For the second year running, the Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation is supporting the Espoirs de l’Animation; a competition created by the channel Canal J in partnership with the Syndicat des Producteurs de Films d'Animation, and presented a €5,000 award to the students selected by the jury.
The "Espoirs de l'Animation" contest
The Espoirs de l'Animation contest offers students from France’s top animation schools the opportunity to create and see one of their original works for children broadcast on Canal J. The challenge for 2008 is to produce a 45” – 1’ film for children aged 4 to 14 on the theme of My worst – and funniest – nightmare!
According to Pierre Belaïsch, Chief operating officer in charge of channels and programming at Canal J, "One of the ways that the channel is supporting the production of French animation is by working closely with animation schools – the incubators of tomorrow’s talent". Espoirs de l’Animation 2008 is therefore bringing together 126 students from 7 different schools around France: EMCA, Supinfocom Arles, Ecole Georges Méliès, Ecole Emile Cohl, ESAAT, Ecole Estienne and La Poudrière.
Between 12 May and 1 June, 43 films were broadcast on Canal J and viewers had a chance to vote for their favourite film on the channel's website. In addition, a €5,000 award from the Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation will be presented by a professional jury for the best film, based on current industry standards in the field of animation. The winners have been revealed during the International Animated Film Festival in Annecy on 12 June, 2008.
The movie chosen by the young TV viewers is BocoFolies by Loïc Bramoulle, Joachim Henrard, Edouard Koen and Doris Bachelier, all students at the Georges Méliès School.
"Always the same Nightmare" by Franz Kirchner, student at la Poudrière, was awarded the Jury Prize 2008.
Winning entries will then go on to be screened at the Pompidou Centre as part of Annecy à Paris, a spin-off event organised by the Centre’s public reference library (BPI), on 28 and 29 June at 8:30 p.m.
Building on the creativity of France’s thriving animation sector, the Jean-Luc Lagardère Foundation also awards a Talent Grant worth €30,000 to enable a young animator make a short film, or a pilot for a feature-length film or a series for cinema or television.
Link to the Canal J website, click here
The winner of the 2008 competition
Alaways the same Nightmare, by Franz Kirchner
(video 2008 in French)
