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THE TOWN COMES ALIVE FOR THE ANIMATED FILM FESTIVAL…

18/05/2018

Every year in june since 1960, the town of Annecy, nicknamed the “little Venice of the french alps”, comes to life with the International Animated Film Festival... And the Imperial Palace hotel is a key player in this exceptional event – particularly for the International Animated Film Market.

“We’re not just involved; the festival and the hotel are interconnected,” says Géraldine Bouvier, Head of Events and Activities at the Imperial Palace. “The International Animated Film Market, or “MIFA” [the professional market held alongside the festival], organised by the CITIA is hosted in the Centre des Congrès conference space at the Impérial Palace, which is linked via a walkway to a specially-installed marquee in the nearby Charles Bosson Park. In an effort to provide an international clientele with an unforgettable experience – as well as the most beautiful panoramic view over the purest lake in Europe – the marquee extends onto a platform built directly on the water! This relaxing space certainly won’t fail to impress!”

As for the tangible changes at the Impérial Palace, “The façade is adorned with posters from animated films and series, while the reception areas, terraces and even the staff sport the festival’s colours. What’s more, the hotel’s bars and restaurants are privatised for the four-day MIFA, and transform to become unique spaces for dialogue and exchange between professionals,” says Géraldine Bouvier. “The event grows every year, and its number of attendees along with it! The rooms are reserved months in advance, and some of them are even booked for the following year while the current festival is still in full swing!”

As the event’s organisers explained during a press conference, the festival has indeed grown rapidly in recent years, and is showing no signs of slowing. The 2017 edition of the MIFA went even further, and even broke several records! Alongside this exceptional development, new features were introduced for 2017, including the opening of the market a day early, and the expansion of the exhibition space. The new setting spanned an impressive 45,200 sq.ft. thanks to the edition of a 10,700 sq.ft. upper floor under the immense marquee. This year the International Animated Film Market attracted some 10,000 accredited professionals, as well as members of the public who flocked to see the films shown in cinemas and on open-air screens. “This is one of the year’s flagship events for Annecy, and for the Impérial Palace,” says Géraldine Bouvier. “And for professionals, the MIFA is an unmissable event.

Some 100 nationalities are represented. It’s a little like the Cannes of the animated film industry,” she says. “Just like the Imperial Palace, many hotels, bars and restaurants are all booked up in Annecy and the surrounding areas. The town is infused with a festive ambiance, and you will often see festival goers wearing their badges walking along the banks of the lake, and through the streets on foot, by bike and by bus. For the whole week of the festival and the market, Annecy becomes a multilingual, international hub!” The International Animated Film Festival was founded in Annecy in 1960 and celebrated its 57th anniversary in 2017, while the MIFA marked its 32nd year and has many more successful editions to come! Buoyed by its reputation, both the festival and the market are continuing to grow, and attract new people from new countries every single year.

THE MIFA IN NUMBERS… IN 2017, THERE WERE…

115,000 admissions
10,000 accredited professionals
230 films selected from the 2,850 submitted, and more than 500 screened
29 prizes awarded
95 countries represented
11 screening rooms and 4 open-air screens
And a countless number of international journalists!

This year appointment from Monday 11 to Saturday 16 June !