Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival was founded in 1956 by Pierre Barbin, André Martin, and Michel Boschet. These founding members established the event to celebrate animation as a distinct medium free from the celebrity culture dominating the Cannes Film Festival.
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival awarded its first feature film prize in 1985 to the Hungarian production Heroic Times by József Gémes. The same year marked the beginning of the International Animation Film Market, or MIFA, which ran concurrently with the festival to facilitate business deals.
Marcel Jean was appointed artistic delegate of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2012, succeeding Serge Bromberg. His tenure included the decision to honor women by forming an all-female jury in 2015 and the creation of new competitive sections such as Off Limits in 2014 and Perspectives in 2017.
The 60th edition of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival was canceled on the 7th of April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event was initially scheduled for the 15th to the 19th of June 2020 before the cancellation was announced.
Award winners during the Annecy International Animation Film Festival are presented under the open sky on Pâquier, a public square in the center of Annecy. This outdoor screening features a giant screen projecting films against the backdrop of the lake and surrounding mountains.