#‘Chicken for Linda!’ Wins 2023 Annecy Festival

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Chicken for Linda! a French and Italian kids feature from directors Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach, has won top prize, the Cristal award, for best film at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

The 2D feature follows a mother struggling to make a chicken dinner for her daughter Linda, despite the fact that she doesn’t know how to cook and has picked a day when the whole country is on strike, making it nearly impossible to find a chicken to buy. Produced by Dolce Vita Films, Chicken for Linda! also picked up Annecy’s Gan Foundation Award for distribution.

Four Souls of Coyote, a 2D feature about Indigenous creation tales, from director Áron Gauder, took the jury prize, while Japanese feature The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes, from director Tomohisa Taguchi, took the Paul Grimault Award.

Sirocco and the Kingdom of Air Streams from French director Benoît Chieux, which opened this year’s festival, won the 2023 audience award. The 2D kids film follows two sisters who discover a passage between their world and a children’s book set in the “Kingdom of Air.”

Pablo Berger’s Robot Dreams, which premiered in Cannes, picked up the Contrechamp Grand Prix. The feature explores the friendship between a dog and a robot — called Dog and Robot — who take a fateful trip to the beach. The Contrechamp Jury Award went to Filip Posivac’s Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light.

In Annecy’s special prizes, announced on Friday, the City of Annecy Award went to Michael Faust’s Island; the festivals connexion VR award went to From the Main Square from director Pedro Harres; Tom Prezman and Tzor Edery’s Maurice’s Bar won the festivals connexion award; The Purple Season from director Clémence Bouchereau took the André Martin Award for best French short film; Erik Truffaz took the best original music prize for a feature film for his work on Sepideh Farsi’s The Siren, while Mári and Rozi Mákó won best original music for a short film for their music to Flóra Anna Buda’s 27. Directors Clément Céard and Anne-Sophie Gousset took the young audience award for To Be Sisters; the Canal+ junior jury award went to Bret Parker for Pete; and Heta Jäälinoja to the France TV Award for a short film for Nun or Never!

See the full list of winners below.

Cristal for a Feature Film
Chicken for Linda!, directors Chiara Malta, Sébastien Laudenbach

Jury Award
Four Souls of Coyote, director Áron Gauder

Paul Grimault Award
The Tunnel to Summer, the Exit of Goodbyes, director Tomohisa Taguchi

Contrechamp Grand Prix
Robot Dreams, director Pablo Berger

Contrechamp Jury Award
Tony, Shelly and the Magic Light, director Filip Posivac

Gan Foundation Award for Distribution
Chicken for Linda!, directors Chiara Malta, Sébastien Laudenbach

Audience Award
Sirocco and the Kingdom of Air Streams, director Benoît Chieux

TV and Commissioned Films

Cristal for a Commissioned Film
November Ultra “Come Into My Arms,” director Tamerlan Bekmurzayev

Jury Award for a Commissioned Film
The Beatles “I’m Only Sleeping,” director Em Cooper

Cristal for a TV Production
Pebble Hill, director Marjolaine Perreten

Jury Award for a TV Series
Shape Island “Square’s Big Prank,” director Drew Hodges

Jury Award for a TV Special
Scavengers Reign “The Wall,” director Vincent Tsui

Graduation Films

Cristal for a Graduation Film
La notta, directors Martina Generali, Simone Pratola, Francesca Sofia Rosso

Jury Award
The Harbourmaster, director Mia L. Henriksen, Konrad Hjemli

Lotte Reiniger Award
Mano, director Toke Ringmann Madsen

Cristal for the Best VR Work
Red Tail, director Fish Wang

Annecy Festival Special Prizes

City of Annecy Award
Island, director Michael Faust

André Martin Award for a French Short Film
The Purple Season, director Clémence Bouchereau

Best Original Music Award for a Feature Film
Erik Truffaz for The Siren

Best Original Music Award for a Short Film
Mári and Rozi Mákó for 27

Young Audience Award
To Be Sisters, directors Clément Céard and Anne-Sophie Gousset

CANAL+ Junior Jury Award
Pete, director Bret Parker

Festivals Connexion Award
Maurice’s Bar, directors Tom Prezman, Tzor Edery’s

Festivals Connexion VR Award
From the Main Square, director Pedro Harres

France TV Award for a Short Film
Nun or Never!, director Heta Jäälinoja