The Annecy Festival announced that two doyens of animation, Jennifer Lee and Michel Ocelot, will receive the Honorary Cristal, an honour rarely bestowed in the decades of the Festival’s history. The Annecy Festival will be held between 13-18 June 2022 with the spotlight on Swiss animation talents.
“The return of the Annecy Festival to its pre-pandemic state is the reason behind awarding two Honorary Cristals, one each to two exceptional personalities who have marked the recent history of animation film, on both sides of the Atlantic,” said festival’s artistic director Marcel Jean.
Lee will receive an Honorary Cristal on Friday 17 June.
“As the creative head of the near-century old Walt Disney Animation Studios, and Writer and Director of the Frozen films, Jennifer Lee is a model for all young women (and men) with aspirations of pursuing a career in animation film. Her accomplishments are exceptional in terms of scriptwriting, directing and creatively leading Disney Animation. We can confirm that there is a before and after Jennifer Lee in the way that women creators are perceived in our industry. Therefore, Annecy would like to highlight her remarkable contribution,” said Jean.
BAFTA Award winner Michel Ocelot (Kirikou and the Sorceress, Dilili in Paris) is a magician of the imagination. Ocelot will receive an Honorary Cristal during the screening of his latest film The Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess, on Tuesday 14 June.
“By creating the character Kirikou in 1998, Michel Ocelot gave the impetus needed to launch the animation feature film industry in France. Today it’s an entire community of animation filmmakers, producers and artists who are indebted to him. By honoring him today, the Festival acknowledges the role he played in the actual development of Annecy,” said Jean.
The Festival team members are preparing a 100 per cent on-site edition of Annecy Festival 2022.