Singapore animation has reached a historic milestone.
The Violinist has become the first Singapore-produced animated feature to win the prestigious Cristal for a Feature Film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, widely regarded as the world's premier animation festival. The film also picked up the SACEM Award for Best Original Soundtrack, marking a landmark achievement for Singapore's growing animation industry.
Directed by Ervin Han and Spanish animation veteran Raul Garcia, The Violinist is an official Singapore-Spain-Italy co-production that was supported by Singapore's Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). The dual win places the film among some of the world's most acclaimed animated features, with Annecy winners often going on to receive international awards recognition.
Set across Singapore and Malaya during the early 20th century through the Japanese Occupation, The Violinist follows two childhood friends whose lifelong bond is shaped by music, war, separation, and resilience. Through its sweeping historical backdrop and intimate storytelling, the feature brings a distinctly Southeast Asian narrative to global audiences.
Music plays a central role in the film, with an original score composed by Golden Horse Award-winning Singaporean composer Ricky Ho alongside Spanish composer Isabel Latorre, while acclaimed Singaporean violinist Joy Yong performs the film's lead violin pieces. The soundtrack was recognised with Annecy's SACEM Award for its emotional contribution to the story.
Reacting to the achievement, co-director and co-writer Ervin Han described the award as "beyond anything we imagined when we first began this journey," adding that the recognition belongs to the artists, animators, musicians, and filmmakers from Singapore, Spain, Italy, and beyond who helped bring the film to life.
Produced by Robot Playground Media, The Violinist was created in collaboration with Spain's TV ON Producciones and Italy's Altri Occhi, with France tv distribution handling worldwide sales. Following its Annecy premiere, the animated feature is expected to begin its international rollout.
The win marks a defining moment not only for The Violinist, but also for Singapore and Southeast Asia's animation scene, highlighting the region's growing presence on one of the industry's biggest global stages.
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