The Annecy Festival continues to champion cutting-edge global animation, from studio tentpoles to indie darlings. This year’s Work in Progress showcase – always one of the most popular sidebars at any edition of the fest – offers an enticing glimpse into 12 upcoming features and four series in varying stages of production. Here’s a look at this year’s impressive 16-title lineup.

Features

“Carmen,” Sébastien Laudenbach (France)

From “Chicken for Linda!” and “The Girl Without Hands” director Sébastien Laudenbach, “Carmen” is set in 1840s Seville and follows Salva, a teen assistant to a blind knife grinder, who becomes captivated by a young gypsy woman with a haunting voice. A grim prophecy foretelling Carmen’s death sets Salva and his gang of street kids on a desperate mission to change her fate. Animated in a painterly 2D style, this atmospheric French production weaves suspense, music, and youthful defiance into a tale as...