15/03/2006

Just a week after its triumph at the Oscars in Hollywood, Nick Park and Steve Box’s Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit [+see also:
trailer
film profile] won two top awards at the 8th European financing market Cartoon Movie, held in Potsdam-Babelsberg (March 9-11).

The UK filmmaking duo won Best European Direction of the year, and Aardman Animations, the Best European Producer of the year. The Bristol-based animation company, which has a five-feature deal with Dreamworks Animation, beat other contenders such as Dygra Film (producer of Spanish title Midsummer Dreams), M6 Films (producer of France’s Astérix and the Vikings [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and TV Loonland/Happy Life Animation AB/A Films (behind the UK/ Swedish/Danish co-production Pettson & Findus, The Tomte Machine).

Another major award was handed out to French company Gebeka Films, which was voted Best European Distributor of the year.

Among the 46 animated films from 13 countries presented, ten completed projects were shown, including Asterix and the Vikings, Kirikou and the Wild Beasts [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (produced by Les Armateurs) and Estonian film Frank & Wendy (produced by Eesti Joonisfilm).

France has the highest number of projects submitted (14), followed by Spain (11), the UK, Germany, Denmark and Sweden (three each), Belgium and Finland (two each) and Ireland, Poland, the Czech Republic and Estonia (one each). 480 professionals (including filmmakers, producers, buyers, investors) from 29 countries attended the event, and for the first time, 12 representatives of the interactive entertainment industry were invited to open up the market to the game industry.

Next year, Cartoon Movie – supported by the EU’s MEDIA Programme, the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, the Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Land of Brandenburg, the Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung, FFA and ILB – will be held once again in Potsdam-Babelsberg, from March 8-10, 2007.