the International Animation Film Festival is maintained

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the main global event in the sector, will open as planned on Sunday June 11, three days after the knife attack which left six injured, including four children, in the city, announced this Friday, June 9, its organizers, citing the character “isolated” of this drama.

“The dramatic events that took place yesterday (Thursday) affected Annecy residents deep within themselves, France and beyond our borders”write in a press release the management and the team of the festival and the related market scheduled for June 11 to 17. “It has now been proven that this is an isolated act. Also, in consultation with the authorities and as indicated by Mayor François Astorg, the festival will open on Sunday June 11”, is added. Since his arrest on June 8, the author of the attack, Abdalmasih H., a Syrian refugee wandering in France after several years of stability in Sweden, has given no explanation for his attack. At this point, his motives seem “without apparent terrorist motive”according to the Annecy prosecutor’s office.

“Support for families and victims”

However, the organizers decided to “postpone the launch of outdoor sessions to Monday, June 12”in “sign of support for families and victims”. Screenings were initially planned for Sunday evening June 11 near Lake Annecy: The Kingdom of Naya, a Ukrainian film, and Little Nicolas, what are we waiting for to be happy, the French film awarded the Cristal d’or last year.

“The screenings of the festival will be placed under the sign of the values ​​he has always defended: sharing, solidarity and fraternity”assure its organizers, who recently told AFP that they expect attendance well above the 13,000 participants in 2022.

A dozen feature films are in competition for the Cristal d’Or, awarded on June 17. It is the Franco-Belgian production Sirocco and the Kingdom of Drafts by Benoît Chieux who will open the ball on Sunday.