My Life as a Courgette emerges victorious at Annecy

by Fabien Lemercier

20/06/2016 - Claude Barras’ film has won the Crystal for a Feature Film and the Audience Award; the jury gave a Distinction to The Girl Without Hands

My Life as a Courgette emerges victorious at Annecy

My Life as a Courgette by Claude Barras

The star attraction of the Directors’ Fortnight at the recent Cannes Film Festival, My Life as a Courgette [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Claude Barras
film profile], the feature debut by Swiss director Claude Barras, continues to win over audiences and has pulled off a remarkable double win at the 40th Annecy International Animation Film Festival by snagging the Crystal for a Feature Film and the Audience Award. The gentle, moving, original and upbeat stop-motion film about child abuse was adapted by the filmmaker and Céline Sciamma from the novel Autobiography of a Courgette by Gilles Paris. Produced by Switzerland via Rita Productions, and by France through Blue Spirit Production, Gebeka Films (which will distribute it in French theatres from 19 October), KNM, France 3 Cinéma and Rhône-Alpes Cinéma, My Life as a Courgette is being sold abroad by Indie Sales.

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The jury awarded a Distinction to another movie that screened on the Croisette: The Girl Without Hands [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by French director Sébastien Laudenbach. Produced by Les Films Sauvages together with Les Films Pelléas, this feature debut that was unveiled at Cannes in the alternative ACID (Association for Independent Film Distribution) programme is being sold by Pyramide International and will be released in French theatres in November, courtesy of Shellac.

As for the market, the 31st edition of the Mifa, which received a visit from French President François Hollande, came to a close with a very clean bill of health, boasting an increase in the number of accreditations (2,800 professionals – up 4.5%), the companies in attendance (1,200 – up 4.7%), buyers-distributors and investors (370 – up 1.5%) and the countries represented (68, as against 64 in 2015). Interestingly, 35 projects were presented to possible future partners.

Here is the complete list of award winners:

Feature films

Crystal for a Feature Film
My Life as a Courgette [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Claude Barras
film profile] - Claude Barras

Jury Distinction
The Girl Without Hands [+see also:
trailer
film profile] - Sébastien Laudenbach

Audience Award
My Life as a Courgette - Claude Barras

Short films

Crystal for a Short Film
The Head Vanishes - Franck Dion

Jury Award
Blind Vaysha - Theodore Ushev

Jury Distinction
Moms on Fire - Joanna Rytel

Award for a First Film
An Ordinary Blue Monday Morning - Naomi Van Niekerk

Audience Award
Peripheria - David Coquard-Dassault

Graduation films