Michel Gondry opens the Annecy 2025 festival with a masterclass

The director received an honor crystal and engaged in his report to animation.

Annecy, let’s go. After Wes Anderson last year, it was Michel Gondry that the Annecy International Animation Film Festival decided to honor. After receiving a prestigious crystal (handed over by his own brother, also a close collaborator, who came by surprise), the director exchanged career for 1:30 with journalist Didier Allouch. The animation was obviously at the heart of this very “gondryesque” interview, both full of exciting anecdotes on the creation of its clips and feature films … and perfectly chaotic (Gondry kept cutting our colleague to specify his thought on the previous questions!).

We notably learned that the filmmaker was a fan of Colagol And Chapi Chapobut especially no Barapapa who in his ” Spirit was for babies. But the most nightmarish was Babarthe first, in black and white with actors in costumes. “He also admitted to prefer the craft and tinkered of his animation (made in stop motion and cuttings) rather than embarking on 3D:” It makes me sweat a bit. In addition Photoshop changes with each version. There’s something called muscle memory, guys! We can’t change like that. And for me it is a big brake in the synthetic image. Besides, I do not want to work with people to whom I will give my vision and who will take twelve days to produce something that does not suit me. The process is too long. »»

Michel Gondry spoke of his sometimes painful experiences on large American productions and the lack of consideration of producers: “ At first, we worship you. And then in fact we quickly have the impression of having only bad ideas … I had the feeling of being a kid: it is 11 p.m., we are not yet lying and nobody listens to you. »»

On Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mindof which he explains success and quality by ” A set of things that converged “, he admits to having” trouble ” Watch the film ” Because it corresponds to a moment of my life when I was in a breakup. »»

In the evening, director Joanna Quinn also received a crystal of honor and – notable change – The opening ceremony was not followed by the projection of a feature film but of five courses, whose very pretty The girl who cried pearls by Chris Lavis and Maciek Szczerbowski (magnificent hitchhiking animation) and the very disappointing Star Wars: “Black” visions of Shinya Ohira.