‘The Violinist’ Won the Annecy Cristal – and Its Directors Say Southeast Asia’s Animation Deserves a Global Audience

Directors Ervin Han and Raúl García on the decade-long making of the Singapore-Spain-Italy animated feature that won the top prize at the world's leading animation festival

By Naman Ramachandran

Naman Ramachandran

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Ten years is a long time to carry a story. Ervin Han, co-founder of Singapore’s Robot Playground Media, had been living with “The Violinist” for most of that stretch before it finally screened in competition at the Annecy Animation Festival this year – and walked away with the Cristal for best feature and the SACEM Award for best original soundtrack. He is still finding the words for it.

“We’ve lived with this film for almost ten years, and along the way there were many moments when simply finishing it felt like the biggest challenge,” Han tells Variety. “To receive the Cristal is an extraordinary honor, but more than anything, I’m delighted for the hundreds of artists, animators, musicians and filmmakers who gave so much of themselves to this film. This recognition belongs to all of them.”

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