For many, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival is the Cannes of the animation world. And the prestigious Cristal for feature films is the equivalent of the Palme d'Or.

The Luxembourg co-production "Le Petit Nicolas - Qu'on attend pour être heureux?” was the recipient of a Cristal award. The film was co-produced by Lilian Eche and Christel Henon of Bidibul Productions, the executive producer of the project, and directed by Frenchmen Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre, based on the work of Goscinny and Sempé.

Presented out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May, "Le Petit Nicolas - Qu'est-ce qu'on attend pour être heureux?" retraces the origins of the birth of Petit Nicolas through the eyes of its two creators, cartoonist Jean-Jacques Sempé and author René Goscinny, voiced in this film by French actors Laurent Lafitte and Alain Chabat respectively.

Two Jury Mentions

The other two Luxembourg co-productions in competition did not leave empty-handed either. "My Love Affair with Marriage" and "Saules aveugles, femme endormie" each received a jury mention. The former was co-produced by Raoul Nadalet of Antevita Films (directed by Signe Bauman), the latter by Pierre Urbain and David Mouraire of Doghouse Films (directed by Pierre Földes).

Three other Luxembourg co-productions were also screened in Annecy: "Ernest and Celestine, the trip to Charabie" (Stephan Roelants - Melusine Productions) in the Séance événement section, "Nina et les Contes du hérisson" (David Mouraire and Pierre Urbain - Doghouse Films) in the Work in progress section and "Melancholia (Ceci est mon cœur)" (a_BAHN) in the MIFA pitches.

This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.