Swiss Stop-Motion Short ‘Into the Forest’ Wins Annecy Young Audience Award
8 reported
Swiss filmmaker Antonin Niclass won the Young Audience Award at the Annecy Animation Festival on Friday for his stop-motion short "Into the Forest." The film, produced by Milos-Films and shot at Hélium Films' studios in Lausanne, Switzerland, follows three handcrafted monkeys who transform a cold animation studio into a vibrant jungle through creativity, collaboration, and resourcefulness. The production features the puppet of Oshi, the baby orangutan from Claude Barras' 2024 film "Savages," through a collaboration with Nadasdy Film. Niclass, a graduate of the U.K.'s National Film and Television School, previously had selections at Annecy with "Do Not Feed the Pigeons" (2021) and "Coup de Théâtre" (2022). The film has no dialogue, relying on monkey cries, music, and sound design to carry the narrative. Niclass stated the core message is one of resourcefulness, as the monkeys use their imagination and available materials to create their own jungle.
What’s reported
"Into the Forest" won the Young Audience Award at the Annecy Animation Festival on Friday.
The film is a stop-motion short directed by Swiss filmmaker Antonin Niclass.
It was produced by Milos-Films and shot at Hélium Films' studios in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The short features the puppet of Oshi from Claude Barras' 2024 film "Savages," via Nadasdy Film.
Niclass is a graduate of the National Film and Television School in the U.K.
His previous Annecy selections include "Do Not Feed the Pigeons" (2021) and "Coup de Théâtre" (2022).
The film has no dialogue, using monkey cries, an electronic score by Fabio Amurri, and sound design by Loic Kreyden.
The story follows three monkeys who transform a cold studio into a jungle using creativity and teamwork.
Key figures
Antonin Niclass: Swiss filmmaker and director of "Into the Forest"
Timothée Crabbé: Animator on the film
Loic Kreyden: Sound designer
Fabio Amurri: Composer
Claude Barras: Director of "Savages" (2024)
Sources: Variety
