Adam Elliot’s new stop-motion feature, Memoir of a Snail, has clinched the Cristal award for best feature film at the 2024 Annecy Film Festival, the world’s premier animation festival.
This dark dramedy, narrated by Succession star Sarah Snook, tells the tale of a lonely, snail-obsessed hoarder who recounts her life story to one of her cherished gastropods.
Memoir of a Snail marks Elliot’s first feature since 2009’s Mary and Max, which also received Annecy’s top honor. The film features an impressive ensemble of Australian talent, including Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jacki Weaver, Eric Bana, and Nick Cave, providing supporting voice roles.
Prior to the festival, IFC Films secured the North American rights to Memoir of a Snail. The film will premiere in Australia at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August. Madman will release the film theatrically in Australia later this year.
Read: The trailer for Memoir of a Snail is here with Sarah Snook leading the voice cast
The awards were presented in Annecy on Saturday night, concluding the 2024 French festival. This year’s highlights included the world premiere of Despicable Me 4, exclusive previews of the upcoming Wallace and Gromit film, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, and Disney’s unveiling of new footage and the lead character’s opening song from Moana 2.
See the full list of 2024 Annecy Festival award winners below.
Feature Films
Cristal for a Feature Film
Memoir of a Snail
Adam Elliot
Australia
Arenamedia
Jury Award
Flow
Gints Zilbalodis
Latvia, Belgium, France
Dream Well Studio, Take Five, Sacrebleu Productions
Paul Grimault Award
Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window
Shinnosuke Yakuwa
Japan
Shin-Ei Animation Co., Ltd.
Feature Films – Contrechamp
Contrechamp Grand Prix
Sultana’s Dream
Isabel Herguera
Spain, Germany
Abano Produccións S.L., El Gatoverde Producciones, Sultana Films, Uniko, Fabian&Fred GmbH
Contrechamp Jury Award
Living Large
Kristina Dufková
Czech Republic, Slovakia, France
Barletta Productions, Novinski, Novanima
Audience Awards
Feature Film
Flow
Gints Zilbalodis
Latvia, Belgium, France
Dream Well Studio, Take Five, Sacrebleu Productions
TV Film
The Drifting Guitar
Sophie Roze
France, Switzerland
JPL Films, Nadasdy Film
Read: MIFF 2024 first glance: Memoir of a Snail, Audrey, I Saw the TV Glow, and more
TV and Commissioned Films
Cristal for a Commissioned Film
Pictoplasma ‘Opener 2023’
Will Anderson
United Kingdom
Jury Award for a Commissioned Film
TED-Ed ‘How Did South African Apartheid Happen, and How Did It Finally End?’
Aya Marzouk
USA, South Africa, Egypt
TED-Ed
Cristal for a TV Production
The Drifting Guitar
Sophie Roze
France, Switzerland
JPL Films, Nadasdy Film
Jury Award for a TV Series
My Life in Versailles ‘Versailles Ghost’
Clémence Madeleine-Perdrillat, Nathaniel H’Limi
France, Luxembourg
Films Grand Huit, Melusine Productions / Studio 352, Film Fund Luxembourg
Jury Award for a TV Special
Lola and the Noisy Piano
Augusto Zanovello
France, Poland, Switzerland
Komadoli Studio, Folimage, Momakin, Nadasdy Film
Graduation Films
Lotte Reiniger Award
Maatitel
Govinda Sao
India
NID – National Institute of Design, GOIA
Jury Award
Pubert Jimbob
Quirijn Dees
Belgium
KASK & Conservatorium / School of Arts Gent
Cristal for a Graduation Film
Carrotica
Daniel Sterlin-Altman
Germany
Filmuniversitaet Babelsberg Konrad Wolf
Feature Films
Gan Foundation Award for Distribution
Flow
Gints Zilbalodis
Latvia, Belgium, France
UFO Distribution
VR Works
Cristal for the Best VR Work
Gargoyle Doyle
Ethan Shaftel
USA, Austria, Argentina
Detona Cultura, Easyaction Ltd, Amilux Film
Short Films
Cristal for a Short Film
Percebes
Alexandra Ramires, Laura Gonçalves
Portugal, France
BAP – Animation Studio, Ikki Films
Off-Limits Award
Glass House
Boris Labbé
France
Audience Award
Hurikán
Jan Saska
Czech Republic, France, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Last Films, Maur Film, Laïdak Films, Artichoke, Aeon Production
Jean-Luc Xiberras Award for a First Film
[S]
Mario Radev
United Kingdom
Alexeïeff – Parker Award
Beautiful Men
Nicolas Keppens
Belgium, France, Netherlands
Animal Tank, Miyu Productions, Ka-Ching Cartoons
Jury Award
The Car That Came Back from the Sea
Jadwiga Kowalska
Switzerland
Special Prizes
Best Original Music Award for a Feature Film
Flow
Rihards Zalupe, Gints Zilbalodis
Latvia, Belgium, France
Dream Well Studio, Take Five, Sacrebleu Productions
France TV Award for a Short Film
The Car That Came Back from the Sea
Jadwiga Kowalska
Switzerland
Best Original Music Award for a Short Film
Joko
Aliaksandr Yasinski
Poland, Germany, Czech Republic
Animoon, Las Sztuki Foundation, Clay Traces, Maur Film
CANAL+ Junior Jury Award
Noodles au Naturel
Matteo Salanave Piazza
France
La Poudrière
Young Audience Award
Hello Summer
Martin Smatana, Veronika Zacharová
Slovakia, Czech Republic, France
Studio Bororo, Maur Film, Last Films, Vivement Lundi !
André Martin Award for a French Short Film
Butterfly
Florence Miailhe
France
Sacrebleu Productions, XBO Films
Festivals Connexion Award
Beautiful Men
Nicolas Keppens
Belgium, France, Netherlands
Animal Tank, Miyu Productions, Ka-Ching Cartoons
Festivals Connexion VR Award
Emperor
Marion Burger, Ilan Cohen
France, Germany
Reynard Films, France Télévisions, Atlas V
City of Annecy Award
The Meatseller
Margherita Giusti
Italy
Frenesy Film Company
