Czech film wins top Jury Award at Annecy Animation Festival

Czech film-maker Michaela Pavlátová's feature debut My Sunny Maad (Moje slunce Mad) won the main competition Jury Award at the Annecy Animation Festival in France on Saturday.

My Sunny Maad is the first Czech film in 28 years to be admitted to the main competition at the largest and most prestigious animated festival of its kind.

My Sunny Maad is a co-production between the Czech Republic, France, and Slovakia. The film tells the a story of a young girl who leaves Prague for Kabul to marry her fellow student.

Along with the prospect of living amidst a large and loving Afghan family, the protagonist also feels attracted abroad by her desire for a new, exotic environment.

The film was adapted from the novel Frista, a book by journalist Petra Prochazkova.

The production of My Sunny Maad was supported by 21 million crowns from the Czech National Cinematography Fund.

Pavlátová has received numerous awards for her short films, including nominations for an Oscar and a Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Currently, she heads the film animation department at the Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts (FAMU) in Prague.

The last Czech animated feature to screen in competition at Annency was Břetislav Pojar's The Flying Sneakers (Motýlí čas).