Two Irish pictures picked up prizes at the prestigious Annecy International Animated Film Festival last weekend. Santa's Apprentice, from the hugely successful Cartoon Saloon, won a special Unicef award and The Amazing World of Gumball – The Quest, produced by Boulder Media and Dandelion Studios, picked up the best TV production gong.

The Annecy event, started in an Alpine region of France some 50 years ago, is one of the four international animated film festivals sponsored by the Association d’International du Film d’Animation. So, it matters.