Strong Hungarian presence at Annecy Festival

Hungarian animation is set to take center stage at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, with several new projects and films by Hungarian creators selected for its official competition programs. The lineup includes student films, commissioned works, and short film competition entries, as well as an international co-production with Hungarian participation, highlighting the diversity and global reach of the country’s animation scene.

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival will take place this year between June 21 and 27. The official competition lineup has been gradually announced, revealing a strong Hungarian presence across several sections. In the graduation film competition, Bonefuzz (Csontzörej) from MOME Animation by Márk László has been selected. Meanwhile, in the commissioned films category, Máté Horesnyi’s spot created for the Friss Kakas Animation Film Days has also been invited to compete.

The short film competition, unveiled most recently, includes three works with Hungarian involvement: Zsuzsanna Kreif’s latest animation Adgwa-Ata, Béla Klingl’s short film Creation (Alkotás), and Danse Macabre, an international co-production with Hungarian participation.

Adgwa-Ata will celebrate its world premiere in Annecy. Directed by Zsuzsanna Kreif (known for Limbo Limbo Travel and the Candide series), the film tells the story of three teenage girls abducted by a tribe in the jungle to undergo a brutal initiation ritual. They are transported into a divine realm, where taming their totem animals — giant snakes — becomes a rite of passage into adulthood. The 15-minute Adgwa-Ata is a Hungarian–French co-production by Boddah, Avec Ou Sans Vous, and XBO Films. The producers are Gábor Osváth, Péter Benjámin Lukács, Aristote Douroudakis, Valentin Maupin, and Luc Camilli. The film is written and directed by Zsuzsanna Kreif, with music by Natalie Szende, sound design by Péter Benjámin Lukács, and editing by Judit Czakó.

Béla Klingl’s Creation (Alkotás) also joins the competition lineup. This poetic animation explores the process of creation and the duality of the finished artwork. In the film, a canvas comes to life as playful, abstract forms emerge, each carrying subtle, deeply human stories. Creation was produced at K.G.B. Studio. Its composers and sound engineers are Ádám Jávorka and Zsolt Hammer, with Árpád Koós serving as lead animator and Tibor Sólyom as production manager. The film had its Hungarian premiere at the Kecskemét Animation Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Digital Animation as well as the Special Prize of the Hungarian Film Critics.

Also selected for the short film competition is Danse Macabre, directed by Dutch filmmaker Hisko Hulsing, known for his work on Undone and The Sandman. The film is a four-country European co-production between Valk Productions (Netherlands), Autour de Minuit (France), Vivi Film (Belgium), and Cinemon Entertainment (Hungary), with Hungarian producer Réka Temple representing the Hungarian partner.

Set to Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10, Danse Macabre is an apocalyptic, anti-war animated vision exploring the cyclical nature of war through a powerful and dreamlike visual world. The film depicts an endless orchestra playing beneath a military cemetery, resurrecting fallen soldiers who once again march toward destruction and ultimately self-annihilation. The project stands as a strong example of international collaboration, with Hungarian creatives contributing to 3D and VFX production.

The breadth of this year’s selection shows that Hungarian animation continues to be a vivid and internationally relevant creative force. From different genres to varied formats, Hungarian works — including international co-productions — are present across several competition sections, extending the strong momentum of last year’s Hungarian focus in Annecy. With more industry professionals also expected to attend, this year’s edition may further strengthen Hungary’s profile at the festival and open new opportunities for international visibility and collaboration.