape around our call for projects. So we’ll have to see what happens next year when we start receiving new XR works. We have to take into account trends, do our own research, talk to distributors… Nothing can be anticipated when it comes to VR innovation.
Y. N. – Contrary to previous editions, in 2022 we did not receive any requests for LBE or installations on the Competition. Annecy is a renowned festival, but many people still don’t have the automatism to send us their projects. But we offer a lot of opportunities to present their work to the festival audience.
VR Works – Competition :
- Glimpse (2019) France, Ireland, United Kingdom
- On The Morning You Wake (To The End Of The World) (2022) France, United Kingdom
- Samsara (2021) Taiwan
- Goliath: Playing With Reality (2021) France, United Kingdom
- Marco & Polo Go Round (2021) Belgium, Canada
- Kidnapping à Vostok
- Affiorare
- Déjà-vu
Work in Progress (WIP) XR :
