The animation festival maintained Sunday in Annecy after the knife attack

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the main global event in the sector, will open as planned Sunday, three days after the knife attack that injured six people, including four children, in the city, announced Friday its organizers, citing the "isolated" nature of this drama.

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The dramatic events that occurred (Thursday) have touched the Annecy residents deep within themselves, the France and beyond our borders, "write in a statement the management and the team of the festival and the related market scheduled from June 11 to 17. "It is now proven that this is an isolated act. Also, in consultation with the authorities and as indicated by Mayor François Astorg, the festival will open on Sunday, June 11.

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Since his arrest on Thursday, the perpetrator of the attack, Abdalmasih H., a Syrian refugee wandering in France after several years of stability in Sweden, has given no explanation for his attack. At this stage, his motivations seem "without apparent terrorist motive," according to the Annecy prosecutor's office.

However, the organizers decided to "postpone the launch of the outdoor sessions to Monday, June 12", as a "sign of support for the families and victims". Screenings of the Ukrainian films The Kingdom of Naya and the French The Little Nicolas, what are we waiting for to be happy (awarded last year the Golden Crystal), were initially scheduled for Sunday evening on the shores of Lake Annecy. "The screenings of the festival will be placed under the sign of the values it has always defended: sharing, solidarity and fraternity," say its organizers, who recently told AFP expect attendance much higher than the 13,000 participants of 2022.

A dozen feature films are in competition for the Cristal d'Or, awarded on June 17. It is the Franco-Belgian production "Sirocco and the Kingdom of Drafts" by Benoît Chieux that will open the ball on Sunday.