Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard announces Mexico as guest of honor at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival

• Mexico was announced today as guest of honor at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival at an event in the Foreign Ministry.
• The Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Culture, through the Mexican Film Institute (Imcine), state governments and private companies, came together to make a dream come true for the national animation industry.
• Seven national productions and co-productions will participate in the animation festival, which will be held from June 12-17 in Annecy, France.

Mexico was announced today as guest of honor at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival in an event headed by Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard; Imcine Director María Novaro on behalf of Culture Secretary Alejandra Frausto; Pixelatl founding member Jordi Iñesta; Francisco Medina Gómez, Director General of the State Council of Science and Technology of Jalisco; and Angélica Lares, head of “Taller del Chucho.”

In his remarks, Foreign Secretary Ebrard highlighted the importance of supporting Mexico’s creative industry abroad: “It is great news that Mexico is the special guest; it is recognition of Mexico as a cultural and creative powerhouse and of the many individuals who have made this possible…Here you have proof of what we can achieve and, now that you have achieved it, our sole purpose is to support you, to give you the support of your government, to make common cause, to be a team. We are going to be very proud to see the flag of Mexcio, as special guest, at the Annecy Festival.”

For her part, Imcine Director General María Novaro welcomed the news, saying,  “Imcine and all of Mexico are proud that Mexican animation in all its diversity of formats, themes, techniques and origins, will be honored at the most important animation festival in the world, and that our stories help to expand horizons, conquer new audiences and strengthen ties.”

On her social media accounts, Culture Secretary Frausto welcomed the news, saying,  “The Culture Ministry and Imcine support national films and animation as a key part of this new era.”

The Annecy Festival has been held since 1960. It brings together people from all over the world who are dedicated to creating, producing and directing animated films. This year, from June 12 to 17, in addition to being the guest of honor, Mexico will have seven films in competition in various categories.

Leading members of the country’s animation and film industry attended the announcement made today at the Foreign Ministry.  Members of the Annecy Festival team also joined the discussion, remotely from France.

Animation is one of the most promising cultural industries, and there is a great deal of talent in Mexico to promote. The promotion of animated films supports and creates specialized and high-paying jobs in Mexico, especially since animators have the tools to continue growing within an increasingly digital global economy. In addition, this offers the great advantage of promoting Mexico’s culture, history and unique cosmovision around the world.

Mexico will bring to Annecy a diverse catalog of animators to promote not only a new generation of artists, but the country as well, as an international destination for investment and talent that receives productions from all over the world that want to work with Mexicans and in Mexico in the spectacular and infinite creative space of animation.

Annecy Festival Program

The official selection of short films includes Humo, by Rita Basulto, and the Mexico-Argentina co-production, Carne de Dios, by Patricio Plaza. I Can’t Go on Like This by Aria Covamonas from Planet Earth, directed by Aria Covamonas, is part of the Off-Limits Short Film Competition. The Perspectives competition section includes the films K8, by Miguel Anaya, and the Mexico-Canada co-production, Trasiego, by Amanda Woolrich.  

“El show del Dr. Gecko “Sex Gender,” by Marcos Almada, is entered in the TV Films in Competition; and the Commissioned Films selection includes the Mexico-U.S. co-production by Common Seas “Blood Type: Plastic,” directed by Diego Huacuja.

In addition, the Work in Progress section includes two Mexican projects: Frankelda y el príncipe de los sustos, directed by Roy Ambriz and Arturo Ambriz; and A Mutt’s Tale, by Bruce Morris and Alejandra García Peña.

In parallel, nine additional special programs will be presented, made up of a total of 88 Mexican short films, 39 of these directed by women and 29 produced by Imcine. These were curated by a group of seven Mexican animation professionals:  Sofía Carrillo, Ana Cruz, Lucía Cavalchini, Tania de León Young, Lourdes Villagómez, Christian Bermejo and Jordi Iñesta. Some of the short films in this retrospective were digitized by the UNAM Film Library and subtitled by Imcine to be shown in France.

These are: La persecución de Pancho Villa (1978), by Grupo Cine Sur; El compa Clodomiro y el capitalismo (1981), by Grupo Cine Sur; Juárez (1972), by Juan Ramón Arana; Paco Perico en Premier (1935), by Alfonso Vergara Andrade; Crónicas del Caribe (1982), by Emilio Watanabe and Francisco López, and Y si eres mujer (1977), by Guadalupe Sánchez Sosa.

Each of the special programs will address a different theme and offer a look at different aspects of culture and life in Mexico. The programs are:

1. Animated Mexican Archeology: Seven short films made in collaboration with the UNAM Film Library and Imcine that present a historical retrospective of Mexican animated films made between 1935 and 1982.
2. Guadalajara School: Eight short films, a sample of the work and talent of the animators from Guadalajara, Jalisco.
3. New Voices: 13 short films by emerging animators who have received specialized training in animation in Mexico and abroad.
4. Urban and suburban: 13 short films that tell stories about life in three Mexican cities: Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City.
5. Mexican television: Six short films produced by Mexico for international television channels, from recent titles to an episode of the first animated series made in Mexico in 1972.
6. Children growing up in Mexico: 12 short films about childhood in Mexico, and the multicultural environment.
7. Surrealities: The Poetic Image: 11 short films that explore the diversity of animation and pay homage to experimental artists who have challenged established narratives.
8. Untold stories: 14 short films that demonstrate the commitment of Mexican animation to denouncing structural violence, works that reflect social injustices and tell lesser-known stories.
9. Mexico on Hollywood Television: Four short films by Mexicans who have created, produced and directed their own programs for global networks, inspiring the new generation of talent.

This year, the following Mexican personalities will be judges at the Annecy Festival:

• Jorge R. Gutierrez, director of the film El libro de la vida, who also designed the official poster for this year’s festival, will be a judge for the Virtual Reality Works category.
• Sofía Alexander, an animator known for her work as executive producer and creator of the show Onyx Equinox, will be a judge for the Feature Films category.
• Estrella Araiza, Director General of the Guadalajara International Film Festival, will be a judge for the films commissioned for television.
• In addition, the jury for the Perspectives section will include three young residents of Guadalajara who work in animation and who will award the City of Annecy prize to the winning short film.