The UK Pavilion was brought to life by Animation UK and supported by the British Film Institute, the Department for Business and Trade, Film London, Creative Wales, Northern Ireland Screen and Screen Scotland.
This year’s stand was titled “Animated UK: Creating New Worlds” and it was brought to life by Animation UK and powered by the British Film Institute, with National Lottery funding. Additional support was provided by the Department for Business and Trade, Film London, Creative Wales, Northern Ireland Screen and Screen Scotland.
Nestled in the heart of MIFA, the UK Pavilion served as a hub for delegates and offered UK animation companies a space to host meetings and receptions, while being surrounded by panels featuring some of the outstanding work our sector has created over the past year. More than 360 meetings were held in the space.
Last year saw our animation sector produce crafted features, captivating TV series and innovative short forms, which all highlighted the UK’s globally acclaimed creativity, technological prowess and the art of storytelling. A total of eighteen UK productions were shortlisted at this year’s Annecy Festival competition, with Em Cooper’s The Beatles “I’m Only Sleeping” receiving the Jury Award for a Commissioned Film. See the full list at the end of the recap.
Over the course of the week, Animation UK participated in many events, including Lupus Films’ reception at the UK Pavilion, which celebrated their recent Annecy-shortlisted release, Kensuke’s Kingdom. We also attended other events, including our breakfast with Animation Ireland, Animation Scotland’s reception and our member Magic Light Pictures’ 20th anniversary celebration.
At the stand, representatives from all of our partners were in attendance, with each showcasing the strengths and spectacular works of their nations and organisations. Liz Brion from Grant Thorton and Christopher Halliday from the BFI’s Certification Unit also offered great insight into the UK’s audio-visual expenditure credit in one-on-one meetings with the delegates.
To wrap up the week, Animation UK hosted our own reception on the Thursday, which was attended by more than a hundred people. Blessed with great weather all week round, the evening spilled out onto our terrace, where we enjoyed the last bits of sunshine with our drinks and engaging conversations, and celebrated the end of the festival.
We would like to thank all of our partners and sponsors for their support, and the MIFA team and our fellow delegates for hosting such a wonderful week. We look forward to seeing you all again from 9-15 June at Annecy next year!
UK films in competition at Annecy 2023
In the Short Films category, Tom CJ Brown’s Christopher at Sea; Joseph Wallace’s Salvation Has No Name; Jenny Jokela’s Sweet Like Lemons; Saul Freed and Karni Arieli’s Wild Summon; and Stephen Irwin’s World to Roam were nominated. In the Feature Film category, Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry’s Kensuke’s Kingdom was nominated.
In the TV Films category, Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared “Family”, directed by Becky Sloan, Joseph Pelling and Baker Terry; Lloyd of the Flies “The Wasp Sting”, directed by Matthew Walker and Jane Davies; and The Sound Collector “Panning for Sound”, directed by Chris Tichborne and Barry J. C. Purves, were nominated, with the latter two headed by member companies Aardman Animations and Eagle Vs Bat, respectively.
In the Commissioned Films category, Jeanette Norgaard’s Google “Heroes of Small Business: Casa Botín”; Jamie Hewlett and Fx Goby’s Gorillaz “Silent Running”; François Rousselet’s Pharrell feat. 21 Savage & Tyler, The Creator “Cash In Cash Out”; Yannis Konstantinidis and Christos Lefakis’ WWF “A Flammable Planet”; and Em Cooper’s The Beatles “I’m Only Sleeping” were nominated. Em Cooper’s project received the Jury Award for a Commissioned Film.
In the Perspectives Short Film category, Ao Chen’s Bai and Andrés Alejandro Bartos Amory and Lucija Stojevic’s Lost at Sea were nominated. In the Graduation Films category, Beth Walker’s Beneath was nominated. And finally, in the VR Works category, David Adler and Ole Bornedal’s Shadow was nominated.
