Annecy 2025: What is Cam Excited About?

Now that you all have read my editorial about the Annecy International Film Festival, it’s time to go into what I would personally look forward to or be on the lookout for. I’m going to break this up between regions, so that means there will be films from Japan, all over Europe, and the US/Mexico. While it’s presumed that many of these films will receive distribution, whether through streaming or theatrical channels, it’s always a good idea to check out everything that’s coming out that may tickle your fancy. If they already have distributors for the US, I will note them in their brief descriptions and include hyperlinks to their trailers (if available). Sometimes, you won’t know what you are looking for in the world of animation until you see it. 

Japan

ChaO: 2D romantic comedy from Studio 4°C by director Yasuhiro Aoki about a young man who happens to get engaged to a mermaid that looks like a koi fish. GKIDS will be bringing this film over this year. 

The Last Blossom: 2D drama from the director and writer duo of Baku Kinoshita and Kazuya Konomoto, who created the fan favorite Odd Taxi, about an elderly yakuza dying in prison as he reminisces about his life. This story is told from the perspective of a garden flower. So far, as of June 8th, no US distributor, but Anime Limited will be distributing it in the UK. 

100 Meters: 2D sports drama from Kenji Kiwaisawa of On Gaku Our Sound fame and writer Yasuyuki Muto. This is based on the manga by Uoto, who also created the acclaimed Orb: On the Movements of the Earth manga and anime. It’s about the rivalry between two passionate and determined men competing in professional 100-meter runs. GKIDS will be bringing it out this year. 

All You Need is Kill: Another 2D sci-fi action film from Studio 4°C based on the manga that Edge of Tomorrow was inspired by. It is about a woman who helps fend off an alien invasion, who, every time she dies, can go back in time. As of June 8th, no one has picked it up yet. 

Jinsei: A 2D experimental feature from director Ryuya Suzuki about a man recollecting his life and how he rose to the top, as he also faces the problems of today’s Japan, including the darker side of the entertainment industry and the deaths of young people. 

Daisy’s Life: A 2D feature in the Work-in-Progress category by legendary director Masaaki Yuasa, with his new studio adapting the novel by Banana Yoshimoto, with illustrations by Yoshitomo Nara. This film is about a young girl going through a healing process while having to deal with the struggles of life that include the death of her mother. 

The Mourning Children: Nagiko and the Girls Wearing Tsurubami Black: A 2D feature in the Work-in-Progress category by Sunao Katabuchi, the director of In This Corner of the World and Mai Mai Miracle. It is about the life of civilians during the 10th century in Kyoto. 

Europe

A Magnificent Life: The new 2D biopic drama by Sylvian Chomet, who made the award-nominated The Triplets of Belleville and The Illusionist, about the life of famed artist/filmmaker Marcel Pagnol from his childhood to adulthood. Sony Pictures Classics will be bringing out this film.

Little Amelie or the character of Rain: A 2D feature by directors Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han about the life of a Belgian girl growing up in Japan. It’s based on/adapted from the autobiography of Francophone novelist Amelie Nothomb, and GKIDS will be bringing it out this year. 

Arco: A 2D sci-fi fantasy feature by Ugo Bienvenu about a young girl who encounters a young boy…who has a rainbow suit that helps him time travel. Natalie Portman is an executive producer on this one, and NEON will be bringing it out this year. 

Dandelion Odyssey: A CGI dialogue-less feature by the director Momoko Seto about the journey of three dandelions and their venture on a new planet after they survive the aftermath of nuclear devastation on Earth. As of June 8th, no one has picked it up.

Memory Hotel: A stop-motion feature by Heinrich Sabl about a family in 1945 Germany outrunning the Russians by hiding out in a hotel while also encountering Nazis. As of June 8th, no one has picked it up. 

Viva Carmen: A 2D feature in the Work-in-Progress category by Sebastian Laudenbach, who also did The Girl Without Hands and Chicken for Linda. Viva Carmen is about a teenage boy who wants to save his young adult friend from impending death. 

In Waves: A mixed media (2D and CGI) drama in the Work-in-Progress category by director Phuong Mai Nguyen about the passionate bond between two teenagers who enjoy surfing until a tragic illness befalls one of them. 

Lucy Lost: A 2D feature in the Work-in-Progress category by the director Olivier Clert. It follows the story of self-discovery of a girl who feels like an outcast in her own family. She meets a mysterious girl who helps her on a journey to find out who she is and where she belongs. 

Fallen: A 2D feature in the Work-in-Progress category by Louis Clichy about a young boy with an orthopedic brace, who is estranged from his father. He must choose what he wants to do with his life. Does he find a path that he shapes with his actions, or does he help his father save his family’s farm from the threat of bankruptcy? 

USA/Mexico

Fixed: A 2D feature by Genndy Tartakovsky about a dog who is about to get neutered and wants to enjoy life before he gets fixed. Netflix will be bringing this film out in August. 

Elio + Beyond: A CGI feature from Pixar and directors Adrian Molina, Domee Shi, and Madeline Sharafian about a young boy who ends up getting sent into space as Earth’s ambassador to help out in an intergalactic conflict. Pixar will also be showing off future projects and films in the works. 

Zootopia 2: A CGI feature follow-up to the award-winning hit film by directors Jared Bush and Byron Howard, where rabbit and fox officers Nick and Judy return to the vibrant world of Zootopia. They must help a mysterious snake in a new case that forces Officer Nick and Judy to explore newfound locations in the city.

The Bad Guys 2: A stylized CGI feature from DreamWorks by director Pierre Perifel, where our team of “now” good guys are forced to help out a group of criminals who happen to be fans of the previously sinister Bad Guys. 

The Great History of Western Philosophy: A stop-motion animated feature using cutouts by director Aria Covamonas about an animator who must craft a film under the scrutiny of Chairman Mao. As of June 8th, a distributor has yet to pick this film up. 

Other (from all over the world)

Balentes: An artsy experimental 2D film from Italy and Germany by Giovanni Columbo, about two boys in Sardinia 1940, saving horses from death during the war. 

Death Does Not Exist: A 2D feature from Canada/France, from director Felix Dufour Laperriere, about a woman dealing with the consequences of her past actions, including a failed political attack and a comrade who comes back to haunt her. 

Tales from the Magic Garden: A stop-motion feature from the Czech Republic, France, and other countries by Martin Vandas about a group of grandkids dealing with the loss of their grandmother by telling a bedtime story full of magic and wonder. 

Into the Mortal World: A CGI Chinese fantasy feature from China by Zhong Ding about a divine young man who ventures down to Earth and meets a mortal girl who helps him try to redeem his mortal mother, who caused some catastrophic event in the past. 

The Girl Who Stole Time: A CGI fantasy feature from China by Ao Yu and Tienan Zhou about a girl from a fishing village who somehow obtains a magical item after a ship collision that helps her control time, and must avoid the hands of the creators of the contraption who chase after her. 

Another World: A Hong Kong 2D fantasy film by Tommy Kai Chung NG about a spirit guide who helps a young girl venture through a spirit world where humans risk turning into monsters. GKIDS will be bringing this film over this year.

Lesbian Space Princess: A 2D sci-fi comedy feature from Australia by Emma Hough Hobbs and Leela Varghese about a lesbian space princess¹ who ventures through the galaxy to save her bounty hunter ex-girlfriend. 

The Square: A 2D romantic drama feature from South Korea by Bo-Sol Kim about a Swedish secretary in Pyongyang, who has secretly been dating a local traffic officer who one day disappears after searching for a suspect. 

The Devil’s Vein: A 2D fantasy feature from Chile by German Acuna, who directed Nahuel and the Magic Book. It’s about a teenage girl in a small mining town who must find her brother and the gold that is supposedly hidden in her town. 

The Violinist: A 2D drama from Singapore in the Work-in-Progress category by Ervin Han and Raul Garcia that takes place in 1930s Singapore. It is about two friends who want to be violinists, as they face tragedy, war, and the challenges that life throws in their way to tear them apart. 

Even this list covers just a small fraction of what will be at the festival, and you can go to the official website to see everything that is playing at the festival. It’s a wonderful event that highlights the amazing medium of storytelling.

1. Editor’s note: who would have guessed? 😀 ↩︎