The world's biggest international animation movie celebration, The Annecy Festival, will be held from June 9-14 in France. This year, the selection has more influence from Brazil from than any other country.

The Annecy Festival features 227 films in competition in its short films, feature films, TV films, commissioned films and graduation films categories.

"O menino e o mundo" ("The Boy and the World"), directed by Alê Abreu, is in the the feature films category. The movie is about a boy without a father who "leaves his village and discovers a fantastic world dominated by animal-machines and strange beings."

In the TV films category is "Boa noite Martha 'Tente de novo', 'Ações em alta'" ("Good Evening Martha ..."), where viewers will meet Martha, who just before bed starts pondering life while "next to her, Felipe is not paying much attention, then she drifts away. A bittersweet look at the life of a couple."

"Fuga animada," ("Animated Leak"), directed by Augusto Bicalho Roque, is in the graduation films category. The movie focuses on "an illustration" who upon being tortured by his creator "manages to open a passageway out of the paper and onto the table, escaping by means of different animation techniques."

Meanwhile, "Até que a Sbórnia nos separe" ("Til Sbornia Do Us Part"), directed by Otto Guerra and Ennio Torresan, will play with feature films out of competition, in addition to "Luz, anima, ação" (Lights, Animation, Action"), an Eduardo Calvet film.

With all these entries, could Brazil take home another Golden Crystal, the festival's highest honor? Last year, the award went to Luiz Bolognesi for "Rio 2096: A Story of Love and Fury." It is the first and only Brazilian movie to win the award.

"It happened with Bossa Nova and Cinema Novo," Bolognesi told Variety this week. "Foreigners had to announce that something great was happening in Brazil [before] Brazilians themselves sat up and noticed."

Animated films have gained popularity in Brazil; at least eight of them have opened since the end of 2012, Variety reported.

"We have the best public-sector film policies in the world," Bolognesi added. "Only France's are as good or better."

"Brazilian animation is improving in an extraordinary way, in talent, quality and technology," "Rio 20096" producer Fabiano Gullane said. "[It's biggest obstacle is] facing off with Hollywood studio animation."
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Follow Scharon Harding on Twitter: @ScharHar.

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