Honorary Guests

An Honorary Cristal for Michel Gondry…

A visionary artist and a real wizard with images, Michel Gondry has transformed the world of music videos through his work with artists such as Björk, The White Stripes, Steriogram and Daft Punk. For Marcel Jean, the Festival's Artistic Director, "Michel Gondry assumes the legacy both of Georges Méliès and Norman McLaren. His abundant creativity and innovative approach have brought hand-crafted animation back into the mainstream, as brilliantly illustrated by The Science of Sleep."
While Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind immediately became a cult film and Is the Man Who Is Tall Happy?: An Animated Conversation with Noam Chomsky was awarded the Prix André-Martin for best French animated feature in 2014, Annecy has never had the pleasure of welcoming Michel Gondry. The Festival's 2025 edition will highlight the links between animation and music videos and offer a journey to the heart of the creative process of the director of Maya, Give Me a Title. 
This visit will be an opportunity for the Festival to present him with an Honorary Cristal, in recognition of his exceptional contribution to the vitality of animation.
 

… and one for Joanna Quinn…

The Annecy Festival is thrilled to welcome and award this esteemed animation professional, Joanna Quinn. In 1986, the British animator and director made her first film Girls Night Out, which propelled her onto the international animation stage. Next, she founded Beryl Productions with Les Mills in 1987 and became a leading figure in the world of animation. Many of her films have been nominated or won awards at prestigious events, in particular Famous Fred, Britannia and The Wife of Bath were all shortlisted at the Oscars. A regular at the Festival, in 2006 she won the Special Jury Award, Audience Award and Fipresci Award for Dreams and Desires – Family Ties. In recent years, she has been producing TV commercials.
Joanna Quinn will be hosting a fascinating Masterclass where she will share her passion for drawing and animation as well as reveal the secrets to bringing characters to life.

…and one for Matt Groening

Scriptwriter, Producer, Executive Producer and Creator, Matt Groening is an iconic figure at The Walt Disney Company. Initially aspiring to be a writer, it was his ironic drawings in the comic strip Life in Hell, depicting his misadventures in Los Angeles, that put him on the map. However, his most famous work still remains The Simpsons, which he created after meeting with the writer and producer James L. Brooks. With its simple design, rapid sketches and names taken from his own family, he made it a worldwide blockbuster, even now decades later. 
However, this was not the only project he was involved in as he joined David S. Cohen to design the Futurama series, which proved to be a mega hit with science-fiction fans. Matt Groening has won 14 Primetime Emmy Awards, a British Comedy Award in 2004 and the National Cartoonists Society Reuben Award in 2002. He was also honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.

An Annecy Festival regular, we are thrilled to present him with an Honorary Cristal this year in recognition of his exceptional contribution to animation.

To mark this occasion, Matt Groening along with the two other producers of The Simpsons, Matt Selman and David Silverman, will participate in several events including an exclusive Screening Event on Tuesday 10^th June on the secrets behind creating The Simpsons, a Q&A session and a Signing Session.

The Mifa Animation Industry Award

This year, the Mifa Animation Industry Award is presented to Didier Brunner, founder of the animation production company Les Armateurs and co-founder of Folivari. A leading French film producer who started out his career as an assistant director who went on to direct documentary films. Didier Brunner then moved on to production and founded Les Armateurs in 1994. His most famous productions include Sylvain Chomet's Oscar-nominated short film The Old Lady and the Pigeons, Michel Ocelot's Kirikou and the Sorceress, and Ernest & Celestine (César for Best Animated Film and nominated for an Oscar). In 2014, he founded the animation film and series production company Folivari with his two children.

After receiving the Winsor McCay Award in 2014 in recognition of his prolific career, the Annecy Festival is delighted to present him with the Mifa Animation Industry Award for his contribution to the world of animation.

Áron Gauder, Le Campus Mifa 2025 Patron

Hungarian Director and Scriptwriter Áron Gauder studied animation at the Moholy-Nagy University of Applied Arts in Budapest. His career began in animation at the Kosmo Studio, where he worked as Director of Digital Visual Effects. His film The District!, an international success in 2005, won awards at the most prestigious festivals, including the Cristal for best feature at Annecy, and the Grand Prize at Seoul, Zagreb and Ottawa. After winning the Jury Award at Annecy in 2023 for Four Souls of Coyote, Áron Gauder will be Patron of Le Campus Mifa, this venue is entirely dedicated to future animation professionals. He will be giving a Masterclass to students from around the world who will be coming to Annecy.