ESMA partner of the Annonay International First Film Festival

A festival committed to new voices in cinema

Created in 1984, the Annonay International First Film Festival has established itself as a major event for discovering the directors who will shape the cinema of tomorrow. Entirely dedicated to first films, the festival champions a bold and demanding vision of creativity, highlighting unique, innovative, and socially conscious works.

Fiction, documentaries, auteur cinema, or hybrid forms: Annonay is a space of freedom where emerging talents can meet audiences, professionals, and critics in a setting conducive to exchange and transmission.

ESMA at the heart of the festival: spotlight on talent

As a leading school in the fields of 3D animation and special effects, ESMA shares the same ambition as the festival: to support young creators at the dawn of their careers and to promote bold works driven by a strong artistic vision.

This partnership with the Annonay International First Film Festival is in line with ESMA’s ongoing efforts to support its students in their creative journey and promote the distribution of their films.

A special screening on January 29 at the Théâtre des Cordeliers

Ahead of the festival’s official opening, a special ESMA screening will take place on Wednesday, January 29 at 2 p.m. at the Théâtre des Cordeliers in Annonay.

The audience will be able to discover a selection of 3D animated short films made by ESMA students, illustrating the diversity of worlds, styles, and narratives developed within the school:

• Œil pour œil
• Chevalier cape nuage
• Cartagène
• Un mal pour un bien

Meeting with Fred Multier about the short film TRASH

The screening will be followed by a special discussion with Fred Multier, 3D Animation teacher at the ESMA campus in Lyon, who is also a senior 3D animator and illustrator.

He will share behind-the-scenes insights into the creation of the student short film TRASH (class of 2024): from the genesis of the project to its production, including the artistic and technical choices made along the way. The film is currently enjoying remarkable success at prestigious international festivals.

Behind the scenes of a 3D animated film

Viewers will also have the opportunity to discover an educational exhibition dedicated to “The Anatomy of a 3D Film” through the short film Swing to the Moon (class of 2022).

Storyboards, concepts, modeling, animation, rendering… This exhibition offers a complete immersion in the different stages of production of a 3D animated film. Swing to the Moon, which has broken records for awards and selections in recent years.

See you in Annonay!

ESMA invites you to come and discover this exciting festival, a real springboard for emerging film talent, and to attend this exceptional screening on January 29, with free admission.

Details of the event program can be found on the Annonay First Film Festival website.