Natalie Portman-produced animated feature Arco, by the first feature of French director Ugo Bienvenu, has won the top Cristal Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

The movie revolves around 10-year-old time-traveling, rainbow-child Arco. He lives in the distant future of 2932 but gets trapped in 2075 when his maiden flight does not go to plan. Ten-year-old Iris witnesses his fall and comes to his rescue, making it her mission to get him home.

The film is produced Portman with Sophie Mas under their joint Paris and New York banner MountainA with Félix de Givry at Paris-based Remembers.

The film world premiered as a special screening in Cannes, where it was acquired by Neon for North American, as well as a slew of international buyers.

Arco is the first feature for Bienvenu after short films Maman and L’entretien and comic books. His multi-awarded best seller System Preference has been translated in over 10 languages and was released by Penguin in the US, England, and Canada at the end of 2023.

Bienvenu, who studied and now teaches at France’s famed Gobelins animation school in Paris, built his production team from talent he trained and nurtured there.

In other key prizes, Japanese director Yasuhiro Aoki’s futuristic drama ChaO won the Jury Prize.

Billed as a wild romantic comedy set in a near-future Shanghai where humans coexist with mermaids, ChaO is produced by celebrated Japanese animation studio Studio 4°C, while Gkids has North American rights.

Japanese director Momoko Seto’s directorial debut Dandelion’s Odyssey won the Paul Grimault Award, previously known as the Jury Special Mention.

The movie, which follows the incredible journey of four dandelions who survived a nuclear explosion as they seek a place to take root, world premiered in Cannes parallel section Critics’ Week as the closing film.

In further prizes for the main competition, Spanish director Irene Iborra Rizo’s Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake won the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution.

Little Amélie or the Character of Rain by French directors Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han won the Audience Award. The feature is adapted from The Character of Rain, the autobiographical novel of award-winning Belgian writer Amélie Nothomb, which is inspired by her own early years in Japan.

As reported first by Deadline during Annecy, Gkids has acquired North American rights for the movie, which has also been picked by a slew of distributors worldwide.

The Contrechamp Competition celebrating works pushing the boundaries of animation was won by Canadian directorial duo Seth and Pete Scriver’s autobiographical Endless Cookie.

Revolving around the relationship between half brothers, one white and other indigenous, the movie first played in Sundance earlier this year.

Korean director Kim Bo-Sol’s drama The Square, about a Swedish diplomat who embarks on a forbidden relationship with a local woman while stationed in Pyongyang, won the Contrechamp Jury Award, previously known as the Contrechamp Jury Mention.

In the Short Film Competition, the top Cristal prize went to French director Pierre-Luc Granjon’s The Night Boots, which also won the Audience Award, while U.S. director Michael Granberry’s dark stop-motion work Les Bêtes won the Jury Prize in the section.

Cristal for a Feature Film

Dir. Ugo BIENVENU
France
Production: Remembers, MountainA

Jury Award

Dir: Yasuhiro AOKI
Japan
Production: STUDIO 4°C

Paul Grimault Award [ex mention du jury]

Dir: Momoko SETO
France, Belgium
Production: Miyu Productions, ecce films, Umedia

Gan Foundation Award for Distribution

Dir: Irene IBORRA RIZO
Spain, France, Belgium, Chile, Switzerland
Distribution: Little KMBO, Pyramide Films, Filmax, O’Brother Distribution

Audience Award

Dirs: Maïlys VALLADE, Liane-Cho HAN
France
Production: Ikki Films, Maybe Movies, Jean-Michel SPINER, Mireille SARRAZIN

Contrechamp Grand Prix [ex prix Contrechamp]

Dirs: Seth SCRIVER, Pete SCRIVER
Canada
Production : Scythia Films, Chris YURKOVICH, Jason RYLE, Seth SCRIVER

Contrechamp Jury Award [ex mention du jury Contrechamp]

Dir: Kim Bo-Sol
South Korea
Production: KAFA – Korean Academy of Film Arts

Cristal for a Short Film

Dir: Pierre-Luc GRANJON
France
Production: Am Stram Gram

Jury Award

Dir: Michael GRANBERRY
U.S.
Production: Michael GRANBERRY

Alexeïeff – Parker Award [ex mention du jury]

Dir: Rosana URBES
Brazil
Production: Planta Filmes, Letícia FRIEDRICH

Off-Limits Award

Dir: Ryo ORIKASA
Japan
Production: The Yanai Initiative

Jean-Luc Xiberras Award for a First Film

Dirs: Janneke SWINKELS, Tim FRIJSINGER
Netherlands, Belgium
Production: Peter LINDHOUT, Annemie DEGRYSE, Janneke SWINKELS, Tim FRIJSINGER

Audience Award

Dir: Pierre-Luc GRANJON
France
Production: Am Stram Gram

TV FILMS

Cristal for a TV Production

Dir: Shaddy SAFADI
U.S.
Production: One Pixel Brush

Jury Award for a TV Series

Dir: Elena WALF
Germany
Production: Studio Film Bilder GmbH

Jury Award for a TV Special

Dir: David LOWERY
U.S.
Production: Alfonso CUARÓN, Gabriela RODRIGUEZ, David LOWERY, Parry CREEDON, Lila RAWLINGS, Chris PRYNOSKI (TITMOUSE), Shannon PRYNOSKI, Antonio CANOBBIO, Ben KALINA, Brooke ZACHANOWICH, Alice SCANDELLARI BURR

Audience Award

Dirs: Théo GROSJEAN, Mothy RICHARD
Belgium, France
Production: Autour de Minuit, FKLG, Panique!

COMMISSIONED FILMS

Cristal for a Commissioned Film

Dir: Lola LEFÈVRE
France
Production: Miyu Productions

Jury Award for a Commissioned Film

Dir: Suresh ERIYAT
India
Production: Nilima ERIYAT