Cartoon Saloon’s Julián to receive World Premiere at the 2026 Annecy Film Festival
Posted: 28th April 2026
Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland is delighted to congratulate Louise Bagnall, Juliany Taveras, Cartoon Saloon and the entire creative team behind Julián, which has been selected to make its World Premiere at the 2026 Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
Directed by Louise Bagnall, from a script by Juliany Taveras, the film follows wide-eyed Julián who is about to spend the summer with a grandmother he barely knows. He is amazed to discover her treasure-trove apartment, his own Caribbean heritage and the lively Brooklyn community he is surrounded by, but most surprising of all, Julián discovers that he is, in fact, a mermaid!
The film is the feature directorial debut of Academy Award nominee Louise Bagnall, known for her acclaimed short Late Afternoon. Julián is brought to life through hand-drawn 2D animation at 12 frames per second, crafted by over 150 artists across Ireland, Luxembourg, Denmark, and Canada.
Julián produced by Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Aircraft Pictures (Canada), Melusine Studio (Luxembourg) and Sun Creature (Denmark) in association with Wychwood Media, Crave, Guru Studio and BCP Asset Management. Academy Award® winner Zoe Saldaña, Cisely Saldaña and Mariel Saldaña and their production company Cinestar Pictures have joined as Executive Producers.
New Europe Film Sales has boarded the film as its international sales agent, alongside CAA Media Finance, which will handle sales in the U.S. The film is proudly supported by Screen Ireland, Film Fund Luxembourg, Telefilm Canada, the Canada Media Fund, Danish Film Institute, West Danish Film Fund, Coimisiún na Meán, Ontario Creates, Viborg Kommune, RTÉ, DR, Elevation Pictures, Elysian Films, Wildcard Distribution, Angel Films, Folklets and Arthaus.
Julián will premiere in the Annecy Presents section of the 2026 Annecy Film Festival, a non-competitive section in the Official Selection showcasing a diverse collection of animated films from around the world, spanning all genres.
Since its establishment in 1960, the Annecy Festival celebrates each year the best of international animation. This year's edition will take place from 21st to 27th June 2026.