French Film ‘Arco‘ Wins Top Prize at Annecy Film Festival
Table of Contents
Arco, a French animated feature about an unexpected friendship and the fate of a world impacted by climate change, has won the Cristal for best film at this year’s Annecy Film Festival.
The feature debut of famed french illustrator Ugo Bienvenu, which premiered in Cannes and counts Natalie Portman among its producers, follows Arco, a 10-year-old boy from the year 2932 who inadvertently travels back in time, via a rainbow, to 2075, where he encounters Iris, a young girl living through environmental collapse. Their burgeoning friendship becomes a tender yet urgent bond across time, rooted in innocence, curiosity and shared heartbreak. In her rave Hollywood Reporter review,Lovia Gyarkye called arco “a considered meditation on ecological disaster within the dulcet grooves of a charming story about adolescent friendship.”
The top prize for the Contrechamp sidebar section went to Endless Cookie, a Canadian animated documentary from Seth and Pete Scriver, which premiered at Sundance. The lo-fi, frequently enough surreal feature explores Pete’s memories of growing up as a First Nations person from Shamattawa, Manitoba, touching on topics ranging from the legacy of residential schools and corporate land exploitation to systemic incarceration, interspersed with funny 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, won Annecy’s audience award for best feature.
The Annecy Film Festival, which wrapped up with a gala awards ceremony Saturday night, has become a must-attend for the international animation industry, and a tastemaker for awards season. Last year’s two big winners: Competition Cristal winner Memoir of a Snail and audience award winner Flow, both scored Oscar nominations, with Gints Zilbalodis’ flow winning the Academy Award for best animated feature.
The competition jury prize went to ChaO,from Japanese director Yasuhiro Aoki,which imagines a chaotic future Shanghai populated by hybrid beings and shifting power dynamics. The Paul Grimault Award went to Momoko Seto’s Dandelion’s Odyssey, which premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week, and follows a group of seeds as they journey across varied ecosystems, exploring the fragility and resilience of life.
The Square,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 a local traffic officer,took the jury prize of the Contrechamps section.
The winners were announced at a gala ceremony in Annecy Saturday night.
See the full list of 2025 Annecy Festival award winners below.
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
Endless Cookie, dir. Seth Scriver, pete Scriver, Canada
Contrechamp Jury Award
The Square, dir. Bo-Sol Kim, South Korea
Short Films
Cristal for a Short Film
The Night 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 Boots, dir. Pierre-Luc Granjon, France
TV and Commissioned Films
Disclaimer: This article provides news and information about the Annecy Film Festival and its award winners. It does not offer professional advice on film investment or artistic merit.
What are your thoughts on the Annecy Film Festival winners? Share your comments below or subscribe for more updates on the world of animation!
