{"id":2936,"date":"2026-06-25T09:06:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T09:06:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2936"},"modified":"2026-06-25T09:06:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T09:06:02","slug":"genre-bending-stories-trailblazing-co-productions-head-annecys-mifa-feature-pitches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2936","title":{"rendered":"Genre-Bending Stories, Trailblazing Co-Productions Head Annecy\u2019s MIFA Feature Pitches"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tThe Annecy Animation Festival, now in full swing, offers a vibrant mix of world premieres and unique screenings aimed at animation fans and industry execs alike. For the latter, the MIFA Feature Pitches are undoubtedly a festival centerpiece.<\/p>\n

Read more \u2019Baahubali\u2019 Animated Feature Director, Producer on Taking Indian Cinema Global and Bringing Indian Audiences to Animation<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tShowcasing projects of independent filmmakers across the globe, these highly anticipated pitch sessions consistently serve as the launching pad, from Academy Award winner \u201cFlow\u201d to Michel Ocelot\u2019s \u201cKirikou\u201d and C\u00e9sar Award winner \u201cChicken for Linda!\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tFrom standout stop-motion and trailblazing projects to new cross-continental collaborations, here\u2019s a peak at five titles which stood out at this year\u2019s MIFA Features Pitches, which made the cut from the more than 200 submissions Annecy receives each year.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cPachapuriqkuna, Wanderers of Time,\u201d<\/strong> (Peru)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tMariano returns to his small town after his father\u2019s death in Siwar Peralta\u2019s stop-motion feature debut. Forgetting his bond with the land, Mariano awakens the Ch\u2019iqmi, a dark force that corrupts his people. Guided by ancestry and community, he embarks on a journey of healing and memory to restore balance.<\/p>\n

\n\tProduced by Valeria Salinas (Pachakuti) with the support of the Peruvian film development fund, \u201cWanderers of Time\u201d could become Peru\u2019s first stop-motion feature. \u201cBeyond the film,\u201d confessed Peralta, \u201cour \u2018Pachapuriqkuna\u2019 project is also a way of reconnecting with our knowledge, and remembering it in this troubled world.\u201d Working with local Amazonian communities, the team is bringing cinema, both screenings and workshops, to children and adults along the river.<\/p>\n

\n\tBlending themes of environmental conservation, Indigenous advocacy, inclusion and a respect for nature imbued with Andean philosophy, \u201cWanderers of Time\u201d also hopes to empower the local animation industry. \u201cThrough it,\u201d added Salinas, \u201cwe aim to build a sustainable stop-motion pipeline that will help us create more films, and both teach and nurture local artists, our future talents.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\u201cAnd on That Day\u2026\u201d<\/strong> (India)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tAs a kid, 10-year-old Parth shines only as he dons his superhero costume and becomes Synapse Son, a guardian of nature. One rainy evening, his parents take him to a wedding reception, where the family reconnects with relatives and friends. During the festivities, an unexpected incident threatens to change the course of their lives for the worse.<\/p>\n

\n\tAn Indian animated feature combining 2D and paper-drawn animation, \u201cAnd on That Day\u2026\u201d is currently in late pre-production stages, with twins Kushal and Kushagra Kishore bring this project to Annecy with dedication, communicative energy and dynamic shots reminiscent of 1990s superhero TV shows.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cFor us, the very essence of our movie isn\u2019t in superheroes. It lies in the fact that life as we know it is just a bunch of random events happening just one after the other,\u201d added the duo. \u201cWe try to find meaning, but sometimes life doesn\u2019t make sense. And in those cases, the only thing we can do is move forward and continue living.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n\t The team is looking for partners to help promote this universal story set in Delhi, a city rarely seen on the animated world stage.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cUncle Jo\u2019s Cabin\u201d<\/strong> (France-Belgium-Luxembourg)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIn 1967, the Six-Day War breaks out in West Asia. At the same time, Mina sends her 9-year-old daughter Lili from Tunisia to the Parisian suburb Saint-Denis. Unhappy in this forced exile, the young girl gradually rediscovers a taste for life in a bleak public housing estate, alongside her uncle Jo, by creating a garden and putting down new roots.<\/p>\n

\n\tA France-Belgium-Luxembourg co-production bringing together legacy French studio Folivari, Oscar-winning producer Take Five and acclaimed company Doghouse Films, \u201cUncle Jo\u2019s Cabin\u201d adapts the same-titled book by Brigitte Smadja. Its story resonated deeply with Catherine Blanc-Maurizi, producer at Offshore, who brought the project to the aforementioned partners and also got co-directors Maud Garnier and Marc Robinet on board.<\/p>\n

Read more Mubi to Publish Lost \u2018Faust\u2019 Bible on Centenary of F.W. Murnau\u2019s Silent Cinema Classic (EXCLUSIVE)<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe want to convey with this project the real possibility of living together,\u201d explained Garnier. \u201cVisually, we\u2019ll craft a lush, colorful film blending 2D animation, digital painting and live action reference footage to make \u2018Uncle Jo\u2019s Cabin\u2019 memorable for children and parents alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tPart of the Annecy Festival Residency program two years ago, the project has since received strong backing from the France\u2019s CNC National Film Board and already has a distributor on board for France with Gebeka Films.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cRise of Ying Ge\u201d<\/strong> (China-France)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tA one-of-a-kind Chinese-French co-production, \u201cRise of Ying Ge\u201d was presented June 24 in Annecy by director Denis Do and producer S\u00e9bastien Onomo (Special Touch Studios).<\/p>\n

\n\tThis 100-minute 2D\/3D animated film turns on Lucie, a young girl who lives in Paris Chinatown and has to accompany her parents to China to attend her grandfather\u2019s funeral. As she develops a passion for Ying Ge dance, a form of Chinese folk square dance of which her grandfather was a master, Lucie is drawn into a fantastical world where she discovers the true essence of this art, and the legacy her grandfather left behind. \u201cThe film intertwines two storylines that echo one another,\u201d explained Do, \u201cboth responding in a different way to the same issue: Lucie\u2019s grief, and her struggle to keep her grandfather\u2019s legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWith an expected budget of $11.3 million split between France and China and $2.8 million secured already in China, the team comes to Annecy looking for all types of partners to secure financing and start production by 2028.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cFactory Beyond the Hill\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tIn an isolated village, the arrival of enigmatic outsiders divides the community. Determined to understand what is really going on, two teenagers begin an investigation that leads them to challenge the invaders, their town\u2019s conformity and their own uncertainties.<\/p>\n

\n\tHelmed by animation director Ricardo Kump and live-action director Lucas Abrah\u00e3o and targeting adults and teenagers, the 2D digital features adapts of J.J. Veiga novel of the same name. Presented at Ventana Sur in 2024, the project now heads to MIFA with extensive visual development, an almost complete storyboard and the animatic already in the pipeline.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe movie is no longer an idea,\u201d emphasized Lucas Pelegrino, executive producer at Brazil\u2019s LPB Content. \u201cIt\u2019s a project I\u2019m very close to, since it brings together my love for the countryside, and for genre stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tBringing this Brazilian-Spanish co-production to Annecy, Pelegrino is looking for co-production and international partners who can help bring this story to a global audience.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cLucas Abrah\u00e3o and I are both hardcore cinephiles,\u201d added Krump, \u201cand being able to blend horror, dark comedy and an eerie atmosphere allows us to play and to adapt, making together the best film possible.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAll the 10 MIFA Feature Pitches information is available on Annecy\u2019s website, including video interviews with the teams and sneak peeks.<\/p>\n

Read more ACM Honors Event Sets Kacey Musgraves, Ella Langley, Leslie Fram and Other Country Heavyweights for Special Awards<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Five projects to track that showcase the energy of the global animation industry, from Asia to Peru.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2935,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[344,2463],"class_list":["post-2936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","tag-annecy-animation-festival","tag-mifa"],"yoast_head":"\nGenre-Bending Stories, Trailblazing Co-Productions Head Annecy\u2019s MIFA Feature Pitches - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=2936\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Genre-Bending Stories, Trailblazing Co-Productions Head Annecy\u2019s MIFA Feature Pitches - 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