The Violinist anime co-production Tokyo TIFFCOM win Annecy

The Violinist Wins Annecy After Finding Italian Co-Producers at Tokyo Market, Says Director Ervin Han

Ervin Han revealed that a 2023 TIFFCOM meeting in Tokyo linked Italian producer Cristiano Bortone to the Annecy-winning animated film The Violinist.

By Briefzora Desk

Oct 30, 2026 · 1:15 PM 2 min read

A 2023 meeting at TIFFCOM in Tokyo connected Italian co-producers with "The Violinist," the animated feature that later captured the top award at France's Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Singaporean filmmaker Ervin Han told a panel.

Han, co-founder and CEO of Singapore's Robot Playground Media, addressed the session "Anime's New Frontier: Structuring & Financing International Co-Productions" during the Tokyo International Film Festival's content market. Participants agreed that overseas partners should join early, handling financing, deal structures and rights from development through release. Kawano Masao, program manager at Into Global, moderated the discussion.

Han co-directed and produced "The Violinist." On his inaugural TIFFCOM visit, he met Italian producer Cristiano Bortone and his Altri Occhi team, who later signed on as co-producers. This year Han returned as producer to pitch "A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts," an animated feature on food, horror and temptation, involving partners from Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia and Ireland.

He described "The Violinist" as a decade-long friendship story that itself required ten years from concept to completion. "With different roles in my projects, I find promotion is even more challenging than production," Han said.

Ilan Urroz, CEO of France's Foliascope, noted that co-production is not new and highlighted platform partnerships, citing French investment rules for streaming services. Under those rules, streamers must allocate at least 20% of French revenue to European or French-language original film and audiovisual production, rising to 25% for services offering films within twelve months of theatrical release. The requirement covers animation as well as other genres, and Urroz named Netflix, Disney+, Crunchyroll, Prime Video and HBO Max as leading platforms in France.

Sakurai Taiki, CEO of Salamander Inc., drew on more than 25 years in anime and over 100 titles to stress the importance of people and talent, saying, "Partners are the key to success."

When asked how to locate co-production partners, Urroz replied, "Be creative, and don't forget that every project is also a journey of a group of people."

Questions and answers

How did The Violinist find its Italian co-producers?

Ervin Han met Italian producer Cristiano Bortone and his Altri Occhi team at the 2023 TIFFCOM market in Tokyo, after which they joined the film as co-producers.

What French rules affect streaming platforms for animation co-production?

Under French law, streamers must invest at least 20% of their French revenue in European or French-language original film and audiovisual production, increasing to 25% for services offering films within twelve months of theatrical release, and the rule applies to animation.