Founded in 1960, the Annecy International Animated Film Festival was originally held every two years before becoming an annual event in 1997. Over the decades, it has grown into one of the world\u2019s premier events for animated film. Each year, awards are presented in a range of short- and feature-film categories. Among the short films selected for competition at the 2026 edition, which runs from June 21-27, is Catherine Lepage\u2019s Ultra Strong<\/em><\/strong> (2026).<\/p>\n NFB productions and co-productions have long been a fixture at Annecy. Since 1960, more than 300 of them have featured in the lineup, earning more than 60 awards, with 25 selections and four awards since 2020 alone. Remarkably, no edition of the festival has been held without at least one film produced or co-produced by the NFB.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a look back at some of the high points of the NFB\u2019s seven-decade presence at Annecy.<\/p>\n Top award winners<\/strong><\/p>\n The Short Film Cristal\u2014known as the Annecy Cristal from 2003 to 2012 and, previously, the Grand Prix for Best Short Film\u2014is the festival\u2019s highest distinction. Nine NFB films to date have received this honour.<\/p>\n In 2020, the Cristal went to Theodore Ushev for The Physics of Sorrow<\/em><\/strong> (2019), a moving portrait of a Bulgarian immigrant caught between childhood memories of his homeland and his adult life in Canada. A meditation on rootlessness and melancholy, the film also received the FIPRESCI Prize (F\u00e9d\u00e9ration internationale de la presse cin\u00e9matographique).\u00a0 Ushev, an Annecy regular, is no stranger to recognition at the festival: His Blind Vaysha<\/em><\/strong><\/a> (2016) won both the Jury Award and the Junior Jury Award that year, while Gloria Victoria<\/em><\/strong><\/a> (2012) received the FIPRESCI Prize at the festival\u2019s 37th edition.<\/p>\n![\"Office](\"https:\/\/dkyhanv6paotz.cloudfront.net\/live\/fit-in\/2048x\/medias\/nfb_tube\/thumbs_xlarge\/2026\/NFB_UltraStrong_keyart-16x9.jpg\")
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