Posts Tagged ‘Cristal Award Annecy’

Arco (2025) Oscars 2026

Dir: Hugo Bienvenu | with the voices of Alma Jodorowsky, Swann Arlaud, Margot Ringard Oldra, Oscar Tresanini, Vincent Macaigne, Louis Garrel, William Lebghil, Oxmo Puccini | Animation 82’

Bursting with colour and lively images this French animated film is set fifty years into the future, in 2075, where electricity bills are a thing of the past: Each house generates its own energy.

But loneliness still exists in this utopia and it is one of the central themes of many films today. Iris, a lonely ten-year-old is wandering through the woods when she sees a mysterious boy in a rainbow cape fall out of the sky. This is Arco, a time-traveller who plummets into her world from his own future where crossing oceans of time is the latest craze, although not recommended for kids. Iris takes Arco under her wing and helps him recover from a traumatic journey and return to his origins where humans have moved to the sky to live in large capsules set amongst the tress. 

Nuclear families still exist over four billion years into the future. And Arco, who lives with his parents in a stylish glass bubble, defies his father and he flies into trouble. There’s a touch of ‘beam me up Scottie’ about this delightful yet complex sci-fi anime that works on two levels appealing to kids and the adults alike, rather like the Studio Ghibli fare.  

Arco has a magical connection with nature and especially birds who roost on his arms, he communicates with them by chirping, just like birds do with each other. But there not everything in this Garden of Eden is lovely. The Devil lurks amongst the bushes in the shape of three baddies in brightly coloured suits. They are desperate to find Arco and steal the special gemstone that gives him the power of time-travel. So a classic race against time drives the narrative forward in this easy-on-the eye film, a metaphor for real life, with its lush visual allure. @MeredithTaylor

NOMINATED FOR AN OSCAR 2026 | ARCO WON THE TOP PRIZE at ANNECY FILM FESTIVAL 2025 | UK cinemas from 20 March 2026

OSCAR WINNERS IN FULL

BEST FILM – ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER

BEST DIRECTOR – PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON

BEST ACTRESS – JESSIE BUCKLEY – HAMNET

BEST ACTOR – MICHAEL B JORDAN – SINNERS

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM – SENTIMENTAL VALUE

BEST ANIMATED FILM – KPOP DEMON HUNTERS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – AMY MADIGAN – WEAPONS

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY – SINNERS

BEST ORIGINAL SCRIPT – RYAN COOGLER/SINNERS 

Memoir of a Snail (2024)

Dir/Wri| Adam Elliot | With the voices of Sarah Snook, Eric Bana, Jackie Weaver | Australia 90’

This delightful Australian anime is an endearing sob story seen from a woman’s perspective and suffused with all the anguish of modern life. A tender tale of loss and alienation it soon branches out into a relatable stop motion meditation with appeal for all ages, cleverly debunking modern trends and sharing human truths with a particularly uplifting message on mental health.

Written and directed by Academy award winning animator Adam Elliot Memoir of a Snail is crafted with a grungy aesthetic that sets the scene for the birth of Grace Prudence Pudel, a sickly twin whose mother dies in childbirth leaving her a snail collection and giving the film its enigmatic title.

Grace (Snook), a bit of an oddball to say the least, grows up with her pyromaniac brother Gilbert (Smit McPhee), paraplegic French film maker father Percy (Pinon) surrounded by the snails, her beloved guinea pigs and a collection of weirdos such as James, a magistrate defrocked for masturbating in court (who makes a crucial contribution later on in the film). Grace pours out her heart to a female snail called Sylvia (Williams).

Percy’s charisma inspires little Grace to become an animator but his sudden death from alcoholism forces the twins into foster homes: Grace with a childless couple in Canberra far away from her brother Gilbert who gets a family of God-fearing fruit farmers in Perth. But her real foster mother and confidente soon becomes Pinkie (Weaver) who delivers that well-known chestnut: ‘Life has to be lived forwards but can only be understood backwards’.

In his richly crafted narrative Elliot doesn’t look for easy solutions or short cuts. Ultimately Grace must realise her true vocation and embrace inner peace. There are no magic bullets. A wry dark humour sets Memoir apart front the average anime. With chuckles aplenty and believable characters (rather than the usual cyphers) this absorbing crowd-pleaser also benefits from a strong cast and its modest running time. @MeredithTaylor

World Premiere in Competition at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 10th  BEST FILM London film festival 2024.

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