variety

‘Breadwinner’ Among Features in Animation Is Film Festival’s First Competition Lineup

“The Breadwinner,” which includes Angelina Jolie as one of its producers, is among the first features selected for the inaugural Animation Is Film Festival’s competition lineup.
The festival, produced by GKIDS in partnership with Annecy International Film Festival and Variety, with additional sponsors and media partners Google and Fathom Events, will be held Oct. 20-22 at the TCL Chinese 6 Theater in Hollywood. The fest looks to fill a niche in the U.S. for a world-class animation film festival.
In addition to “The Breadwinner,” directed by Nora Twomey, one of Variety‘s 2017 10 Animators to Watch, other films in the initial competition lineup include “The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales” by Patrick Imbert and Benjamin Renner, “Big Fish and Begonia” by Liang Xua and Zhang Chun, “Birdboy: The Forgotten Children” by Alberto Vazquez and Pedro Rivero, “Lu Over the Wall” by Masaaki Yuasa, “Mary and the Witch’s Flower” by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, “Tehran Taboo” by Ali Soozandeh and “Zombillenium” by Arthur de Pins (another of Variety’s 10 Animators to Watch this year) and Alexis Ducord. All of the films will be making either their U.S. or North American premieres.
In addition to the initial competition lineup, the festival has also named the first members of its jury. Jurors include Variety’s chief film critic Peter Debruge, who will serve as jury chair, Warner Bros. executive VP of theatrical animation Allison Abbate, DreamWork’s Animation’s Bonnie Arnold, “Book of Life” director Jorge R. Gutierrez, film critic and historian Charles Solomon and Landmark Cinemas’ head film buyer Mabel Tam.
More films and jurors will be announced at a later date.