Arco, a French animated feature about of unexpected friendship and the fate of a world impacted by climate change, has won the Cristal for best film at this years Annecy film festival.

The feature debut of famed French illustrator Ugo Bienvenu, which premiered in Cannes and counts Natalie Portman among its producers, follows Arco, a 10yearold boy from the year2932 who inadvertently travels back in time, via a rainbow, to 2075, where he encounters Iris, a young girl living through environmental collapse. Their burgeoning friendship becomes a tender yet urgent bond across time, rooted in innocence, curiosity and shared heartbreak. In her rave Hollywood Reporter review, Lovia Gyarkye called Arco a considered meditation on ecological disaster within the dulcet grooves of a charming story about adolescent friendship. The top prize for the Contrechamp sidebar section went to Endless Cookie, a Canadian animated documentary from Seth and Pete Scriver, which premiered at Sundance. The lo-fi, often surreal feature explores Petes memories of growing up as a First Nations person from Shamattawa, Manitoba, touching on topics ranging from the legacy of residential schools and corporate land exploitation to systemic incarceration, interspersed with funny and surreal interludes.

Little Amlie or the Character of Rain, an adaptation of Amlie Nothombs novel, directed by Malys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han, won Annecys audience award for best feature.

Little Amlie or the Character of Rain Courtesy of the Annecy Film Festival The Annecy film festival, which wrapped up with a gala awards ceremony Saturday night, has become a must-attend for the international animation industry, and a tastemaker for awards season. Last years two big winners: Competition Cristal winner Memoir of a Snail and audience award winner Flow, both scored Oscar nominations, with Gints Zilbalodis Flow winning the Academy Award for best animated feature.

ChaO Courtesy of the Annecy Film Festival The competition jury prize went to ChaO, from Japanese director Yasuhiro Aoki, which imagines a chaotic future Shanghai populated by hybrid beings and shifting power dynamics. The Paul Grimault Award went to Momoko Setos Dandelions Odyssey, which premiered in Cannes Critics Week, and follows a group of seeds as they journey across varied ecosystems, exploring the fragility and resilience of life.

The Square, from South Korean director Bo-Sol Kim, which blends political commentary with experimental animation in its story of a Swedish diplomat in Pyongyang who begins a clandestine affair with a local traffic officer, took the jury prize of the Contrechamps section.

The winners were announced at a gala ceremony in Annecy Saturday night.

See the full list of 2025 Annecy Festival award winners below.

FEATURE FILMS COMPETITION CRISTAL FOR A FEATURE FILM

Arco, dir. Ugo Bienvenu, France

JURY AWARD

ChaO, dir. Yasuhiro Aoki, Japan

PAUL GRIMAULT AWARD

Dandelions Odyssey, dir. Momoko Seto, France/Belgium

GAN FOUNDATION AWARD FOR DISTRIBUTION

Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake, dir. Irene Iborra Rizo, Spain/France/Belgium/Chile/Switzerland

AUDIENCE AWARD

Little Amlie or the Character of Rain, dir. Malys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han, France

FEATURE FILMS CONTRECHAMP CONTRECHAMP GRAND PRIX

Endless Cookie, dir. Seth Scriver, Pete Scriver, Canada

CONTRECHAMP JURY AWARD

The Square, dir. Bo-Sol Kim, South Korea

SHORT FILMS CRISTAL FOR A SHORT FILM

The Night Boots, dir. Pierre-Luc Granjon, France

JURY AWARD

Les Btes, dir. Michael Granberry, USA

ALEXEEFFPARKER AWARD

Sappho, dir. Rosana Urbes, Brazil

OFFLIMITS AWARD

The Graffiti, dir. Ryo Orikasa, Japan

JEANLUC XIBERRAS AWARD FOR A FIRST FILM

Zwermen, dir. Janneke Swinkels, Tim Frijsinger, Netherlands/Belgium

AUDIENCE AWARD

The Night Boots, dir. Pierre-Luc Granjon, France

TV AND COMMISSIONED FILMS CRISTAL FOR A TV PRODUCTION

Christo The Civilized Barbarian: Hunting Party, dir. Shaddy Safadi, USA

JURY AWARD FOR A TV SERIES

Lenas Farm: Volles Nest, dir. Elena Walf, Germany

JURY AWARD FOR A TV SPECIAL

An Almost Christmas Story, dir. David Lowery, USA

AUDIENCE AWARD

Freaked Out: Major Decision, dir. Tho Grosjean, Mothy Richard, Belgium/France

GRADUATION FILMS CRISTAL FOR A GRADUATION FILM

Zootrope, dir. Lna Martinez, France

JURY AWARD

Between the Gaps, dir. Martin Bonnin, France

LOTTE REINIGER AWARD

Q, dir. Masataka Kihara, Japan

VR WORKS CRISTAL FOR THE BEST VR WORK

Fragile Home

Special Prizes FRANCE TV AWARD FOR A SHORT FILM

Pooya Afzali, for At Night

SACEM AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK IN A SHORT FILM

Sebastian Hilli, for Dollhouse Elephant

SACEM AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK IN A FEATURE FILM

Arnaud Toulon, for Arco

PABLO PICO DISTINCTION SACEM AWARD FOR BEST ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK IN A FEATURE FILM

Jean LAppeau, for Death Does Not Exist

CANAL+ JUNIOR JURY AWARD

Nathan Engelhardt, Jeremy Spears, for Forevergreen

YOUNG AUDIENCE AWARD

Francis Desharnais, for The Great Annual Party of the Creatures of the Moon

ANDR MARTIN AWARD FOR A FRENCH SHORT FILM

PierreLuc Granjon, for The Night Boots

FESTIVALS CONNEXION AWARD FOR A VR WORK

Ondej Moravec, Victoria Lopukhina, for Fragile Home

XPPEN AWARD FOR A GRADUATION FILM

Jiali Tan, Haoyuan Zhu, for Wont Be Here

VIMEO STAFF PICK AWARD FOR A SHORT FILM IN THE OFFICIAL AND OFFLIMITS CATEGORIES

Michael Granberry, for Les Btes

CITY OF ANNECY AWARD

Justice Rutikara, for Ibuka, Justice

CITY OF ANNECY JURY SPECIAL DISTINCTION

Niko Radas, for Psychonauts

MIFA Pitch Awards ALL CATEGORIES

CINEKID FOR PROFESSIONALS PRIZE

The StarChild

MIFA BEST PERFORMANCE PRIZE

Crocodile Dance

MIFA ANIMATION DU MONDE PRIZE

Sun Chaser

FEATURE FILMS

SACD PRIZE

Maryam Varto

CICLIC PRIZE

Saima Scenes from a Midlife Crisis

CRISTAL PUBLISHING PRIZE

The Northern Star

TITRAFILM PRIZE

The Last of the Pebbles

SHORT FILMS

SACD PRIZE

A Blue Monday

ARTE FRANCE PRIZE

Kateryna

CICLIC PRIZE

Haan

NEF ANIMATION PRIZE

Very Flexible Girl

FILMVRKSTED VIBORG PRIZE

Where Is My Espresso?

STUDIOS ALHAMBRA PRIZE

Escucha El Ro

TV SERIES SPECIALS

DISNEY TELEVISION ANIMATION PRIZE

Pouic and Pica

PRIX CICLIC

Brune

TITRAFILM PRIZE

Beasties

STUDIOS ALHAMBRA PRIZE

The StarChild

DOCUMENTARIES

EURODOC PRIZE

Ouch!

DOK LEIPZIG PRIZE

Black Diaries

TITRAFILM PRIZE

Erased

CRISTAL PUBLISHING PRIZE

Ouch!

BIPTV PRIZE

Playing House

CICLIC PRIZE

Red Zone

IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES

WEIRD MARKET PRIZE

Damned

THE BOOSTER BY UNITED XR EUROPE PRIZE

Poems of Life

NEWIMAGES PRIZE

The Mother Tree

ANIDOX XR RESIDENCY PRIZE

DeMar A Sensory Journey to the Depths of the Ocean