SINGAPORE — The Violinist won the top prize at the 50th Annecy International Animation Film Festival, held June 21–27 in Annecy, France, becoming the first Singapore-produced animated feature to claim the Cristal, the festival’s highest award.
Co-directed by Singaporean Ervin Han and Spanish animator Raul Garcia, the hand-drawn film is set across colonial Singapore, the Japanese Occupation and the decades that follow. It was the first Singaporean work selected for Annecy’s main competition earlier in 2026.
Produced by Singapore’s Robot Playground Media, Spain’s TV ON Producciones and Italy’s Altri Occhi, the film is supported by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) alongside other public institutions and broadcasters from the three countries. It is scheduled to open in Singapore cinemas in August.
The Violinist follows Fei, a Peranakan violinist, and her friend Kai. After the Japanese invasion of Singapore in 1941, Kai joins the resistance and disappears after the war. Fei spends decades performing across the region while searching for him, her journey shaped by grief and hope.
Singapore actors in the voice cast include Tan Kheng Hua, Adrian Pang, Ayden Sng and Fang Rong. Music plays a central role, with an original score by Golden Horse Award–winning Singaporean composer Ricky Ho and lead violin performances by Singaporean violinist Joy Yong.
Han, who co-wrote the film and created the original story, told The Straits Times in April that the project took more than a decade to complete because Singapore lacks an established animated film industry. He said early development required extensive research and writing, and that the Covid-19 pandemic and the complexities of an international co-production further extended the timeline.
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