Free Jimmy and Max & Co charm Annecy

by Fabien Lemercier

19/06/2007 - Christopher Nielsen’s UK/Norwegian production Free Jimmy [trailer] – the closing film of the 2006 Cannes Critics’ Week (see news) – last weekend won the Cristal at the 31st Annecy Film Festival, the most important competitive animated film event (see article).

Samuel and Frédéric Guillaume’s Swiss/Belgian/UK/French co-production Max & Co [trailer] (see news), to be released in France next February 13 by Wild Bunch Distribution, walked away with the Audience Prize, while young British filmmakers dominated the shorts category with wins for Suzi Templeton’s Peter & the Wolf and Luis Cook’s Aardman Animations production The Pearce Sisters, which received the Jury Prize.

Meanwhile, the Cabourg Romantic Film Festival (see article) presented its annual Swann d'Or to Marion Cotillard for her role in Olivier Dahan’s La Vie en Rose [trailer] (5.1m admissions in France) and to Guillaume Canet for his role in Claude Berri’s Hunting and Gathering [trailer] (2.2m admissions). Best Female and Male Newcomer went to Clémence Poésy (Le grand Meaulnes) and to Fu'ad Ait Aatou (An Old Mistress [trailer]) respectively.

Lastly, the competition section won by Mikhaïl Segal’s Russian feature Franz + Polina saw Céline Sciamma’s Cannes Un Certain Regard entry Water Lilies [trailer] (see article) take home the Youth Prize.

(Translated from French)