Annecy Film Festival Adjusts Program Schedule Following Knife Attack

Zac Ntim
·2 min read

Organizers of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival said today that the event will open on June 11 as planned, but open-air screenings will be postponed a day following a Thursday knife attack in the city involving a group of nursery school-age children.

In a statement signed by CITIA Chairman Dominique Puthod, CEO Mickaël Marin, and Artistic Director Marcel Jean, the fest said it had been “shaken to the core” by the attack, which had taken place Thursday morning.

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“It has now been established that this was an isolated act,” the statement opened. “In consultation with the authorities and as specified by Mayor François Astorg, the Festival will be opening on Sunday 11th June. However, as a gesture of support to the families and victims, the Festival management and team have decided to postpone the open-air screenings until Monday 12th June.”

The statement continued to say that the festival will screen films that reflect the values of “sharing, solidarity, and fraternity.”

The seemingly random attack took place in a large lawned lakefront recreational area known as Le Pâquier, which is the site of the festival’s open-air screenings and other events throughout the year.

In a meeting with the press some four hours after the attack, local prosecutor Line Bonnet-Mathis confirmed six people, including four children, had been hurt in the attack. The four children received life-threatening injuries and were currently being treated in local hospitals as well as in neighboring Switzerland, she said. French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin made an emergency trip to the city in response to the incident.

Friday morning, French media reported that President Macron had also made a trip to Annecy to visit victims of the attack in hospital. Later French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne said all four children who were injured have undergone surgery and are stable.

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