When I think back to Annecy, the first thing that comes to my mind is the relentless heat. Despite sweaty bus rides and the constant search for shade, the festival was an amazing experience.

After the stressful process of reserving screenings, I could finally start to get excited about Annecy, having some idea of what to expect. The sheer number of screenings made it hard to choose, but I managed to fill my week with lots of cool, diverse films and workshops. What I was most excited about was «The Art of Laika», where three creative leaders talked about their work at the studio. At the end, we were given a sneak peek of their upcoming film, «Wildwood». Can’t wait to watch it!

One short film that stuck in my mind was «Ball Face». Perfectly captured how sports lessons in primary school felt. The air-conditioned cinemas made the screenings even more enjoyable, offering at least a few hours of relief from the heatwave. Sadly, I wasn’t able to watch many other films that I had hoped to see. Queuing didn’t work for me, but hopefully I’ll be able to watch them at Fantoche.

Besides hosting the biggest animation festival in the world, Annecy has much else to offer. Most importantly, the beautiful Lac d’Annecy, which reminds me of a smaller version of Lake Geneva. I always took my bikini and towel with me, hoping that I would have time to swim in the lake between screenings. One of my highlights during the week was taking a midnight swim, followed by a walk along the beach under the moonlight. The city itself is also very charming and has some amazing ice cream. I highly recommend the mango-raspberry flavour at «Melt».

My biggest annoyance during the festival was the unreliable buses. Many times, I had to run and sweat my ass off just to make it to my screenings on time. Not to mention how crowded the buses were – there was barely any room to breathe. On the bright side, 35 degrees didn’t feel that hot after getting off the bus.

Overall, the week was exhausting, overwhelming, and incredible at the same time. Despite the heat and the packed schedule, it was great fun to watch so many wonderful films and be around so many like-minded people. I’d gladly go through sweat, tears, and overcrowded buses again for animation. I can’t wait for next year!