A Singapore, Spain, and Italy coproduction has claimed animation's most prestigious European prize. The Violinist, directed by Ervin Han with animation supervised by Raúl García, won the Cristal for Best Feature Film at the 50th Annecy International Animation Film Festival, which concluded on June 27.
Set across decades from 1929 to the present, the film follows two childhood friends and gifted violinists whose lives are torn apart by the Japanese occupation of Singapore and Malaya during World War II. According to Variety, it is the first Singaporean film to compete at Annecy in 15 years, produced by Robot Playground Media, TV ON Producciones, and Altri Occhi.
Louis Clichy's Iron Boy (France, Belgium) swept three awards: the Jury Award, the Audience Award, and the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution. The film, already acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for North and Latin America, India, and Southeast Asian television, follows a young French farm boy forced to wear an iron corset for a spinal condition. Clichy, a former Pixar animator, made the film as a return to 2D animation.
In short films, Don Hertzfeldt's Paper Trail won the Cristal. The 14-minute work blends 2D computer animation with animated objects and had already won the Sundance Special Jury Prize in January 2026. In his acceptance, Hertzfeldt said: "I started animating 30 years ago to make friends laugh." The festival's 50th edition drew a record 19,100 accredited attendees. Colombia was named 2027 Country of Honor.