Natalie Portman-Produced French Animated Film ‘Arco’ Wins Annecy

Arco, a French animated characteristic about of sudden friendship and the destiny of a world impacted by local weather change, has gained the Cristal for finest movie at this yr’s Annecy movie competition.

The characteristic debut of famed French illustrator Ugo Bienvenu, which premiered in Cannes and counts Natalie Portman amongst its producers, follows Arco, a ten‑yr‑outdated boy from the yr 2932 who inadvertently travels again in time, through a rainbow, to 2075, the place he encounters Iris, a younger lady residing via environmental collapse. Their burgeoning friendship turns into a young but pressing bond throughout time, rooted in innocence, curiosity and shared heartbreak. In her rave Hollywood Reporter assessment, Lovia Gyarkye referred to as Arco “a thought-about meditation on ecological catastrophe throughout the dulcet grooves of a captivating story about adolescent friendship.”

The highest prize for the Contrechamp sidebar part went to Infinite Cookie, a Canadian animated documentary from Seth and Pete Scriver, which premiered at Sundance. The lo-fi, usually surreal characteristic explores Pete’s recollections of rising up as a First Nations individual from Shamattawa, Manitoba, referring to subjects starting from the legacy of residential colleges and company land exploitation to systemic incarceration, interspersed with humorous and surreal interludes.

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, an adaptation of Amélie Nothomb’s novel, directed by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han, gained Annecy’s viewers award for finest characteristic.

The Annecy movie competition, which wrapped up with a gala awards ceremony Saturday evening, has change into a must-attend for the worldwide animation business, and a tastemaker for awards season. Final yr’s two massive winners: Competitors Cristal winner Memoir of a Snail and viewers award winner Circulation, each scored Oscar nominations, with Gints Zilbalodis’ Circulation successful the Academy Award for finest animated characteristic.

The competitors jury prize went to ChaO, from Japanese director Yasuhiro Aoki, which imagines a chaotic future Shanghai populated by hybrid beings and shifting energy dynamics. The Paul Grimault Award went to Momoko Seto’s Dandelion’s Odyssey, which premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week, and follows a bunch of seeds as they journey throughout diverse ecosystems, exploring the fragility and resilience of life.

The Sq., from South Korean director Bo-Sol Kim, which blends political commentary with experimental animation in its story of a Swedish diplomat in Pyongyang who begins a clandestine affair with an area visitors officer, took the jury prize of the Contrechamps part.

The winners had been introduced at a gala ceremony in Annecy Saturday evening.

See the total record of 2025 Annecy Pageant award winners beneath.

FEATURE FILMS – COMPETITION

CRISTAL FOR A FEATURE FILM
Arco, dir. Ugo Bienvenu, France
JURY AWARD
ChaO, dir. Yasuhiro Aoki, Japan
PAUL GRIMAULT AWARD
Dandelion’s Odyssey, dir. Momoko Seto, France/Belgium
GAN FOUNDATION AWARD FOR DISTRIBUTION
Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake, dir. Irene Iborra Rizo, Spain/France/Belgium/Chile/Switzerland
AUDIENCE AWARD
Little Amélie or the Character of Rain, dir. Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han, France

FEATURE FILMS – CONTRECHAMP

CONTRECHAMP GRAND PRIX
Infinite Cookie, dir. Seth Scriver, Pete Scriver, Canada
CONTRECHAMP JURY AWARD
The Sq., dir. Bo-Sol Kim, South Korea

SHORT FILMS

CRISTAL FOR A SHORT FILM
The Night time Boots, dir. Pierre-Luc Granjon, France
JURY AWARD
Les Bêtes, dir. Michael Granberry, USA
ALEXEÏEFF–PARKER AWARD
Sappho, dir. Rosana Urbes, Brazil
OFF‑LIMITS AWARD
The Graffiti, dir. Ryo Orikasa, Japan
JEAN‑LUC XIBERRAS AWARD FOR A FIRST FILM
Zwermen, dir. Janneke Swinkels, Tim Frijsinger, Netherlands/Belgium
AUDIENCE AWARD
The Night time Boots, dir. Pierre-Luc Granjon, France

TV AND COMMISSIONED FILMS

CRISTAL FOR A TV PRODUCTION
Christo The Civilized Barbarian: “Searching Social gathering”, dir. Shaddy Safadi, USA
JURY AWARD FOR A TV SERIES
Lena’s Farm: “Volles Nest”, dir. Elena Walf, Germany
JURY AWARD FOR A TV SPECIAL
An Virtually Christmas Story, dir. David Lowery, USA
AUDIENCE AWARD
Freaked Out: “Main Resolution”, dir. Théo Grosjean, Mothy Richard, Belgium/France

GRADUATION FILMS

CRISTAL FOR A GRADUATION FILM
Zootrope, dir. Léna Martinez, France
JURY AWARD
Between the Gaps, dir. Martin Bonnin, France
LOTTE REINIGER AWARD
Q, dir. Masataka Kihara, Japan

VR WORKS

CRISTAL FOR THE BEST VR WORK
Fragile Residence

Particular Prizes

FRANCE TV AWARD FOR A SHORT FILM
Pooya Afzali, for At Night time

SACEM AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK IN A SHORT FILM
Sebastian Hilli, for Dollhouse Elephant

SACEM AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK IN A FEATURE FILM
Arnaud Toulon, for Arco

PABLO PICO DISTINCTION – SACEM AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK IN A FEATURE FILM
Jean L’Appeau, for Dying Does Not Exist

CANAL+ JUNIOR JURY AWARD
Nathan Engelhardt, Jeremy Spears, for Forevergreen

YOUNG AUDIENCE AWARD
Francis Desharnais, for The Nice Annual Social gathering of the Creatures of the Moon

ANDRÉ MARTIN AWARD FOR A FRENCH SHORT FILM
Pierre‑Luc Granjon, for The Night time Boots

FESTIVALS CONNEXION AWARD FOR A VR WORK
Ondřej Moravec, Victoria Lopukhina, for Fragile Residence

XPPEN AWARD FOR A GRADUATION FILM
Jiali Tan, Haoyuan Zhu, for Received’t Be Right here

VIMEO STAFF PICK AWARD FOR A SHORT FILM IN THE OFFICIAL AND OFF‑LIMITS CATEGORIES
Michael Granberry, for Les Bêtes

CITY OF ANNECY AWARD
Justice Rutikara, for Ibuka, Justice

CITY OF ANNECY JURY SPECIAL DISTINCTION
Niko Radas, for Psychonauts

MIFA Pitch Awards

ALL CATEGORIES

CINEKID FOR PROFESSIONALS PRIZE
The Star‑Baby

MIFA – BEST PERFORMANCE PRIZE
Crocodile Dance

MIFA – ANIMATION DU MONDE PRIZE
Solar Chaser

FEATURE FILMS

SACD PRIZE
Maryam & Varto

CICLIC PRIZE
Saima – Scenes from a Midlife Disaster

CRISTAL PUBLISHING PRIZE
The Northern Star

TITRAFILM PRIZE
The Final of the Pebbles

SHORT FILMS

SACD PRIZE
A Blue Monday

ARTE FRANCE PRIZE
Kateryna

CICLIC PRIZE
Haan

NEF ANIMATION PRIZE
Very Versatile Lady

FILMVÆRKSTED VIBORG PRIZE
The place Is My Espresso?

STUDIOS ALHAMBRA PRIZE
Escucha El Río

TV SERIES & SPECIALS

DISNEY TELEVISION ANIMATION PRIZE
Pouic and Pica

PRIX CICLIC
Brune

TITRAFILM PRIZE
Beasties

STUDIOS ALHAMBRA PRIZE
The Star‑Baby

DOCUMENTARIES

EURODOC PRIZE
Ouch!

DOK LEIPZIG PRIZE
Black Diaries

TITRAFILM PRIZE
Erased

CRISTAL PUBLISHING PRIZE
Ouch!

BIPTV PRIZE
Taking part in Home

CICLIC PRIZE
Crimson Zone

IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES

WEIRD MARKET PRIZE
Damned

THE BOOSTER BY UNITED XR EUROPE PRIZE
Poems of Life

NEWIMAGES PRIZE
The Mom Tree

ANIDOX XR RESIDENCY PRIZE
DeMaré – A Sensory Journey to the Depths of the Ocean