The Annecy International Animation Film Festival handed out its 2026 Special Awards, honouring 12 films across music, immersive storytelling, audience favourites, graduation projects and late-night oddities. From feline heroics and forest adventures to experimental virtual reality and revenge by violin, the jury cast its net wide.
Leading the musical honours, the Sacem Award for original music in the short film category went to God is shy, directed by Jocelyn Charles, with Pauline Rambeau de Baralon (P.R2B) composing its score.
In the feature category, The Violinist, directed by Ervin Han and Raúl García, struck the right notes, with Ricky Ho and Isabel Latorre taking home the music prize.
The inaugural Annecy presents Audience Award, supported by Peugeot, landed in the paws of Brave Cat, directed by Gabriel Osorio, proving that audiences have a soft spot for fearless felines.
Young viewers had their own favourites. The Canal+ Junior Jury prize went to Piccolo Piccolo, directed by Marta Gennari, while the Young Audience Award went to Towards the Forest, directed by Antonin Niclass.
French cinema also had reason to celebrate. Fan Sissoko’s Sundruð claimed the André Martin prize for a French short film, while the newly introduced Arte prize for a European short film went to Henri Veermäe’s Uka-Uka.
Animation continued to push beyond the screen as Voooooo—Peeeeee—, directed by Hyeunjoo Woo and Jiyun Park, won the Festivals Connexion Award for an immersive work.
Independent animation also had its moment in the spotlight. Béla Klingl’s Creation earned the Vimeo Staff Pick Award for a short film, while Lucas Ansel’s The 12-inch Pianist picked up the newly introduced Warner Bros. Animation Award for a graduation film.
When the sun went down, the weird got wonderful. The new Midnight Shorts prize was awarded to Eclosión, directed by Luis Morillo, celebrating the festival’s taste for bold, boundary-pushing storytelling after dark.
Rounding off the evening, Alice Eça Guimarães’ Because Today Is Saturday captured the City of Annecy prize, ending the ceremony on a warm, reflective note.
Earlier in the festival, Annecy had also unveiled the inaugural Titmouse WTF Award, with Ting-Jui Chen’s You’re Not Part of the Cake taking the top honour, while Rory Waudby-Tolley’s delightfully eccentric I Have a received the jury mention.
The special awards celebrate its broadest imagination. At Annecy, there’s always room for the strange, the stirring and the gloriously unexpected.
