Singapore is marking a significant milestone on the international animation stage this month as the local creative community looks forward to the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France, an event widely regarded as the “Cannes of Animation.”
The Violinist makes History
For the first time in the festival’s 66-year history, a Singapore-produced animated feature has been selected for Annecy’s prestigious Official Competition.
Directed by local filmmaker Ervin Han (co-founder of Robot Playground Media) alongside veteran Disney animator Raúl García, The Violinist is a sweeping, hand-drawn historical drama that marks a monumental milestone for Singapore’s cinematic heritage. Han co-wrote the screenplay with local scriptwriter Jordan K See.
“This project has taken more than a decade to realize. We’re extremely proud to bring a uniquely Singaporean story onto this prestigious global stage.”
Ervin Han
The Embassy of France first got to know about the project back in 2018 during a meeting with a visiting French animation delegation, which comprised representatives from the Annecy Festival, animation studios, and schools. At the time, Ervin was in early development and scripting of the film which is inspired by his 2015 short film The Violin, produced for the SG50 celebrations. Spurred by growing interest in the short, he decided to expand his vision into a full feature film. The journey that followed represents a remarkable feat of perseverance:
- 2019: The project was selected for Animation du Monde at the Annecy Festival’s Mifa Pitches.
Thereafter, the years that followed, despite the global pandemic disrupting the industry, Ervin Han and his team pushed forward, actively seeking international co-producers and investors.
- 2023: The project’s start of production was announced at Asia TV Forum in Singapore, with TV ON Producciones (Paloma Mora, producer) onboard as a Spanish co-producer.
- 2024: Altri Occhi (Cristiano Bortone, producer) of Italy joins as a third co-producer, making this the first Asia-Europe feature animation co-production of its kind.
- 2025: The Violinist was presented as a Work-in-Progress at Annecy to a packed audience, who were captivated by its massive scale and grand vision. The film reached another major breakthrough when France tv distribution came onboard to handle international sales.
- 2026: The journey comes full circle as the completed masterpiece takes its place in the Official Competition.
The film received support from public institutions and broadcaster participation across all three co-producing nations, including Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Singapore Film Commission, Spain’s ICAA, IVC, RTVE, ÀPUNT MEDIA, Afin SGR, along with Italy’s Ministry of Culture, Regione Lazio, as well as Red Sea Film Fund.
It is a true global co-production, bridging creative talent across Singapore, Spain, Italy and multiple other countries, and features an emotional score by Golden Horse Award winner Ricky Ho, working alongside Spanish composer Isabel Latorre. Singaporean violinist Joy Yong recorded the lead violin parts. The international voice cast includes local icons Tan Kheng Hua and Adrian Pang and rising star Ayden Sng. Set against the backdrop of 20th-century colonial Singapore and Malaya, it follows two childhood friends bound by music but separated by the chaos of war.
Singapore Students Screen Alongside French Peers
Alongside The Violinist in the main competition, Singapore’s rising animation talent will also be well-represented. Short films by second- and third-year students from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and LASALLE College of the Arts will be screened alongside works from France’s Atelier de Sèvres and École Émile Cohl as part of the Paris-Lyon-Singapour programme at the MIFA Campus segment. Together with their French counterparts, a total of 27 animation short films will be screened.
Launched in 2019 by the Embassy of France in Singapore with the support of CITIA (the organizers of the Annecy Festival), Paris-Lyon-Singapour is a cross-cultural initiative that brings together young creators from Singapore and France. The students work in groups in their respective schools to produce short films on a shared theme, exploring how different cultural backgrounds and educational environments shape the creative process.
This year’s theme, “What You See, What I See,” explores the nuances of human perception: how a single object or event can feel completely ordinary to one person, yet deeply profound to another. Audiences will see how students from the four schools interpret this theme through distinct visual styles and storytelling techniques. During the presentation, students will also be given time to introduce themselves and their films, followed by interactive Q&A sessions with the audience.
If you are an animation professional attending the Annecy Festival, come meet these emerging talents from France and Singapore as they join forces to push the boundaries of animated storytelling.
More details hereThe 2026 student films will premiere online on the Paris-Lyon-Singapour YouTube channel right after their festival presentation. In the meantime, you can view short films from past editions.
Paris-Lyon-Singapour YouTube Channel