Still in shock after the knife attack on June 8, the teams of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, whose opening ceremony will begin this evening at 8 p.m. in the great hall of the Espace Bonlieu, in front of the lake, will redouble their efforts to ensure that the 47th edition is as enthusiastic as possible. In any case, it is the wish of its director, Mickaël Marin, who ensures that these tragic events have not discouraged the motivation of festival-goers. The event, which will close its doors on June 17, is this year honoring Mexican animation.
Le Point: After the stupor and the dread, in what state of mind are the teams and yourself on this opening day of the festival?
Mickaël Marin: These last three days have been very tough for us, especially since we live there. We are not an organization that relocates to Annecy from Paris for the festival, we live here all year round. Our ties with this city are very strong, we take our children to this park where the attack took place, we were close by at the time of the events. We even had members of the team who prepared the installations for the outdoor screenings and who saw the intervention of the emergency services. Our enthusiasm is clearly no longer the same, but we had to ignore the drama to prepare for the opening of the festival and the market.
We received a lot of testimonials from all over the world, of support and sympathy. No festival-goer, no delegation has canceled their visit. They are all professionals who have been very attached to this event for years and to the city, which is their second favorite city. We are more than ever motivated to make the most beautiful edition possible, we owe it to the people of Annecy and to continue to promote world animation cinema, which unites us all. Every year, in Annecy, it’s like a big family that comes together. We want to make this 47th edition a moment of communion, especially with this drama, we have to support each other. When I see the diversity of nationalities flocking from all corners of the planet, whether students or professionals, when I hear all these diverse languages, it’s a beautiful response of unity against division.
Has there been talk of canceling this 2023 edition?
No, the mayor of Annecy reacted very quickly, stating that the festival would take place. The only impact is that, on this Sunday of meditation, we decided to cancel the outdoor screenings which were planned on the Pâquier [the park where the drama took place, editor’s note] this evening. They will resume tomorrow, in this place so popular with families and which is often the privileged access to the festival for the public. It’s a place that brings people together and these screenings are the perfect time for smiles to return, we are expecting several thousand people there. The 2023 edition promises to be a great success despite this context, with already 15,600 accredited people at the start of the festival (compared to 13,300 last year, a record) and 103 countries represented. Annecy is more than ever the world capital of animated cinema.
Have any special measures been taken for security?
No, we already have a high level of security with the ongoing application of the Vigipirate plan since other tragic events. We strictly follow the recommendations of the national police who work with our security referent.
