A New Dawn, Peleliu, and The Obsessed will compete in the festival’s Contrachamp section.
The Annecy International Film Festival press conference has concluded and it revealed all the nominees and movies which will be shown at the festival. Japanese anime movies such as A New Dawn, We Are Aliens, The Obsessed, and Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise have all made it into the festival across different categories. The Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2026 will take place on 21-27 June, 2026 in Annecy, France.
What are the anime movies which have made it to the Annecy Film Festival this year?
As per the press conference, several anime movies have made it into the nominations for the competition. There are two competitive categories: the 2026 Feature Films: Official and Contrechamp.
The anime film nominated in the 2026 Feature Films: Official category is:
- We Are Aliens (A Japan and France joint production)
Synopsis:
In the summer of their third year of elementary school, Tsubasa, a shy boy, meets Akatsuki Tarou, the most popular boy in his class, and they become best friends. The two spend irreplaceable time together in their own little world. However, a small incident tears their relationship apart. This story quietly questions the meaning of life through the friendship and reunion of two boys that spans more than 30 years.
The anime movies nominated in the Contrechamp category are:
- A New Dawn (Japan and France joint production)
Synopsis:
"Those fireworks are a slice of the universe."
Tatewaki Fireworks, a fireworks factory located in a lush forest, is facing eviction due to the redevelopment of the town.
Tatewaki Keitaro has been holed up there for four years, devoting himself to making fireworks to complete the "Shuhari" - a legendary firework - in place of his father who disappeared.
Meanwhile, his childhood friend Kaoru, who lives in Tokyo, has left his hometown after an incident in the past, but as the eviction is about to happen, he visits the Tatewaki family.
The two meet again and come up with a surprising plan to uncover the secret of the lost fireworks.
The key to this lies in the beautiful blue pigment "flower verdigris".
Synopsis:
The island of Peleliu. A paradise on earth where the Japanese soldier Tamaru, a draftsman in civilian life, disembarked in the summer of 1944, at the end of the Pacific War. The Eden turns into hell when the American fleet decides to invest it... 50,000 Japanese and American soldiers kill each other around an airport considered strategic at the time. The American army dispatched 40,000 elite soldiers, while the Japanese army faced up to the situation with a reserve of 10,000 soldiers, having received orders to resist to the last.
- The Obsessed (Toritsukare Otoko)
Synopsis:
The story revolves around a man named Giuseppe, who is known in his town as Toritsukare Otoko or The Obsessed Man. He earned his name because once Giuseppe is interested in something, he becomes completely obsessed and gets absorbed by it. From triple jump to detective work to learning a mouse language, Giuseppe’s interests are varied and unpredictable. But one day, he falls in love at first sight with a balloon seller girl named Pechka. However, it seems they can’t be together as there’s a deep sadness in Pechka’s heart. But with his array of skills and his talking mouse partner Cielo, Giuseppe is ready to face anything for Pechka and make their love come true.
The festival will also show several other movies in the non-competitive ‘Annecy Presents’ section. The anime features for this section include:
- CHIMNEY TOWN: Frozen in Time
Synopsis:
1912 -A story of a girl chasing her dreams in glittering Paris.
Fujiko dreams of becoming a painter, while Chizuru is fascinated by ballet. The two meet by chance in Yokohama, and as if drawn by fate, they are reunited in Paris. The sight of the two struggling to pursue their dreams in early 20th century Paris awakens the "hope for tomorrow" in everyone's hearts.
Synopsis:
The story of the movie follows a man named Reito Naoi who is unfairly fired and then incarcerated after he tries to steal something from his former office in retaliation. In jail, Naito is approached by a lawyer, who promises to get him out of jail if he works for his client. It turns out that the client is Naito’s estranged aunt, who wants him to guard a massive camphor tree standing tall on the grounds of an ancient shrine. Soon, Naito realises that there are mysterious entities roaming around that tree.
Synopsis:
The Ribbon Hero “depicts the story of a lone hero who chooses to defy a harsh destiny, set in a delicately crafted world.
Another non-competitive section titled ‘Midnight Specials’ includes:
Synopsis of Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice game:
In Sekiro™: Shadows Die Twice you are the 'one-armed wolf', a disgraced and disfigured warrior rescued from the brink of death. Bound to protect a young lord who is the descendant of an ancient bloodline, you become the target of many vicious enemies, including the dangerous Ashina clan. When the young lord is captured, nothing will stop you on a perilous quest to regain your honor, not even death itself.
Explore late 1500s Sengoku Japan, a brutal period of constant life and death conflict, as you come face to face with larger than life foes in a dark and twisted world. Unleash an arsenal of deadly prosthetic tools and powerful ninja abilities while you blend stealth, vertical traversal, and visceral head to head combat in a bloody confrontation.
Take Revenge. Restore Your Honor. Kill Ingeniously.
Moreover, the first two episodes of Science SARU’s new The Ghost in the Shell anime will also be shown at the festival at an event titled Dive into "THE GHOST IN THE SHELL."
Previously, it was revealed that the festival will also screen Candy Caries, Jaadugar: A Witch in Mongolia, and Takopi's Original Sin anime, as well as the first episode of Sparks of Tomorrow in the ‘TV Films’ competitive section.
Yini Guo's Plankton α and Sam Kuwa's So He Grabbed the Knife will also screen at the ‘Graduation Films’ section. CAPCOM’s Devil May Cry anime’s opening credits will screen at the ‘Commissioned Film’ section. The festival also includes Japanese entries for its ‘Short Films’, ‘Graduation Films’, and other categories. These short films include:
- Short Films Official category: Kōji Yamamura's Haru no Umi
- Perspectives category: Yakata Kanata's Bucketman and Ryotaro Miyajima's Rest
- Midnight Shorts category: Seishirō Nagaya's A Couple Clucking Chickens Were Still Kickin' in the Schoolyard from Tatsuki Fujimoto 17-26, and Ryoji Yamada's Builder
- Graduation Films category: Yiling Wang's Slap