The world’s premier animation festival, Annecy (and its market, MIFA), is well aware of immersive innovations. With an existing interest since 2015, the event quickly introduced several sections to host not only a Competition but also moments of reflection and the discovery of VR and then XR projects. Thus, Annecy, amidst major international studios (Disney, Netflix, Ghibli…) and a bustling market (with the number of accreditations sharply increasing over the past three years for both professionals and students), has carved out a special place among events that offer a perspective on new digital creation. Introducin XR&Games.
This year, alongside the Competition and Work-In-Progress (on the Festival side), and the Pitches and Conferences (on the MIFA side), Annecy is opening a new space dedicated to interactive content: Cette année, à côté de la Compétition et des Work-In-Progress (côté Festival), des Pitchs et Conférences (côté MIFA), Annecy ouvre un nouveau lieu autour de l’interactif : XR&Games, at the Chamber of Trades and Crafts of Haute-Savoie. This third place, just a few minutes from MIFA, will offer meetings, project presentations (non-competitive), and interactive discoveries of all kinds for an audience passionate about these innovative objects.
Discover a very immersive and diverse Annecy 2024 edition.
Competition Jury
- David DOUTEL, Director & producer, BAP – Animation Studios, Portugal
- Vanja KALUDJERCIC, Festival director, International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), Netherlands
- Maria Grazia MATTEI, Founder & president, MEET Digital Culture Center, Italy (read our interview)
A second prize has been awarded since 2022, the special Festivals Connexion prize, this year made up of :
- Matilda Tavelli (director of the Animatou festival in Geneva)
- Gaël Labanti (Artistic Director of the Annonay 1st Film Festival)
- Sarah Onave (programmer of the Maudit Festival de Grenoble)
Annecy 2024 – Official Selection – XR Competition
A selection to be found at the Bonlieu Scène Nationale Annecy, as every year (see info).
- FLOW, Netherlands, France (see our interview)
- GARGOYLE DOYLE, USA, Austria, Argentina (see our video)
- MAMIE LOU, France, Luxembourg
- MY INNER EAR QUARTET, Japan
- OTO’S PLANET, Luxembourg, Canada, France
- SPOTS OF LIGHT, Israel, Canada
- STAY ALIVE, MY SON, Greece, USA (see our interview)
- THE IMAGINARY FRIEND, Netherlands, Belgium (see our interview)
- EMPEROR, France, Germany (see our interview)
- LE TEMPS DU MONSTRE, France
Work in Progress XR @ XR&Games
All XR Work-In-Progress sessions will take place this year in the new XR&Games space (see the list & info).
ITO MEIKYU, by Boris Labbé (SACREBLEU PRODUCTIONS, LES FILMS FAUVES, PARANGON, UNFRAMED COLLECTION)
Tuesday, June 11 from 9:15AM to 10:30AM / Interior and exterior, transparency and opacity, exhibitionism and voyeurism, lightness and heaviness, feminine and masculine: all these notions either oppose or unite in the infinite cycle of a labyrinth with no way out. Japanese art is seen as if through a kaleidoscope, trapped inside fractal architectures composed of walls, frames, posts and beams in geometric latticework.
PAGNOL LE MAGICIEN, by Nicolas Cabos (WHAT THE PROD, SMALL CREATIVE)
Wednesday, June 12 from 09:15AM to 10:30AM / An inventor and trailblazer, Marcel Pagnol was always at the forefront of film technology, pioneering experiments with colour, transition to sound and shooting on location. He is considered to be a founding father of post-war neo-realism. Infused with tenderness, authenticity and universal appeal, Pagnol’s films are extremely avant-garde.
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: SILVER PHANTOM, by Kenichi Suzuki (BANDAI NAMCO FILMWORKS, Kenichi IYADOMI, ATLAS V)
Thursday, June 13 from 11:15AM to 12:45PM / Universal Century 0096. Three years after the last conflict between Neo Zeon and the Earth Federation, an independent mercenary organization is hired by the Earth Federation to track down a former Commander who joined Neo Zeon remnants “Sleeves”. An all-new and epic adventure into the heart of one of Japan’s most iconic anime universes.
GARDEN ALCHEMY by Michelle and Uri Kranot (KHORA CONTEMPORARY, THE ANIMATION WORKSHOP / VIA UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, TINDRUM
Friday, June 14 from 09:15AM to 10:30AM / An interactive audiovisual and tactile multi-user Experimentarium: a dynamic playground where music, hand-painted animation and immersive installations unite in harmony. The garden is a sensual space for contemplation, exploring human encounters as ecological acts through an immersive experience of the sublime. Knowledge acquired by one participant transfers to others and shared responsibility marks the consequences of our behavior.
TELLING OUR STORY: OUR CONNECTION WITH THE LAND, DREAMS AND SKYWORLD by Karine Lanoie-Brien, Kim Picard, Elodie Pollet (TERRE INNUE, HUBBLO IMMERSION)
Friday, June 14 from 3:30PM to 4:45PM / Un jour, Shimun, un jeune Innu curieux, demande à sa mère Manian : “Maman, d’où vient-on ?” Et ainsi débute un voyage fascinant à travers les récits des Premiers Peuples de l’est de l’île de la Grande Tortue qui racontent la création du monde.
Annecy 2024 – XR Conferences
Toutes les conférences XR se déroulent cette année dans le nouvel espace XR&Games (voir la liste & infos).
Do we need VR blockbusters?
Tuesday, June 11 from 11:00AM to 12:00PM / In search of successes that can bring the medium to the masses, XR has seen several franchises and big names develop dedicated immersive content. With Ellen Kuo (Head of Market, NewImages), Jeanne Marchalot (France télévisions), Nigel Tierney (Executive Creative Director, Yahoo).
Animation, Dance and Interactivity
Wednesday, June 12 from 11:00AM to 12:00PM / Immersive creation is increasingly defined as a hybrid, an assemblage of diverse artistic disciplines inviting digital technology to revolutionize their practice. What if interactive also meant an open dialogue between choreographer and developer, theater director and XR studio, real-time engine and physical performance? With Wenchi Su (artiste), Corine Meijers (Studio Biarritz) & Maria Grazia Mattei (MEET Center).
XR Tests the Documentary Format
Thursday, June 13 from 09:15AM to 10:15AM / Documentaries, being the more open form of non-fiction, capture the real world to bring compelling, moving and sometimes tragic stories to the screen. Virtual reality and immersive art are no strangers to these illustrations and testimonies. The XR format is totally revolutionizing our approach to documentaries, both in terms of our relationship with the public and our filmmaking practice. Avec Michelle et Uri Kranot, Rossella Schillaci.
Digital Experience Mifa Pitches
The project presentations at MIFA will take place on Tuesday, June 11, 2024, from 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM, moderated by Dennis ALME DE VISSCHER in the new XR&Games space (see the list & info).
- Kalunga, by Maria TRINDADE, Germany
- Frustrain, by Pavel PAVLYUKOV, Kazakhstan, Estonia
- The Staggering, France
- Mons Venus, by Paula ORLANDO, Argentina
- Lustration, by Ryan GRIFFEN, France, Australia
- The Origin of Blindness, by Emilia GOZZANO, Italia
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