‘Bitches’ Delights Annecy With Wise-Cracking French TV Project

French director/screenwriter Manon Tacconi, a former student of reputable animation school La Poudrière, is living the animated dream in Annecy this year.

Her debut short “La bouche en cœur”—which was nominated at the prestigious Clermont-Ferrand Intl. Short Film Festival—is on track to become a cracking 15×7’ animated comedy series titled “Bitches” (“Garces” in French), after successfully climbing every step of the classic-yet-selective path of European animation production.

First presented at MIFA pitches in 2023, “Bitches” delighted the MIFA jury and received the Prix Ciclic, a €25,000 grant and two-month residency.

At Cartoon Springboard, a key launchpad for European co-productions, “Bitches” received support from the French collective SACD (Society of Dramatic Authors and Composers), and went on to Cartoon Forum a year later, where professionals from all over Europe applauded this female-driven, female-led adult animation endeavor.

“Those steps helped us maintain a steady course,” said Tacconi, reflecting on the journey so far. “It also helped me and my team refine our project, hone our pitching skills and become more confident in our ability to bring forth this female-driven story.”

Producer Camille Condemi (Caïmans Productions), who met Tacconi back in Clermont-Ferrand and immediately fell in love with the project, now brings this CNC and France Télévisions-backed project back to Annecy as the fully developed series reaches the financing stage. Production is set to begin as soon as financing is complete.

Tacconi’s “Bitches,” Jess and Alana, are two best friends from Marseille who meet every day at their favorite bar to catch up on their glamorous lives. From this simple starting point, Tacconi and co-screenwriter Maïté Sonnet weave a narrative immersed in the luscious, distinct atmosphere of the Mediterranean French city.

Turning a short into a TV series can be quite the challenge, even for seasoned writers. Yet Tacconi and Sonnet saw this as an opportunity to expand on their main protagonists, bring in new characters, and add narrative threads to enrich the duo’s urban universe. Refining the concept and unfolding carefully crafted character arcs was key to transforming the short film’s heroines into fully developed personalities navigating the challenges of young adult life.

“Episodes are crafted from our own misadventures, experiences and what we think are the concerns of our generation,” explained Tacconi. “We mostly write in a café to put ourselves in our characters’ shoes, and it flows surprisingly well.”

Early-morning Annecy crowds cheered the dynamic, catchy teaser shared by Tacconi and her team before diving further into the rich supporting cast orbiting Jess and Alana, from touching Mathis, Alana’s depressive dealer, to Janice and Fanny, the cutest annoying couple.

Casting was key to bringing truth and wit to this Marseille-set story, written by two Paris-based authors. With the help of Marseille-based Cendrine Lapuyade, the “Bitches” came to life thanks to sharp-witted, powerful live-action actresses Kenza Fortas (“Shéhérazade”) and Malou Khebizi (“Wild Diamond”).

A mix of improvisation and scripted dialogue, voice recording proved challenging as the wisecracking duo brought wild energy to the studio, turning sessions into afternoons of uncontrollable laughter. Eventually, the team returned to a more page-accurate approach.

“What we are aiming for is a real balance between the two characters,” added Sonnet, “while always keeping a caring, benevolent point of view of our two heroines.”

To match this witty dialogue, the “Bitches” visual style transforms the sunny French city into a lush setting, blending 3D backgrounds with vibrant colors and fluid 2D character animation.

Tacconi storyboards each episode thoroughly on paper, editing the screenplay and boards on the go before crafting detailed, precise animatics.

Filming herself before layout, Tacconi and her team use real-life video references for each shot, in a workflow reminiscent of rotoscoping, filling her characters with rich emotions and rib-crackingly funny attitudes.

A full seven-minute episode animatic had Annecy’s audience laughing from beginning to end. This solid project is now looking for investors, international partners and broadcasters to bring these lovable, extremely funny characters to life.

Caïmans Productions, Tacconi and her team are also developing fifteen 20-second shorts to expand their proposal—both narratively and as part of a social media-driven strategy—and are working on a graphic novel featuring the same witty duo.

Interested partners can discover more about this series by reaching out to Camille Condemi at Caïmans Productions.

A heartfelt, hilarious story that also tackles deep topics and real questions about how young adults navigate today’s world, “Bitches” is a definite highlight of Annecy’s 2025 work-in-progress sessions.