Europe’s pitching and co-pro event, Cartoon Movie announced the winners of its 2024 edition’s distributor, director and producer of the year awards.
- Producer of the Year: Animagrad (FILM.UA Group) for The Forest Song (Ukraine). One of the leading animation studios in Eastern Europe, Animagrad’s first international pitching of their film Mavka: The Forest Song was held at Cartoon Movie 2017. Following its premiere in Ukraine in March 2023, the film was sold to more than 80 countries.
- Director of the Year: Jeremie Périn (Mars Express). The French director’s first feature film was first presented at Cartoon Movie 2019. Produced by Everybody On Deck, the noir sci-fi movie is set in the 23rd century and adventures of a private detective and her android partner who are hired by a wealthy businessman to track down a notorious hacker in Mars. The film opened in France last November after screening in Cannes and Annecy. It will be released by GKIDS in the U.S. this spring.
- Distributor of the Year: Eurozoom (France). Created in 1997, Paris-based Eurozoom is an independent film distributor with an extensive catalogue of European animated films, including Anca Damian’s The Island, Salvador Simó’s Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles and Jan Bultheel’s Cafard.
Voted by the 886 professionals from 35 countries attending the 26th edition of the event, these prizes recognize the companies and personalities whose major contributions in their respective fields have significantly enhanced the European animation industry over the previous year.
Cartoon Movie and Eurimages, the cultural fund of the Council of Europe also announced that this year’s Eurimages Co-Production Development Award (20,000 euros) will be given to the upcoming feature Pesta, directed by Hanne Berkaak and produced by Mikrofilm (Norway), in collaboration with Xilam Films (France) and Knudsen Pictures (Germany). The award has been created as an initiative to promote the Fund’s role in encouraging international co-production from the initial stages of a project. It recognizes an artistically outstanding animation project in its development phase.
After facing the challenging task of choosing among the remarkable animation projects pitched, the jury decided to award the Eurimages Co-production Development Award to a an ambitious artistic work, that pushes the boundaries of genre and presents an original audience approach. The jury called Pesta “a film with a clear vision and a well-balanced creative collaboration between an almost all-female team.” Set in Norway during the Black Death, Pesta tells a tragic love story between an unlikely couple: the pious noble girl Astrid and the outlaw heathen Eilev. Their paths cross as the world as they know it is coming to an end, creating a possibility for a relationship that defies societal norms.
“We are incredibly honored to be awarded with Eurimages’ development award,” producer Tonje Skar Reiersen told Animation Magazine. “European animation is enjoying a golden age with an amazing variety in terms of what stories we tell, the audience we target, the visual looks, themes and techniques. With Pesta we are breaking new ground with an exciting genre mix between romance and horror. The reception at Cartoon Movie was beyond our wildest expectations, and it is such an encouragement to experience how both our industry colleagues and the sales and distribution companies are really embracing our ambitious goal to bring this story to a teenage audience.
Most Popular Pitches
1.Rosa & Dara and their Great Summer Adventure(Czech Republic / Slovakia) – 63%
2. Rouxelle and the Pirates (Belgium / Switzerland) 61%
3. Milo (Ireland) 58%
4. Niko – Beyond the Northern Lights (Finland / Germany / Ireland / Denmark) 54%
5. Mami Fatale and the Great Cookbook (Poland) 51%
6. Balls (Sweden) 49%
6. Kaja the Great (Norway / Belgium) 49%
7. Agent 203 (Germany / Spain) 48%
8. Flamingo Flamenco (Germany / Spain) 46%
9. When Mumbo Jumbo Grew Giant (Denmark) 45%
9. Dom Fradique (Portugal / Italy) 45%
10. Twisted (France / Italy) 43%
10. Yugly (Belgium / France) 43%
10. Out of Frame (Germany) 43%
Top 10 European Co-Productions
1. The Island of Salamanders (France / Slovakia / Germany)
2. Pesta (Norway / France / Germany)
3. Yugly (Belgium / France)
4. Ogresse (France / Belgium)
5. The Defects (Luxembourg / France / Belgium)
6. Twisted (France / Italy)
7. Picasso in Royan (France / Spain)
8. Flamingo Flamenco (Germany / Spain)
8. Super Charlie (Sweden / Denmark / Norway)
9. Dom Fradique (Portugal / Italy)
9. The Treasure of the Wyrm (Italy / France / Czech Republic)
10. Into the Wonderwoods (France / Luxembourg)
Since its first edition in 1999, 467 films have been financially supported by Cartoon Movie with a total budget of 3.06 billion euros. Organized by CARTOON, Cartoon Movie is an annual forum aimed at strengthening the production and distribution of animated feature films in Europe. The event has the support of Creative Europe – MEDIA, CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée), Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Bordeaux Métropole, and Pôle Image Magelis.
You can read more about the 2024 edition of Cartoon Movie here.
