SINGAPORE, June 29 -- Home-grown animated feature The Violinist has made history by becoming the first Singapore-produced animated film to win the Cristal for Feature Film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.

The win places the film at the pinnacle of the world's most prestigious animation showcase, widely regarded as the "Cannes of animation".

It also secured the French Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (Sacem) Award for Best Original Soundtrack in a Feature Film, recognising its music-driven storytelling.

Co-directed by Singaporean filmmaker Ervin Han and Spanish animator Raul Garcia, the film is set across colonial Singapore and wartime Malaya, spanning the Japanese Occupation and the ye...