That Dutch animation is on the rise I described here before. And as I look around this week at the animation festival in Annecy, France, I think it would be nice to see how our animation filmmakers and producers present themselves here. Especially since Annecy is considered the most important event worldwide in this sector. 'The Cannes of animation film' I hear it called several times.
First of all, the films. Five Dutch animation films have been selected for various sections, and that is certainly not bad. Plus, sadly, another small tribute to the recently deceased Rosto, one of our most idiosyncratic talents in this field.
Proud
Something to be modestly proud of is the selection of Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles for the competition of feature-length animation films. Modestly, as it is a Spanish-Dutch co-production. The honour, of course, goes mainly to Spanish directors Salvador Simo and Manolo Galiana. They cast this docudrama about the adventures of the still young surrealist Bunuel in a sober but realistically drawn animation form. And added historical footage from Bunuel's harrowing, and in Spain initially banned documentary Las hurdes to. Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles is certainly not the least in the league.
Inspiration
Completely out of its own house though Intermission Expedition by Wiep Teeuwisse, selected for the competition short. Drawn as minimalist yet expressive figures, tourists arrive in a rather desolate landscape where they initially cling to their fixed habits. Teeuwisse likes to draw only what is necessary, she tells me at the traditional Dutch drinks during the festival. A lot drawn herself too and all on paper. The real handiwork. Three years ago, she received an award for this Depart at 22. She is mainly going to see a lot of short and hopefully exciting work here. It is nice to have so many people walking around, but she is not a networker. She is more there for inspiration.
Also in competition (in the TV section) is an episode of Fox and Hare, a series for young children from producer Submarine and directed by Tom van Gestel and Mascha Halberstad. Heartwarming, and definitely not sweet. Halberstad thinks it's important to be here, especially also because work is underway on a feature-length film of Fox and Hare. This will be a Belgian-Dutch-Luxembourg co-production, with a French distributor. Here, all parties can get to know each other better. The series has since been sold to Canal+.
Flow by the usually very abstract Adriaan Lokman is not in a competition, but is being screened along with three other titles as a special event. In Flow, Lokman has depicted life as a kind of fluid, continuous flow. A wondrous immersion.
Finally, in the competition commissioned films Fraud 'Dieselgate' By Roman Klochkov and Anna Heuninck.
Entertainment market
I have already touched on it: Annecy is not just a busy public festival. For the creators and producers who flock here in large numbers, the market section, the MIFA is at least as important. A beehive full of people from the animation industry. All countries doing something in the field of animation can be found here.
To give the Netherlands a face at MIFA, Eye, the Film Fund and Animation Producers Netherlands (ApN) have set up a stand here. When I walk there, ApN chairman Ton Crone does the honours. According to him, this is the pre-eminent meeting place where potential co-producers, makers and also students can get information about what the Netherlands has to offer in terms of talent and funding. Deals are often struck in the corridors or on the terrace of the neighbouring Hotel Imperial.
Lisa Linde Nieveld of Eye International had earlier explained to me that MIFA is so important because the entire industry worldwide is here. And despite all the modern communication, it is still important to meet face to face.
Soon, a delegation from the Polish Film Fund will visit the stand to exchange experiences with the Dutch Film Fund. This in turn could lead to co-productions.
Base of operations
The stand is also the base, so to speak, for the eight Dutch animation producers present. For instance, I happen to meet Richard Valk, producer of Flow and Intermission Expedition. Here, among other things, he is looking for a co-producer on a new film by recent graduate Robert Jonathan Koeyers, who may start work with a so-called Wildcard from the Film Fund.
Another producer dropping by is Ton Roosendaal of Blender, the company that not only produces animated films, but is also creating a furore with an open-source animation software package. The package is free; for extras and support, users can take out a subscription. Roosendaal is here mainly to strengthen contacts with those users and update them. He proudly reports that it is also popular in China. Nice also that I Lost My Body, one of the festival's favourites, was made with Blender.
Jolande Junte of Phanta Animation, whom I speak to later, also stresses the importance of everyone being here. She herself has Miss Moxy under its belt. Development is well underway and funding is going well. There have already been pitches at Cinekid and Cartoon Movie markets in Bordeaux, among others. In Annecy, she has had good talks with a sales agent to find distributors. Knitting a production like this around is not something you only do at MIFA. It is a longer-running process. Contacts are made in different markets and building blocks are provided so that the result grows slowly.
Miss Moxy is its own production, but it can also step in if a foreign producer seeks a co-producer. That is likely to happen with Gus, a Spanish film about a guide dog.
Netflix
Another major Dutch company is Submarine, producer of Fox and Hare and co-producer of Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles. Submarine contributor Milo Cremer says that from the NPO programme Cats dubbed an English version that Submarine is presenting to foreign TV channels here. There are also ideas for series aimed at young viewers that Submarine is bringing to the attention of Netflix and Disney+.
Janneke Kerkhof, line producer at Submarine, explains that you can try to pitch a new project to media companies like Netflix or Apple. If you have such a global deal lock you up in one go. Another way is to find one or more co-producers who each bring in their own funding. With animation, it is useful to involve several studios anyway, to divide the work.
The reverse is also happening. Kerkhof met today with a Polish producer to see if future cooperation is possible. It's all a matter of building relationships, planting seeds and waiting for the right moment.
Good to know
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