Four Canadian features will be screening in competition at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival (Annecy Festival).

This year’s festival takes place from June 8 to 14 in Annecy, France and celebrates the best of international animation.

Two Canadian features will be screening in the Annecy Festival’s Feature Films Official section, including Allah n’est pas obligé (Allah is Not Obliged), which is making its world premiere.

Allah n’est pas obligé is directed by Paris-based Zaven Najjar and follows a 10-year-old Guinean orphan who, on his journey to connect with family in Liberia, is dragged into the conflicts of adults. It is produced by France’s Special Touch Studios in coproduction with Luxembourg’s Paul Thiltges Distribution, Brussels’ Need Productions, Belgium’s Lunanime and Montreal’s Yzanakio. It is based on the novel of the same name from Ivorian author Ahmadou Kourouma.

It is distributed in Canada by Maison 4:3, with Radio-Canada among the film’s broadcasters. Allah n’est pas obligé was produced with the support of TV5Monde, GKIDS, Proximus, Canal+ International and Eurimages. Canadian organizations that previously supported the film include Telefilm Canada and SODEC.

Also screening in the Feature Films Official section, distributed in Quebec by Maison 4:3, is Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s La mort n’existe pas (Death Does Not Exist; pictured). It is produced by Dufour-Laperrière’s Montreal-based Embuscade Films (co-founded with his brother Nicolas Dufour-Laperrière), alongside France’s Miyu Productions. La mort n’existe pas is making its world premiere at this year’s Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes. It accompanies a woman haunted by one of her friends and accomplices following a failed attack on wealthy landowners.

Seth and Peter Scriver’s Sundance-premiering documentary Endless Cookie (Scythia Films, Stellar Citizens, Tiger Mister Productions) is screening in the Annecy Festival’s Feature Films Contrechamp section. The film is produced by Daniel Bekerman, Chris Yurkovich, Alex Ordanis, Jason Ryle and Seth Scriver. Mongrel Media is its distributor.

The final film screening in competition is Space Cadet (Les Films Outsiders), the directorial debut from Canadian DJ Eric San, also known under his stage name Kid Koala. The film follows a guardian robot affected by loneliness after his ward leaves on an interstellar mission.

Space Cadet is distributed in Canada by Les Films Opale and Urban Sales is its international sales agent. The film was supported by Telefilm Canada, SODEC, Canada Media Fund, Shaw Rocket Fund, CBC Films, Radio-Canada and Fondation Lucien-Labelle along with Quebec and federal tax credits.

Andy Serkis’ adaptation of George Orwell’s satirical novella Animal Farm is world premiering out of competition. The film is produced by the U.K.’s Aniventure and Serkis’ Imaginarium Productions with CG production from London-headquartered Cinesite, which has additional offices in Montreal and Vancouver.

The film, written by Nick Stoller, stars Seth Rogen (Invincible), Gaten Matarazzo (Stranger Things), Woody Harrelson (True Detective) and Kieran Culkin (Succession). It tells the story of a group of farm animals whose dreams of equality are slowly corrupted.

Image courtesy of Maison 4:3