The Annecy Animation Film Festival is holding a series of events to commemorate its opening in 2026 and the opening of a vast new research institute, including a showcase for Leica, the studio behind “Coraline” and “The Boxtrolls,” and an exhibit dedicated to Ankama (“Cross Shrike”).
Annecy is already considered one of the world’s leading animation festivals. The new hub, called Cité Internationale du Cinema d’Animation, will expand Annecy’s reach beyond the annual festival and strengthen its position as a global animation platform.
The site will open on June 19th with its first exhibition, “Ankama: From Sketch to Epic — 25 Years of Creation.” Running until January 2027, this immersive showcase explores the studio’s ‘Crossmos’ world across animation, video games and publishing, tracing its creative journey from early sketches to finished works.
Meanwhile, Leica’s CEO, filmmaker Travis Knight, will be on site in Annecy to show early footage of “Wildwood,” one of the most anticipated animated films in production. .
A year-round cultural and educational hub, the International Animation Film Center features exhibition spaces, a bookstore, and a gift shop, as well as extensive screening rooms, artist accommodation, and special areas for training courses and cultural activities. Located in a 19th-century landmark called Harras, it is set on 2.6 acres of lush gardens and a building listed as a French Historic Monument.
Michael Marin, director of the Annecy Festival and its industrial market MIFA, previously told Variety that the idea behind the venue was to “create a cultural hub like the French Cinémathèque in Paris or the Lumière Institute in Lyon, bringing together animation enthusiasts and artists from all over the world.”
Gaetan Bruel, President of the National Film Commission, pointed out that “The Annecy Film Festival is not only one of the world’s leading animation events, but also the third largest of its kind across all genres.”
“Our goal is to work with the International Animated Film Association to build on these achievements and go even further by making Annecy and the region a year-round world capital of animation,” he added.
Dominique Pousod, president of CITIA, the festival’s organizing organization, said: “The Cité is a place for today, but above all a place for tomorrow. It is a place for young people, where animation becomes a living heritage shared by all.” He added, “Animation is not a minor form of film; it is an art in itself and a universal language that connects generations.”
Education is a core pillar of Animation International Film Cité, and spaces such as Grenier à Images offer workshops and programs designed to help young audiences understand how images are made and how they interact with them.
“With the opening of the Cité, Annecy fully asserts itself as the world capital of animation,” said Antoine Armand, who described the project as a “major milestone” that will strengthen its “unique ecosystem” and increase the city’s international reach.
