C.M. Rubin Interviews Annecy Festival’s Artistic Director Marcel Jean on Animation Industry

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival would have celebrated its 60th Anniversary with a live event, including prestigious guests, parties, premieres and a spectacular program that paid tribute to African Animation. All were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In its place, Artistic Director Marcel Jean tells C.M. Rubin, Founder of CMRubinWorld, that Annecy is now ready to launch an “unprecedented online edition” that started on June 15 and will run through June 30, 2020.

Unlike live-action, animation production has not suffered the same levels of employment losses that have hit film industry production globally. The creative process does not require large groups of people to be next to each other in a studio. Rather, production can continue with people working from home. Jean tells C.M. Rubin that animated stories offer an opportunity for broadcasters. He believes “animation is a strategic programming issue.” Jean shares other predictions for the future of the global animation industry. “Technical innovation is part of the DNA of the animation industry,” he says.

Marcel explains to Rubin that despite studios and film productions laying off staff, technical innovations have become the essence of the animation industry. It even pushes the boundaries in terms of serving the creators’ visions as well as enabling international co-productions possible. Moreover, he points out how animation filmmakers will expand their horizons by exploring social issues beyond just the technical innovations.

You can read the full interview between C.M. Rubin and Marcel Jean here