Singapore Period Drama ‘The Violinist’ Wins Annecy
The Violinist, a hand-drawn feature from Singapore, has won the Cristal Award for best film at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
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The period drama from directors Ervin Han and Raúl García traces the history of Singapore and Malaya, from 1929 to the present, as it follows two childhood friends, both gifted violinists, who lives are torn apart by war and the Japanese occupation.
The film is the first Singaporean feature to play in competition at Annecy. The Violinist was produced by Singapore’s Robot Playground Media, with TV ON Producciones in Spain, and Italy’s Altri Occhi. France tv distribution is handling worldwide sales.
Annecy’s Jury Award, as well as the Audience prize, went to Iron Boy, the debut feature from French animator Louis Clichy, who previously worked on Pixar hits Wall-E and Up.
The film follows Christophe, an 11-year-old boy growing up on a struggling farm in rural France in the 1980s. Making matters worse, Christophe has a spinal condition that requires him to wear a massive metal back brace 24/7, turning him into a pre-teen metal monster. Iron Boy premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar, where it was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics.
The top honor, the Grande Prix, for best film in Annecy’s Contrechamp sidebar section, went to Blaise, an off-beat dramedy from French directors Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guigue, a feature length extension of their Arte TV series. The quirky feature, about a shy 16-year-old and his dysfunctional family, unveiled in Cannes’ ACID line-up this year. Produced by KG Productions, Blaise is being sold worldwide by Best Friend Forever.
The Contrechamp Jury Award went to A New Dawn, a visually striking anime from director Yoshitoshi Shinomiya, which premiered in Berlin earlier this year.
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The Cristal for best television production went to pre-school show The Great Dreamscape from French director Rémi Durin. Takopi’s Original Sin from Japan’s Shinya Iino won the Jury Award for best series and the audience award went to hand drawn French series The Broos from director David Mirailles.
The awards were handed out at a ceremony in Annecy Saturday night. The festivities took a sombre turn when festival artistic director Marcel Jean paid tribute to Luis de la Rosa, a Mexican illustrator and animator who worked on such features as Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Space Jam: A New Legacy, who was killed in a train accident in Annecy Wednesday evening.
Full list of 2026 Annecy Winners below.
Cristal Award for Best Feature Film
The Violinist (La Violonista), directors: Ervin Han, Raúl García, Singapore, Spain, Italy
Jury Award
Iron Boy, directors: Louis Clichy, Eddy, France, Belgium
Paul Grimault Award
Decorado, director: Alberto Vázquez, Spain
Contrechamp Grand Prix
Blaise, directors: Dimitri Planchon, Jean-Paul Guigue, France
Contrechamp Jury Award
A New Dawn, director: Yoshitoshi Shinomiya, Japan, France
Gan Foundation Award for Distribution
Iron Boy, directors: Louis Clichy, Eddy, France, Belgium
Short Film Cristal
Paper Trail, director: Don Hertzfeldt, United States
Short Film Jury Award
God Is Shy, director: Jocelyn Charles, France
Jean-Luc Xiberras Award for a First Film
Please, director: Anna Mantzaris, Sweden, France, Czech Republic, Norway, Finland
Off-Limits Award
Core Dump, director: Alona Rodeh, Germany
Audience Award for a Feature Film
Iron Boy, directors: Louis Clichy, Eddy, France, Belgium
Audience Award for a Short Film
God Is Shy, director: Jocelyn Charles, France
Cristal Award, TV Production
The Great Dreamscape, director: Rémi Durin, Belgium, France
Jury Award, TV Series
Takopi’s Original Sin, director: Shinya Iino, Japan
TV Jury Award, TV Special
Song of the Storms, director: Caroline Attia, France, Belgium
Audience Award, TV Production
The Broos, director: David Mirailles, France
Cristal Award, Commissioned Film
Unloved, directors: Victor Caire, Lucas Navarro, Théophile Dufresne, France
Jury Award, Commissioned Film
Eco Beat, directors: Eva Bienert, Max Mörtl, Austria, Germany
Lotte Reiniger Award
Gently, director: Jamaica Kindlová, Czech Republic
Jury Award, Graduation Film
Dying Embers, director: Léa Pulini, France
Cristal Award, Graduation Film
Ball Face, director: Laurence Thérien, United Kingdom
Cristal Award, Best Immersive Work
A Long Goodbye, directors: Kate Voet, Victor Maes, Belgium, Luxembourg, Netherlands
