Singapore’s “The Violinist” Makes History With Top Prize at Annecy Animation Festival

Singapore has achieved a major milestone in global animation. The Violinist, a hand-drawn historical drama, has become the first Singaporean animated feature to win the Cristal for Best Feature at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival—widely known as the “Cannes of Animation.”

The film, co-directed by Singapore’s Ervin Han and Spanish animation veteran Raúl García, tells an emotionally resonant story set during World War II and post-war Southeast Asia. It follows Fei, a talented violinist whose life is upended when Japan invades Singapore in 1941. As her childhood friend Kai joins the resistance and vanishes after the war, Fei spends decades traveling across Asia searching for him, using music as both comfort and hope.

Robot Playground Media, a Singapore-based production company, created the feature in partnership with Spain’s TV ON Producciones and Italy’s Altri Occhi. The project evolved from the studio’s acclaimed 2015 animated short The Violin.

The path to this triumph wasn’t quick. Nearly a decade of development went into bringing The Violinist to the screen. Director Ervin Han has previously noted that creating an international co-production while maintaining an authentically Singaporean narrative required years of meticulous planning and research. Just being selected for Annecy’s main competition marked a first for Singapore, making the Cristal win an even greater achievement.

The victory comes alongside other standout performances at this year’s festival. French film Iron Boy claimed three awards, while filmmaker Don Hertzfeldt earned the Cristal for Best Short Film.

For Southeast Asian animation, The Violinist‘s success signals a breakthrough moment on the world stage. The film is expected to continue its festival circuit before moving toward theatrical release.