Annecy Festival begins, a benchmark for animation, with two films bearing a Spanish touch

The world's largest festival dedicated to animation, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, has commenced its 2026 edition in France. The event, held annually at the foot of the Alps, will announce its award winners on June 27.

This year's festival is particularly significant with the inauguration of the International Animation Film City. Located at the Haras d'Annecy, this new complex houses a museum of animated film, exhibition areas, conference facilities, and cinema screens. The aim is to establish Annecy as a global capital for animated imagery throughout the year, not just during the festival.

The opening activities, which extended into Sunday, featured notable guests such as Mexican director Alfonso Cuarón and actress Natalie Portman. French Minister of Culture Catherine Pégard officially inaugurated the new film city on Saturday, following her visit to the site.

Spain has a notable presence in the official competition. Alberto Vázquez is vying for the Cristal award with his film 'Decorado,' which previously won a Goya Award in Spain in 2025. Based on his 2016 short film, 'Decorado' tells the story of Arnold, a middle-aged mouse experiencing an existential crisis and suspecting his reality is a sham, especially after his best friend's suspicious death.

Another Spanish-linked film, 'La violinista' (The Violinist), follows a young reporter from Valencia uncovering the complex lives of two Singaporean musicians, Kai and Fei, whose dreams were shattered by the Japanese invasion during World War II. In the Contrechamp category, focused on auteur visions and discoveries, the Spanish co-production 'Winnipeg, el barco de la esperanza' (Winnipeg, the Ship of Hope) by Beñat Beitia and Elio Quiroga will compete. This film recounts the story of the French freighter, organized partly by poet Pablo Neruda, which transported over 2,200 individuals to Chile in September 1939, fleeing Francisco Franco's dictatorship after the fall of Barcelona.