SINGAPORE, June 29 — Home-grown animated feature The Violinist has made history by becoming the first Singapore-produced animated film to win the Cristal for Feature Film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.

The win places the film at the pinnacle of the world’s most prestigious animation showcase, widely regarded as the “Cannes of animation”.

It also secured the French Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (Sacem) Award for Best Original Soundtrack in a Feature Film, recognising its music-driven storytelling.

Co-directed by Singaporean filmmaker Ervin Han and Spanish animator Raul Garcia, the film is set across colonial Singapore and wartime Malaya, spanning the Japanese Occupation and the years that followed.

Within that Malaya backdrop, the story follows Fei, a musically gifted Peranakan girl whose life is shaped by war, loss and her search for a childhood friend who disappears during the conflict.

As Fei grows from a child into a concert violinist, the narrative moves through post-World War II Malaya, where memory and music become her only anchors.

The voice cast includes Tan Kheng Hua, Fang Rong, Adrian Pang and Ayden Sng, supported by an international production spanning Singapore, Spain and Italy.

The Annecy jury praised the film for its emotional force, noting its portrayal of “the devastating impact of war” and its blend of music, performance and historical scale.

Han, who spent a decade developing the project, described the moment as overwhelming in an Instagram post.

“Thank you, @annecyfestival, to the jury, and to the most extraordinary audience and animation community on the planet. I don't yet have the words to describe what this moment means. What I do have is a profound sense of gratitude, humility, and awe.”

He added that the standing ovation after the screening lasted “eight minutes, some say 11”, shared fully with the team behind the film.

Backed by Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority and produced by Robot Playground Media with European partners, The Violinist is set to premiere in Singapore this September ahead of an international rollout.

No Malaysian release details have been announced at this stage.