Natalie Portman's 'Arco' takes home prestigious award at Annecy

Natalie Portman’s animated production Arco has been awarded the top Cristal Award at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

The French animation, directed by Ugo Bienvenu, received the award on Saturday, June 14, in Annecy, France.

Portman’s film follows a 10-year-old boy named Arco, who lives in the year 2932 but accidentally travels back in time through a rainbow and ends up in 2075.

There, he meets a girl named Iris, who tries to help him return home while dealing with the effects of climate change and environmental collapse.

A film reviewer told The Hollywood Reporter, “A considered meditation on ecological disaster within the dulcet grooves of a charming story about adolescent friendship.”

The 2025 science-fiction film is produced by the Black Swan actress and Sophie Mas under the banner of their company, MountainA, based in New York and France.

Notably, Bienvenu’s animated feature had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, where several international companies, including Neon, acquired the rights to distribute it in North America.

This marks the 38-year-old illustrator’s first full-length film after his short projects, Maman and L’entretien.

For the unversed, the film was released on Friday, May 16.