On June 16, 2020, Folimage was honored by UniFrance and the AFCA with the Export Prize, given in recognition of the work undertaken by the company in the area of international distribution.
Now presided by Reginald de Guillebon (Hildegarde group), the animation studio based in Bourg-lès-Valence was founded in 1981 by Jacques-Rémy Girerd. Over the decades, this animated galaxy, which combines the development, production, creation, and distribution of animated films, has been able to adapt to changes in the market while preserving its core missions. Hence, Folimage defends an exacting editorial line, looks for atypical graphic worlds, and regularly experiments with quite singular techniques. The studio favors the sometimes subtle, often imaginative, and always inventive points of view of creators. The Artists' Residence inaugurated 25 years ago, dedicated to the production of short films by filmmakers from all over the world, is a perfect illustration of this.
In 2019, the short films produced and distributed by Folimage accumulated 188 sales abroad, 207 film festival selections, and 18 awards (31 selections and 3 prizes in festivals of which UniFrance is a partner). A Tiger With No Stripes (Raùl Robin Morales Reyes), My Grandpa is Hiding (Anne Huynh), and Home Sweet Home (Chaïtane Conversat) are the studio's three leading short films tallying the most exports last year.
Specializing in 2D animation (traditional and digital, stop motion...), beyond short films, Folimage also pursues the development and production of various formats. Among them, feature films Verte (Hélène Friren) and Le Secret des mésanges (Antoine Lanciaux), TV series Les Cahiers d’Esther (Riad Sattouf, Mathias Varin) and Ana Filoute (Wassim Boutaleb Jutai), and specials Vanille (Guillaume Lorin) and Opération Père Noël (Marc Robinet).
The recipient in 2018 of the European Animation Producer of the Year Award (Cartoon Tribute), Folimage today welcomes with great honour this Export Prize. A distinction that first of all recognizes the talent of its artists, its teams, and the studio's expertise in terms of production and distribution.
UniFrance's contribution to the award:
- Free membership to UniFrance for the production company in 2021
- A grant of €1,000
- A Folimage focus on the Short Film Gallery: to honour the studio's career, 4 short films will be shown free of charge on the UniFrance website from June 29 through July 3, 2020:
- A Tiger With No Stripes by Raùl Robin Morales Reyes (Best Animation for Young Audiences, Ottawa International Animation Festival 2019)
- Home Sweet Home by Chaïtane Conversat (Best Short Film, Festival du Nouveau Cinéma, Montréal 2019)
- My Grandpa is Hiding by Anne Huynh (Special Distinction Prize Short Film, Bucheon International Animation Festival 2018)
- Northern Lights by Caroline Attia (Trickstar Nature Award, Int’l Animation Film Festival of Stuttgart 2020)
AFCA's contribution to the award:
- Free accreditation at the next Rennes International Film Festival
- One night at a hotel during the festival
- Free membership to the AFCA
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