Great year for Finnish animation at Annecy
Three Finnish shorts are in different competition section. For the first time ever, a Finnish feature film is also in the program.
Image: Dollhouse Elephant / Jenny Jokela, Böhle Studios
Annecy Festival in France is one of the biggest animation events in the world. This year, over 3,900 films were submitted from over 100 countries.
Jenny Jokela’s Dollhouse Elephant is in the Official Competition for short films. It explores individual desires in a communal environment. The film follows the daily lives of a group of neighbours, and how their private habits and perks create public mayhem.
Dollhouse Elephant is produced by Jani Lehto for Böhle Studios, known for their festival hits Nun or Never! and Flower Show.
Anima Vitae
The feature animation Fleak will screen in the Annecy Presents section, out of competition. It is the first Finnish feature film in Annecy. Fleak is directed by Jens Møller and produced by Antti Haikala for Anima Vitae. The script is by Haikala, Melli Maikkula, Ilja Rautsi ja Teemu Auersalo. Luca Bruno is the animation director and Mikko Pitkänen is the art director. Anima Vitae is known for the Moominvalley series and the Niko films.
Fleak is the story of 12-year-old Thomas who loses his ability to walk in an accident. Luckily Fleak, a helpful furry creature from another dimension, appears and takes Thomas on a fantasy adventure. The domestic premiere is on September 5, 2025.
Stories from the Backwoods / Ink & Light
The Irish-Finnish co-production Stories from the Backwoods competes in the section for TV films. It is directed by Leevi Lemmetty and produced by Tamsin Lyons for Ink and Light. The series has development support from the Finnish Film Foundation and it can be seen in Finland on Yle.
Firewalk, a short film by the artist duo Pink Twins, competes in the the Off-Limits section.
Annecy Festival takes place June 8–14, 2025.