The official website for the upcoming 48th Annecy International Animation Film Festival has revealed 12 films to compete in this year's official selection of feature films. The lineup includes four Japanese film — Ghost Cat Anzu (French-Japanese co-production) directed by Yoko Kuno, Nobuhiro Yamashita, The Colors Within directed by Naoko Yamada, Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window directed by Shinnosuke Yakuwa, and The Imaginary by Yoshiyuki Momose. The 2024 Annecy International Animation Film Festival Official Selection - Feature films Into the Wonderwoods by Vincent Paronnaud, Alexis Ducard / France, Luxembourg Flow by Gints Zilbalodis / Latvia, Belgium, France Ghost Cat Anzu by Yoko Kuno, Nobuhiro Yamashita / Japan, France The Colors Within by Naoko Yamada / Japan The Most Precious of Cargoes by Michel Hazanavicius / Belgium, France Totto-Chan: The Little Girl at the Window by Shinnosuke Yakuwa / Japan Memoir of a Snail by Adam Elliot / Australia Rock Bottom by María Trénor / Spain, Poland Sauvages by Claude Barras / Switzerland,...
- 4/27/2024
- by Mikikazu Komatsu
- Crunchyroll
The Cannes Film Festival has unveiled fresh news details about its 77th edition (May 14-25), including a Rendez-vous with…Valeria Golino event.
The Italian actress and director, whose 40-year career spans more than 100 acting credits, broke into directing just over a decade ago and has been invited to Cannes Official Selection twice with films Miele (2013) and Euforia (2018).
She has recently completed The Art of Joy. The adaptation of Goliarda Sapienza’s novel L’arte della gioia, was shot as a series but there is also feature-length cut which will release in cinemas in Italy later this year. The cast features Jasmine Trinca, Tecla Insolia and Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi.
The first episode of the series will be previewed, followed by a dialogue between Valeria Golino and the audience.
The festival also announced the first titles selected for its free Cinéma de la Plage screenings: Daniel Burman’s Transmitzvah, Jul’s Silex and the City,...
The Italian actress and director, whose 40-year career spans more than 100 acting credits, broke into directing just over a decade ago and has been invited to Cannes Official Selection twice with films Miele (2013) and Euforia (2018).
She has recently completed The Art of Joy. The adaptation of Goliarda Sapienza’s novel L’arte della gioia, was shot as a series but there is also feature-length cut which will release in cinemas in Italy later this year. The cast features Jasmine Trinca, Tecla Insolia and Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi.
The first episode of the series will be previewed, followed by a dialogue between Valeria Golino and the audience.
The festival also announced the first titles selected for its free Cinéma de la Plage screenings: Daniel Burman’s Transmitzvah, Jul’s Silex and the City,...
- 4/26/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Annecy International Animation Film Festival has unveiled the programme for its 2024 edition, including the Competition line-up and a programme of previews from the major studios.
The 12-strong Official Competition includes Adam Elliot’s Australian feature Memoir Of A Snail, in which Succession star Sarah Snook voices a lonely hoarder of ornamental snails; and stop-motion Savages!, director Claude Barras’ first feature since his Bafta- and Oscar-nominated My Life As A Courgette.
Scroll down for the full Competition line-up
The festival will open with Michel Hazanavicius’ Competition title The Most Precious Of Cargoes, heading to Annecy from its debut in Cannes Competition.
The 12-strong Official Competition includes Adam Elliot’s Australian feature Memoir Of A Snail, in which Succession star Sarah Snook voices a lonely hoarder of ornamental snails; and stop-motion Savages!, director Claude Barras’ first feature since his Bafta- and Oscar-nominated My Life As A Courgette.
Scroll down for the full Competition line-up
The festival will open with Michel Hazanavicius’ Competition title The Most Precious Of Cargoes, heading to Annecy from its debut in Cannes Competition.
- 4/26/2024
- ScreenDaily
The Annecy International Animation Film Festival has unveiled the line-up for its 2024 edition, running from June 9 to 15. (scroll down for full list of titles and events)
Highlights announced on Thursday include Terry Gilliam as guest of honor to receive an Honorary Cristal and give a masterclass. He joins previously announced honorary guest Wes Anderson.
The main Competition and the Contrechamps sections will showcase 23 new animated features.
Features in the main competition include Oscar-winning director Michel Hazanavicius’ first ever animated feature The Most Precious of Cargoes, which will also open the festival.
The drama follows the fate of baby boy who is thrown from an Auschwitz-bound train by his French-Jewish father. The picture will world premiere first in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Other Cannes films in Annecy’s main competition include Un Certain Regard selection Flow by Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis and Ghost Cat Anzu by Japan’s Yoko Kuno,...
Highlights announced on Thursday include Terry Gilliam as guest of honor to receive an Honorary Cristal and give a masterclass. He joins previously announced honorary guest Wes Anderson.
The main Competition and the Contrechamps sections will showcase 23 new animated features.
Features in the main competition include Oscar-winning director Michel Hazanavicius’ first ever animated feature The Most Precious of Cargoes, which will also open the festival.
The drama follows the fate of baby boy who is thrown from an Auschwitz-bound train by his French-Jewish father. The picture will world premiere first in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Other Cannes films in Annecy’s main competition include Un Certain Regard selection Flow by Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis and Ghost Cat Anzu by Japan’s Yoko Kuno,...
- 4/25/2024
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The Most Precious of Cargoes, the first animated feature from Oscar-winning French director Michel Hazanavicius (The Artist), will open this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival.
The feature is a 2D animated adaptation of the best-selling book by French author Jean-Claude Grumberg. Set during World War II, it tells the story of a French Jewish family deported to Auschwitz. On the train to the death camp, in a desperate gesture, the father throws one of his baby twins out into the snow, where he’s discovered by a childless Polish couple living deep in the forest.
Hazanavicius presented the film as a work-in-progress at Annecy two years ago. French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant narrates the film with voice acting from Dominique Blanc, Denis Podalydès, and Grégory Gadebois. Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat (The Shape of Water) composed the score. Animation is from 3.0 Studio – formerly Prima Linea — the group behind the...
The feature is a 2D animated adaptation of the best-selling book by French author Jean-Claude Grumberg. Set during World War II, it tells the story of a French Jewish family deported to Auschwitz. On the train to the death camp, in a desperate gesture, the father throws one of his baby twins out into the snow, where he’s discovered by a childless Polish couple living deep in the forest.
Hazanavicius presented the film as a work-in-progress at Annecy two years ago. French actor Jean-Louis Trintignant narrates the film with voice acting from Dominique Blanc, Denis Podalydès, and Grégory Gadebois. Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat (The Shape of Water) composed the score. Animation is from 3.0 Studio – formerly Prima Linea — the group behind the...
- 4/25/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Many Lives And Deaths Of Christopher Lee
Abacus Media Rights has pre-sold the feature documentary “The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee,” to Sky Arts, Sbs Television Australia; to NonStop Entertainment for Scandinavia, Iceland and the Baltics and to Movistar for Spain.
Lee is known as the Dracula character and for transitioning from 1960s Hammer horror films to a distinguished acting career that encompassed James Bond films, the “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings” franchises.
Less well-known are his aristocratic Italian roots, a close family connection to James Bond novelist Ian Fleming, Lee’s wartime experiences in the British and Finnish military, post-war Nazi-hunting adventures and a side career as a heavy metal rock singer. As an actor, Lee achieved a Guinness world record for the highest number of screen appearances.
Produced in association with the British Film Institute and Trigger Films by Canal Cat Films, “Life and Deaths...
Abacus Media Rights has pre-sold the feature documentary “The Life and Deaths of Christopher Lee,” to Sky Arts, Sbs Television Australia; to NonStop Entertainment for Scandinavia, Iceland and the Baltics and to Movistar for Spain.
Lee is known as the Dracula character and for transitioning from 1960s Hammer horror films to a distinguished acting career that encompassed James Bond films, the “Star Wars” and “Lord of the Rings” franchises.
Less well-known are his aristocratic Italian roots, a close family connection to James Bond novelist Ian Fleming, Lee’s wartime experiences in the British and Finnish military, post-war Nazi-hunting adventures and a side career as a heavy metal rock singer. As an actor, Lee achieved a Guinness world record for the highest number of screen appearances.
Produced in association with the British Film Institute and Trigger Films by Canal Cat Films, “Life and Deaths...
- 9/6/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
“My Life As a Zucchini” director Claude Barras has set up his latest stop-motion animated feature, “Savages!”
Production company Gebeka International — a Hildegarde-Goodfellas company formed in 2021 — and production, financing and sales studio Anton are behind the project, which will be written by Barras and Catherine Paille (“Magnetic Beasts”). The project will be shopped to buyers in Cannes next week.
“Savages!” follows the emotional journey of a girl, her father and a rescued baby orangutan. The film has a strong environmental and conservationist message, exploring the crisis of the destruction of rainforests.
An official synopsis for the film reads as follows: “In Borneo, at the edge of the tropical forest, Kéria is given a baby orangutan that has been rescued from the palm oil plantation where her father works. At the same time, Kéria’s younger cousin Selaï comes to live with her and her father as he seeks refuge from...
Production company Gebeka International — a Hildegarde-Goodfellas company formed in 2021 — and production, financing and sales studio Anton are behind the project, which will be written by Barras and Catherine Paille (“Magnetic Beasts”). The project will be shopped to buyers in Cannes next week.
“Savages!” follows the emotional journey of a girl, her father and a rescued baby orangutan. The film has a strong environmental and conservationist message, exploring the crisis of the destruction of rainforests.
An official synopsis for the film reads as follows: “In Borneo, at the edge of the tropical forest, Kéria is given a baby orangutan that has been rescued from the palm oil plantation where her father works. At the same time, Kéria’s younger cousin Selaï comes to live with her and her father as he seeks refuge from...
- 5/9/2023
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Upcoming animation from ’My Life As A Courgette’ director Claude Barras also among recipients.
Berlin Golden Bear winner Radu Jude’s upcoming feature A Case History is one of 24 features to receive a share of €6.5m (6.87m) in the latest round of Eurimages co-production support funding.
The film, a co-production between Romania and Croatia, has received €150,000 and marks the Romanian filmmaker’s next feature after winning the Golden Bear in 2021 with Bad Luck Banging Or Loony Porn.
Produced by Ada Solomon and Adrian Sitaru of Bucharest-based 4Proof Film, the story will be told in two parts. The first follows a...
Berlin Golden Bear winner Radu Jude’s upcoming feature A Case History is one of 24 features to receive a share of €6.5m (6.87m) in the latest round of Eurimages co-production support funding.
The film, a co-production between Romania and Croatia, has received €150,000 and marks the Romanian filmmaker’s next feature after winning the Golden Bear in 2021 with Bad Luck Banging Or Loony Porn.
Produced by Ada Solomon and Adrian Sitaru of Bucharest-based 4Proof Film, the story will be told in two parts. The first follows a...
- 6/27/2022
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
France’s Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival is celebrating Swiss animation – which marked its 100th anniversary back in 2021 – with a slew of retrospectives, screenings and special events.
In its Official Selection, Switzerland is represented through 13 films spread across different sections. The fest has collaborated with various institutions on the tribute, including the Gsfa, the association of Swiss animation filmmakers, the Swiss Films Archive or the Animatou and Fantoche festivals.
All the while, notes artistic director Marcel Jean, the Focus tries to express the films’ variety and range.
“There isn’t one technique that’s associated with that country, there isn’t one style. I would say that the main characteristic is the fact that there are not that many feature films,” he says.
Still, Sam and Fred Guillaume’s “Max & Co,” Zoltán Horváth and Juan José Lozano’s “Red Jungle” will also be shown, as well as the Oscar-nominated “My...
In its Official Selection, Switzerland is represented through 13 films spread across different sections. The fest has collaborated with various institutions on the tribute, including the Gsfa, the association of Swiss animation filmmakers, the Swiss Films Archive or the Animatou and Fantoche festivals.
All the while, notes artistic director Marcel Jean, the Focus tries to express the films’ variety and range.
“There isn’t one technique that’s associated with that country, there isn’t one style. I would say that the main characteristic is the fact that there are not that many feature films,” he says.
Still, Sam and Fred Guillaume’s “Max & Co,” Zoltán Horváth and Juan José Lozano’s “Red Jungle” will also be shown, as well as the Oscar-nominated “My...
- 6/16/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Upcoming animated features on the company’s slate include The Character Of Rain and Sheba.
France-based animation sales company Gebeka International, which was launched as a joint venture between Wild Bunch International (Wbi) and Gebeka Films last June, has hired Jason Bressand to pilot sales.
He reports to Wbi head of sales Eva Diederix and joins Wbi and Gebeka Films staffers Livia Van der Staay and Marion Delord who oversee acquisitions.
Bressand arrives from Paulo Branco’s Paris-based company Alfama Films, where he was head of international sales and festivals from 2018.
During his time there, he handled titles including German...
France-based animation sales company Gebeka International, which was launched as a joint venture between Wild Bunch International (Wbi) and Gebeka Films last June, has hired Jason Bressand to pilot sales.
He reports to Wbi head of sales Eva Diederix and joins Wbi and Gebeka Films staffers Livia Van der Staay and Marion Delord who oversee acquisitions.
Bressand arrives from Paulo Branco’s Paris-based company Alfama Films, where he was head of international sales and festivals from 2018.
During his time there, he handled titles including German...
- 4/6/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Luca Bernabei to remain as chief executive of Italian company.
Global TV producer and distributor Fremantle has acquired a majority stake in Lux Vide, the Italian production company behind drama series Medici, Devils and Leonardo.
The super-indie has bought 70% of the Rome-based firm, founded by Ettore and Matilde Bernabei in 1992.The remaining 30% will remain with the Bernabei family.
The couple’s son and chief executive Luca Bernabei will continue in the role following the deal, which was brokered by Andrea Scrosati, group chief operating officer and chief executive of continental Europe for Fremantle.
Over its 30-year history, Lux Vide has...
Global TV producer and distributor Fremantle has acquired a majority stake in Lux Vide, the Italian production company behind drama series Medici, Devils and Leonardo.
The super-indie has bought 70% of the Rome-based firm, founded by Ettore and Matilde Bernabei in 1992.The remaining 30% will remain with the Bernabei family.
The couple’s son and chief executive Luca Bernabei will continue in the role following the deal, which was brokered by Andrea Scrosati, group chief operating officer and chief executive of continental Europe for Fremantle.
Over its 30-year history, Lux Vide has...
- 3/4/2022
- by John Elmes Broadcast
- ScreenDaily
’My Life As A Courgette’ director’s third stop-motion work is touching tale of struggle when daughter is born with Down Syndrome.
France tv distribution has boarded sales on Claude Barras’s upcoming animated feature You’re Not The One I Expected ahead of the project’s presentation at the Cartoon Movie co-production meeting in Bordeaux from March 8-10.
It will be Swiss director Barras’s third feature after My Life As A Courgette which was nominated in the best animated film category of the Academy Awards in 2017, having won a slew of awards on the festival circuit including at Annecy,...
France tv distribution has boarded sales on Claude Barras’s upcoming animated feature You’re Not The One I Expected ahead of the project’s presentation at the Cartoon Movie co-production meeting in Bordeaux from March 8-10.
It will be Swiss director Barras’s third feature after My Life As A Courgette which was nominated in the best animated film category of the Academy Awards in 2017, having won a slew of awards on the festival circuit including at Annecy,...
- 3/4/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
’My Life As A Courgette’ director’s second stop-motion work is touching tale of struggle when daughter is born with Down Syndrome.
France tv distribution has boarded Claude Barras’s upcoming animated feature You’re Not The One I Expected ahead of the project’s presentation at the Cartoon Movie co-production meeting in Bordeaux from March 8-10.
It will be Swiss director Barras’s second feature after My Life As A Courgette which was nominated in the best animated film category of the Academy Awards in 2017, having won a slew of awards on the festival circuit the previous year including...
France tv distribution has boarded Claude Barras’s upcoming animated feature You’re Not The One I Expected ahead of the project’s presentation at the Cartoon Movie co-production meeting in Bordeaux from March 8-10.
It will be Swiss director Barras’s second feature after My Life As A Courgette which was nominated in the best animated film category of the Academy Awards in 2017, having won a slew of awards on the festival circuit the previous year including...
- 3/4/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
’My Life As A Courgette’ director’s second stop-motion work is touching tale of struggle when daughter is born with Down Syndrome.
France tv distribution has boarded Claude Barras’s upcoming animated feature You’re Not The One I Expected ahead of the project’s presentation at the Cartoon Movie co-production meeting in Bordeaux from March 8-10.
It will be Swiss director Barras’s second feature after My Life As A Courgette which was nominated in the best animated film category of the Academy Awards in 2017, having won a slew of awards on the festival circuit the previous year including...
France tv distribution has boarded Claude Barras’s upcoming animated feature You’re Not The One I Expected ahead of the project’s presentation at the Cartoon Movie co-production meeting in Bordeaux from March 8-10.
It will be Swiss director Barras’s second feature after My Life As A Courgette which was nominated in the best animated film category of the Academy Awards in 2017, having won a slew of awards on the festival circuit the previous year including...
- 3/4/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Rémi Chayé’s “Fleur,” Claude Barras’ “You’re Not the One I Expected” and Alberto Vázquez’s “Unicorn Wars” are some of the multiple potential standouts at the 24th edition of Cartoon Movie, Europe’s leading animated movie co-production event.
Scheduled to take place in Bordeaux, France, over March 8-10, the 2022 Cartoon Movie lineup features 57 projects, 15 hail from France, which is seven fewer than last year as animation grows in the rest of Europe but still marks its predominance in Europe as a producer of arthouse and crossover animated movies.
For the third year running, Spain has the second largest presence at Cartoon Movie with eight titles, a sign of its build as a significant animation producer and host of animation events such as Cartoon Springboard, confirmed last week, Cartoon Business and the Quirino Awards.
“You’re Not the One I Expected” marks the new project from Switzerland’s Claude Barras,...
Scheduled to take place in Bordeaux, France, over March 8-10, the 2022 Cartoon Movie lineup features 57 projects, 15 hail from France, which is seven fewer than last year as animation grows in the rest of Europe but still marks its predominance in Europe as a producer of arthouse and crossover animated movies.
For the third year running, Spain has the second largest presence at Cartoon Movie with eight titles, a sign of its build as a significant animation producer and host of animation events such as Cartoon Springboard, confirmed last week, Cartoon Business and the Quirino Awards.
“You’re Not the One I Expected” marks the new project from Switzerland’s Claude Barras,...
- 12/21/2021
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
New independent label will handle sales on five to six high-end animated features a year.
Paris-based sales powerhouse Wild Bunch International (Wbi) and leading French animation distributor Gebeka Films are joining forces to create joint animation world sales label Gebeka International.
“The long-term goal is to handle sales on five to six big independent animated features with festival and awards potential a year,” explained Wbi co-head Vincent Maraval.
He will oversee the new venture with Gebeka Films president Réginald de Guillebon.
Lyon-based Gebeka Films specialises in releasing high-end French and European animated features in France. Past releases include Rémi Chayé’s Calamity,...
Paris-based sales powerhouse Wild Bunch International (Wbi) and leading French animation distributor Gebeka Films are joining forces to create joint animation world sales label Gebeka International.
“The long-term goal is to handle sales on five to six big independent animated features with festival and awards potential a year,” explained Wbi co-head Vincent Maraval.
He will oversee the new venture with Gebeka Films president Réginald de Guillebon.
Lyon-based Gebeka Films specialises in releasing high-end French and European animated features in France. Past releases include Rémi Chayé’s Calamity,...
- 6/16/2021
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Writer-director Céline Sciamma’s entrancing historical romance about a young painter and her subject is a perceptive, erotic exploration of power
What a thrillingly versatile film-maker Céline Sciamma has proved to be. Having made an arthouse splash with the Euro-hits Water Lilies and Tomboy, she wrote and directed Girlhood (Bande de filles), a breathtaking portrait of modern “banlieue life” that completed her “accidental trilogy of youth”. Her impressive screenplay credits include Claude Barras’s My Life as a Courgette, a tenderly empathetic, French-Swiss stop-motion masterpiece that earned an Oscar nomination for its vividly resilient depiction of children in care. In each of these very different projects, Sciamma has struck an accessible chord by focusing tightly on specifics, finding the key to universal appeal in the unique, tiny details of each story and character.
For her fourth feature as writer-director, Sciamma ventures to a new world of the late 18th century.
What a thrillingly versatile film-maker Céline Sciamma has proved to be. Having made an arthouse splash with the Euro-hits Water Lilies and Tomboy, she wrote and directed Girlhood (Bande de filles), a breathtaking portrait of modern “banlieue life” that completed her “accidental trilogy of youth”. Her impressive screenplay credits include Claude Barras’s My Life as a Courgette, a tenderly empathetic, French-Swiss stop-motion masterpiece that earned an Oscar nomination for its vividly resilient depiction of children in care. In each of these very different projects, Sciamma has struck an accessible chord by focusing tightly on specifics, finding the key to universal appeal in the unique, tiny details of each story and character.
For her fourth feature as writer-director, Sciamma ventures to a new world of the late 18th century.
- 3/1/2020
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
Eric Névé, a prominent French producer whose credits include Ziad Doueiri’s Oscar-nominated “The Insult,” has died. Névé, 57, was the founder of the Paris-based production banner La Chauve-Souris and co-founder of the international sales company Indie Sales and its sister outfit Indie Prod. He died Sunday.
Through La Chauve-Souris, which he launched in 1995, Névé produced several popular and daring films from a mix of established and emerging directors, notably Jan Kounen’s “Doberman,” Jean-Paul Salomé’s “Les femmes de l’ombre,” Romain Gavras’ “Notre jour viendra,” Moussa Touré’s “La Pirogue” and Daouda Coulibaly’s “Wùlu.”
Névé was well-known for his contribution to the flourishing of new talents in West Africa, in particular Senegal, through his other production company, Astou Films.
In 2013, Névé launched the banner Indie Sales with former TF1 International executive Nicolas Eschbach. The sales and co-production company boasts a library of about 60 movies, among which are Jean-Pierre Améris’s “Marie Heurtin,...
Through La Chauve-Souris, which he launched in 1995, Névé produced several popular and daring films from a mix of established and emerging directors, notably Jan Kounen’s “Doberman,” Jean-Paul Salomé’s “Les femmes de l’ombre,” Romain Gavras’ “Notre jour viendra,” Moussa Touré’s “La Pirogue” and Daouda Coulibaly’s “Wùlu.”
Névé was well-known for his contribution to the flourishing of new talents in West Africa, in particular Senegal, through his other production company, Astou Films.
In 2013, Névé launched the banner Indie Sales with former TF1 International executive Nicolas Eschbach. The sales and co-production company boasts a library of about 60 movies, among which are Jean-Pierre Améris’s “Marie Heurtin,...
- 7/24/2019
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Producer credits included Dobermann, La Pirogue, Fast Convoy, and Suburra.
French producer Eric Névé, whose varied credits included Jan Kounen’s Dobermann, Cannes Un Certain Regard title La Pirogue, and Italian organised crime thriller Suburra, has died at the age of 57.
Paris-based international sales company Indie Sales, which Névé co-founded with Nicolas Eschbach in 2013, put out a statement on Tuesday (23) announcing the producer’s sudden and unexpected death on July 21.
Having graduated in business finance from France’s Sciences Po and Paris-Dauphine universities, Névé got into cinema working for historic film company Ugc, state broadcaster film arm France 3 Cinéma,...
French producer Eric Névé, whose varied credits included Jan Kounen’s Dobermann, Cannes Un Certain Regard title La Pirogue, and Italian organised crime thriller Suburra, has died at the age of 57.
Paris-based international sales company Indie Sales, which Névé co-founded with Nicolas Eschbach in 2013, put out a statement on Tuesday (23) announcing the producer’s sudden and unexpected death on July 21.
Having graduated in business finance from France’s Sciences Po and Paris-Dauphine universities, Névé got into cinema working for historic film company Ugc, state broadcaster film arm France 3 Cinéma,...
- 7/24/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Following in the footsteps of previous honorees Brad Bird and Isao Takahata, French filmmaker Jean-François Laguionie will receive the 2019 Honorary Cristal at the Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival, which runs June 10-15.
The venerable filmmaker will also be on hand to present his latest offering, “Le Voyage du Prince (The Prince’s Journey),” in a special preview screening on June 11. The film finds him returning to the world he explored with his 1999 feature “A Monkey’s Tale,” this time joined by co-director Xavier Picard.
Taking the form of a travelogue, the sequel finds the previous film’s Prince shipwrecked in an unfamiliar land and wounded from the voyage; once rescued by the sympathetic young chimp Tom and tended back to health by the latter’s researcher parents, the grey Prince and his young friend set off to explore this strange new society.
A so-called “philosophical fable,” the film marries textured...
The venerable filmmaker will also be on hand to present his latest offering, “Le Voyage du Prince (The Prince’s Journey),” in a special preview screening on June 11. The film finds him returning to the world he explored with his 1999 feature “A Monkey’s Tale,” this time joined by co-director Xavier Picard.
Taking the form of a travelogue, the sequel finds the previous film’s Prince shipwrecked in an unfamiliar land and wounded from the voyage; once rescued by the sympathetic young chimp Tom and tended back to health by the latter’s researcher parents, the grey Prince and his young friend set off to explore this strange new society.
A so-called “philosophical fable,” the film marries textured...
- 6/10/2019
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Claude Barras, director of the breakout Academy Award nominated hit “My Life as a Zucchini,” is returning to stop motion animation for his next feature “Sauvages,” a socially conscious tale set in the jungles of Borneo. Producer Rhea Plangg attended this year’s Cannes Film Market to foster negotiations with potential production partners.
“Sauvages,” a working title which translates to “Wild” in English, follows an 11-year-old, half-indigenous girl who heads deep into the Borneo forests. There, under the watchful eye of her grandfather and with the help of a young European and his veterinarian father, the girl commits to protecting an orphaned orangutan from poachers. Issues of heritage, preservation, the importance of biodiversity and family are all touched on with a sensibility that young audiences can embrace.
More than just onscreen, the importance of conservation and protection is being embraced by the entire production, and the film’s practical effects...
“Sauvages,” a working title which translates to “Wild” in English, follows an 11-year-old, half-indigenous girl who heads deep into the Borneo forests. There, under the watchful eye of her grandfather and with the help of a young European and his veterinarian father, the girl commits to protecting an orphaned orangutan from poachers. Issues of heritage, preservation, the importance of biodiversity and family are all touched on with a sensibility that young audiences can embrace.
More than just onscreen, the importance of conservation and protection is being embraced by the entire production, and the film’s practical effects...
- 5/23/2019
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
“The Ballad of Yaya,” “Where is Anne Frank?” and “Musketeers of the Tsar” proved the most-attended of industry presentations among 66 feature projects pitched at this year Cartoon Movie, Europe’s top animated feature co-production forum which ran at the French port city of Bordeaux over March 5-7.
A production of Blue Spirit Productions, the company behind François Laguionie’s César-nominated “The Painting” and Claude Barras’ “My Life as a Zucchini,” “The Ballad of Yaya” is penned by Patrick Marty, Céline Ronté and Antoine Schoumsk. The director is yet to be confirmed.
Set in 1937, in development, and targeting 6-12s, it turns on 9-year-old Chinese girl Yaya, raised in the French Concession in Shanghai, who flees Japanese bombings to join her family in Hong Kong.
Already in production and targeting family audiences “Where is Anne Frank?” is the new project of Ari Folman, a revisitation of the Nazi legacy through the...
A production of Blue Spirit Productions, the company behind François Laguionie’s César-nominated “The Painting” and Claude Barras’ “My Life as a Zucchini,” “The Ballad of Yaya” is penned by Patrick Marty, Céline Ronté and Antoine Schoumsk. The director is yet to be confirmed.
Set in 1937, in development, and targeting 6-12s, it turns on 9-year-old Chinese girl Yaya, raised in the French Concession in Shanghai, who flees Japanese bombings to join her family in Hong Kong.
Already in production and targeting family audiences “Where is Anne Frank?” is the new project of Ari Folman, a revisitation of the Nazi legacy through the...
- 3/11/2019
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Bordeaux, France — Frédéric Corvez’ Urban Distribution International (Udi) has taken international rights to French animation legend Jean-François Laguionie’s “Slocum” a feature project in development presented at last year’s Cartoon Movie.
The sales deal was closed at this year’s Cartoon Movie, Europe’s premier co-production and sales forum for animated features, which is also taking place in Bordeaux.
An animation pioneer in France, Laguionie’s recent features take in 2016’s “Louise by the Shore,” a Grand Prize winner at the Ottawa Festival, and the Cesar-nominated “The Painting” (2011).
Produced by Camille Raulo and Laguionie at Jpl Films, which also backed “Louise by the Shore,” the film is penned by Laguionie and Anik Leray, his regular co-writer since 2004’s “Black Mor’s Island.”
Returning to the 2D and 3D mix of “Louise on the Shore,” and using an exquisite soft-toned water-color palette which endows the film with a retro air...
The sales deal was closed at this year’s Cartoon Movie, Europe’s premier co-production and sales forum for animated features, which is also taking place in Bordeaux.
An animation pioneer in France, Laguionie’s recent features take in 2016’s “Louise by the Shore,” a Grand Prize winner at the Ottawa Festival, and the Cesar-nominated “The Painting” (2011).
Produced by Camille Raulo and Laguionie at Jpl Films, which also backed “Louise by the Shore,” the film is penned by Laguionie and Anik Leray, his regular co-writer since 2004’s “Black Mor’s Island.”
Returning to the 2D and 3D mix of “Louise on the Shore,” and using an exquisite soft-toned water-color palette which endows the film with a retro air...
- 3/7/2019
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Claude Barras’ “Savages!,” Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli’s “Tales of the Hedgehog” and Peter Dodd’s “King of the Swamp” are among the sixty-six projects –a 10% increase from last year– to be pitched at the 21st Cartoon Movie, Europe’s leading animated movie co-production event, which will take place in the French port city of Bordeaux, kicking off March 5.
Projects will be offered to buyers and potential partners in different stages: 28 in concept, 24 in development, seven in production and seven sneak previews.
“Savages!” is the much-awaited sophomore project from Switzerland’s Barras, following his multi-awarded and foreign-language Oscar nominated “My Life as a Zucchini.” A stop-motion feature, “Savages!” is produced by France’s Prélude in co-production with Switzerland’s Helium Films. It tells the story of the friendship between 11-year-old Kéria and a Bornean orangutan baby. They will be forced to flee from Kéria’s father who wants to...
Projects will be offered to buyers and potential partners in different stages: 28 in concept, 24 in development, seven in production and seven sneak previews.
“Savages!” is the much-awaited sophomore project from Switzerland’s Barras, following his multi-awarded and foreign-language Oscar nominated “My Life as a Zucchini.” A stop-motion feature, “Savages!” is produced by France’s Prélude in co-production with Switzerland’s Helium Films. It tells the story of the friendship between 11-year-old Kéria and a Bornean orangutan baby. They will be forced to flee from Kéria’s father who wants to...
- 2/3/2019
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Den Of Geek Feb 19, 2018
Last night saw the BAFTA Film Awards dished out in London. And here's what won...
Presided over by Joanna Lumley, last night saw the handing out of this year's BAFTA film awards at a posh ceremony in London. It was a good night too for the team of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and we were thrilled to see Gullermo del Toro land a prize for his directing of the brilliant The Shape Of Water too. Here's the full list of nominees and winners, the winners in bold text. Fellowship Sir Ridley Scott Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema National Film And Television School (Nfts) Best Film Call Me By Your Name Emilie Georges, Luca Guadagnino, Marco Morabito, Peter Spears
Darkest Hour Tim Bevan, Lisa Bruce, Eric Fellner, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski
Dunkirk Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas
The Shape Of Water Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,...
Last night saw the BAFTA Film Awards dished out in London. And here's what won...
Presided over by Joanna Lumley, last night saw the handing out of this year's BAFTA film awards at a posh ceremony in London. It was a good night too for the team of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, and we were thrilled to see Gullermo del Toro land a prize for his directing of the brilliant The Shape Of Water too. Here's the full list of nominees and winners, the winners in bold text. Fellowship Sir Ridley Scott Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema National Film And Television School (Nfts) Best Film Call Me By Your Name Emilie Georges, Luca Guadagnino, Marco Morabito, Peter Spears
Darkest Hour Tim Bevan, Lisa Bruce, Eric Fellner, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski
Dunkirk Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas
The Shape Of Water Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,...
- 2/19/2018
- Den of Geek
Author: Jon Lyus
This evening the UK Film community celebrated its finest with the 2018 BAFTAs, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ annual backslap, with a lavish awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London. We have a full list of winners and our very own red carpet interviews, and further coverage for you below.
Those attending the BAFTA awards ceremony included Hrh Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Gary Oldman, Florence Pugh, Jennifer Lawrence, Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, Willem Dafoe, Timothee Chalamet, Sally Hawkins, Natalie Dormer, Greta Gerwig, Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma Roberts, Angelina Jolie, Patrick Stewart and more.
The 2018 BAFTA Awards Red Carpet Interviews
Our red carpeteers Scott Davis and Dave Sztypuljak were at the Rah, and their interviews will be appearing on the site shortly.
The 2018 BAFTA Winners Room Interviews
The 2018 BAFTA Awards Winners
Here are the...
This evening the UK Film community celebrated its finest with the 2018 BAFTAs, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ annual backslap, with a lavish awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London. We have a full list of winners and our very own red carpet interviews, and further coverage for you below.
Those attending the BAFTA awards ceremony included Hrh Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Gary Oldman, Florence Pugh, Jennifer Lawrence, Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, Willem Dafoe, Timothee Chalamet, Sally Hawkins, Natalie Dormer, Greta Gerwig, Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma Roberts, Angelina Jolie, Patrick Stewart and more.
The 2018 BAFTA Awards Red Carpet Interviews
Our red carpeteers Scott Davis and Dave Sztypuljak were at the Rah, and their interviews will be appearing on the site shortly.
The 2018 BAFTA Winners Room Interviews
The 2018 BAFTA Awards Winners
Here are the...
- 2/18/2018
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy romance The Shape Of Water leads the way with 12 nominations.
The 2018 Bafta Awards are taking place tonight at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Screen International will be posting all the winners live on this page and on Twitter as they are announced.
The ceremony starts at 18:45 UK time and finishes at approximately 21:30, with Joanna Lumley hosting following the departure of 12-time presenter Stephen Fry.
Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy romance The Shape Of Water leads the way with 12 nominations, followed by Winston Churchill biopic Darkest Hour and Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (both 9).
The full list of winners
Winners as they happen in bold.
Leading Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis Phantom Thread Daniel Kaluuya Get Out Gary Oldman Darkest Hour Jamie Bell Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool TIMOTHÉE Chalamet Call Me by Your Name
Cinematography
Blade Runner 2049 Roger Deakins Darkest Hour Bruno Delbonnel Dunkirk Hoyte van Hoytema...
The 2018 Bafta Awards are taking place tonight at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Screen International will be posting all the winners live on this page and on Twitter as they are announced.
The ceremony starts at 18:45 UK time and finishes at approximately 21:30, with Joanna Lumley hosting following the departure of 12-time presenter Stephen Fry.
Guillermo del Toro’s fantasy romance The Shape Of Water leads the way with 12 nominations, followed by Winston Churchill biopic Darkest Hour and Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (both 9).
The full list of winners
Winners as they happen in bold.
Leading Actor
Daniel Day-Lewis Phantom Thread Daniel Kaluuya Get Out Gary Oldman Darkest Hour Jamie Bell Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool TIMOTHÉE Chalamet Call Me by Your Name
Cinematography
Blade Runner 2049 Roger Deakins Darkest Hour Bruno Delbonnel Dunkirk Hoyte van Hoytema...
- 2/18/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Author: Jon Lyus
It’s BAFTA weekend, and yesterday evening the UK Film community began marking their biggest celebrations of the year with the BAFTA Nominees Party which took place at Kensington Palace.
There were many luminaries from the world of film gathered there, with the likes Florence Pugh, Annette Bening, God’s Own Country duo Josh O’Connor and Francis Lee, Kingsman’s Taron Egerton and Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya taking time to enjoy the pre-ceremony festivities in the luxurious surrounds. Other attendees including Jawbone’s Johnny Harris, X-Men’s Nicholas Hoult, Gemma Arterton, The Shape of Water composer Alexandre Desplat and former Vice-President Al Gore.
We present interviews with some of the above, captured on the red carpet and you can see a full list of nominations for tonight’s event below.
We’ll be on the red carpet this evening, so be sure to check back...
It’s BAFTA weekend, and yesterday evening the UK Film community began marking their biggest celebrations of the year with the BAFTA Nominees Party which took place at Kensington Palace.
There were many luminaries from the world of film gathered there, with the likes Florence Pugh, Annette Bening, God’s Own Country duo Josh O’Connor and Francis Lee, Kingsman’s Taron Egerton and Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya taking time to enjoy the pre-ceremony festivities in the luxurious surrounds. Other attendees including Jawbone’s Johnny Harris, X-Men’s Nicholas Hoult, Gemma Arterton, The Shape of Water composer Alexandre Desplat and former Vice-President Al Gore.
We present interviews with some of the above, captured on the red carpet and you can see a full list of nominations for tonight’s event below.
We’ll be on the red carpet this evening, so be sure to check back...
- 2/18/2018
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Author: Jon Lyus
The 2018 awards season has well and truly begun. Over the weekend the Hollywood Foreign Press Association threw out their Golden Globes in a politically charged ceremony which was as much of a comment on the biggest stories from the industry last year as any gold statue handed out. Today the awards spotlight swings over to the UK as BAFTA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, announced the nominations for their 2018 Film Awards ceremony.
As in previous years the British Academy will endeavour to be seen as more than just another stepping stone to the Oscars. While there are a number of British-specific awards handed out on the night, the expectation is that homegrown productions will be high on the list of nominees. The 2018 BAFTA Film Awards will be handed out in a ceremony in London on the 18th of February of this year.
It was...
The 2018 awards season has well and truly begun. Over the weekend the Hollywood Foreign Press Association threw out their Golden Globes in a politically charged ceremony which was as much of a comment on the biggest stories from the industry last year as any gold statue handed out. Today the awards spotlight swings over to the UK as BAFTA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, announced the nominations for their 2018 Film Awards ceremony.
As in previous years the British Academy will endeavour to be seen as more than just another stepping stone to the Oscars. While there are a number of British-specific awards handed out on the night, the expectation is that homegrown productions will be high on the list of nominees. The 2018 BAFTA Film Awards will be handed out in a ceremony in London on the 18th of February of this year.
It was...
- 1/9/2018
- by Jon Lyus
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Natalie Dormer and Letitia Wright presented this year’s nominees.
The nominations for the 2018 British Academy Film Awards were revealed today (Jan 9) at London’s Princess Anne Theatre.
The Shape Of Water leads the way with 12 nominations. Darkest Hour and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri follow on nine.
The Bafta ceremony will take place on Feb 18 at London’s Royal Albert Hall and will be broadcast on BBC One. Joanna Lumley will host the event, replacing regular host Stephen Fry.
2018 nominations
Best Film
Call Me By Your Name Emilie Georges, Luca Guadagnino, Marco Morabito, Peter Spears Darkest Hour Tim Bevan, Lisa Bruce, Eric Fellner, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski Dunkirk Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas The Shape Of Water Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh
Outstanding British Film
Darkest Hour Joe Wright, Tim Bevan, Lisa Bruce, Eric Fellner, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski The Death Of Stalin Armando Iannucci, Kevin Loader, [link...
The nominations for the 2018 British Academy Film Awards were revealed today (Jan 9) at London’s Princess Anne Theatre.
The Shape Of Water leads the way with 12 nominations. Darkest Hour and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri follow on nine.
The Bafta ceremony will take place on Feb 18 at London’s Royal Albert Hall and will be broadcast on BBC One. Joanna Lumley will host the event, replacing regular host Stephen Fry.
2018 nominations
Best Film
Call Me By Your Name Emilie Georges, Luca Guadagnino, Marco Morabito, Peter Spears Darkest Hour Tim Bevan, Lisa Bruce, Eric Fellner, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski Dunkirk Christopher Nolan, Emma Thomas The Shape Of Water Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh
Outstanding British Film
Darkest Hour Joe Wright, Tim Bevan, Lisa Bruce, Eric Fellner, Anthony McCarten, Douglas Urbanski The Death Of Stalin Armando Iannucci, Kevin Loader, [link...
- 1/9/2018
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
A young boy is sent to a children’s home in a frank and affecting animation about abused youngsters finding strength through solidarity
Last week, I swooned over Michaël Dudok de Wit’s The Red Turtle, a French-Belgian-Japanese co-production which was nominated for the best animated feature Oscar. Also recommended in that same category was My Life As a Courgette (or My Life As a Zucchini in the Us), a wonderfully affecting French-Swiss stop-motion masterpiece based on Gilles Paris’s book Autobiographie d’une courgette. Directed by feature first-timer Claude Barras from a screenplay by Girlhood writer-director Céline Sciamma, this tale of resilient children surviving abuse and abandonment may sound tough and unpalatable. Yet despite the spectre of parental alcoholism, drug addiction and worse, this beautifully tender and empathetic film addresses kids and adults alike in clear and compassionate tones that span – and perhaps heal – generations.
We first meet nine-year-old Icare,...
Last week, I swooned over Michaël Dudok de Wit’s The Red Turtle, a French-Belgian-Japanese co-production which was nominated for the best animated feature Oscar. Also recommended in that same category was My Life As a Courgette (or My Life As a Zucchini in the Us), a wonderfully affecting French-Swiss stop-motion masterpiece based on Gilles Paris’s book Autobiographie d’une courgette. Directed by feature first-timer Claude Barras from a screenplay by Girlhood writer-director Céline Sciamma, this tale of resilient children surviving abuse and abandonment may sound tough and unpalatable. Yet despite the spectre of parental alcoholism, drug addiction and worse, this beautifully tender and empathetic film addresses kids and adults alike in clear and compassionate tones that span – and perhaps heal – generations.
We first meet nine-year-old Icare,...
- 6/4/2017
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
Claude Barras’s Oscar-nominated debut, a lovely stop-motion animation set in a French orphanage, is expressive, subtle and beguiling
Here is a little miracle of gentleness, tenderness and intense, traditional Frenchness. It was an Oscar nominee for best animated feature earlier this year, losing out, probably unjustly, to Zootopia. The screenwriter Céline Sciamma has adapted the 2002 novel Autobiography of a Courgette by Gilles Paris for this beguiling stop-motion animation; director Claude Barras makes his feature debut.
Related: 'Ken Loach for kids': the mind behind My Life As a Courgette
Continue reading...
Here is a little miracle of gentleness, tenderness and intense, traditional Frenchness. It was an Oscar nominee for best animated feature earlier this year, losing out, probably unjustly, to Zootopia. The screenwriter Céline Sciamma has adapted the 2002 novel Autobiography of a Courgette by Gilles Paris for this beguiling stop-motion animation; director Claude Barras makes his feature debut.
Related: 'Ken Loach for kids': the mind behind My Life As a Courgette
Continue reading...
- 6/2/2017
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Author: Stefan Pape
Profound drama My Life as a Courgette is emblematic of just how important word of mouth can be. Naturally, a French, low-budget stop-motion animation for adults, directed by a first-time filmmaker – and with a run-time of just over an hour, may be a somewhat tough sell. But it’s absolutely brilliant.
It’s not just us who think so either, for this Claude Barras production was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe this year, and now has finally made its way to UK cinemas. But it’s a journey that started a long time ago – as the aforementioned director explained to us during an exclusive interview in Paris earlier this year.
“I read the book 10 years ago and in the meantime I made six short films,” he said. “I developed the script and worked on it, which lasted six years, and I was looking for producers.
Profound drama My Life as a Courgette is emblematic of just how important word of mouth can be. Naturally, a French, low-budget stop-motion animation for adults, directed by a first-time filmmaker – and with a run-time of just over an hour, may be a somewhat tough sell. But it’s absolutely brilliant.
It’s not just us who think so either, for this Claude Barras production was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe this year, and now has finally made its way to UK cinemas. But it’s a journey that started a long time ago – as the aforementioned director explained to us during an exclusive interview in Paris earlier this year.
“I read the book 10 years ago and in the meantime I made six short films,” he said. “I developed the script and worked on it, which lasted six years, and I was looking for producers.
- 5/30/2017
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Folk Hero & Funny Guy (Jeff Grace)
The bond of male friendship is examined – and tested – in Folk Hero & Funny Guy, a short and sweet dramedy from multi-hyphenate Jeff Grace, who writes and directs. We meet comedian Paul (Alex Karpovsky) at the end of a tired stand-up routine in a beer-stained comedy club. Meanwhile, Paul’s childhood friend Jason (Wyatt Russell) has built a successful career for himself as a folk music star.
Folk Hero & Funny Guy (Jeff Grace)
The bond of male friendship is examined – and tested – in Folk Hero & Funny Guy, a short and sweet dramedy from multi-hyphenate Jeff Grace, who writes and directs. We meet comedian Paul (Alex Karpovsky) at the end of a tired stand-up routine in a beer-stained comedy club. Meanwhile, Paul’s childhood friend Jason (Wyatt Russell) has built a successful career for himself as a folk music star.
- 5/12/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Claude Barras is working on animated features based on Oedipus and deforestation.
My Life as a Courgette director Claude Barras has revealed details of his next two projects.
They are an adaptation of Greek myth Oedipus for children and an original script about deforestation.
Speaking to Screen at the Fmx visual effects conference in Stuttgart, Barras said that both will be stop motion feature animations aimed at children.
“The story about deforestation is more mainstream,” Barras said. “It is set in the jungle in Borneo and features a young girl and a orangutan.”
The Oedipus story is in concept art stage. Barras said he is consulting with child psychologists to determine the right age at which to pitch the story; the original tale features patricide and incest.
“This will be very low budget. The concept art currently mixes stop motion with emoticons for facial expression and masks for the character’s heads.”
My Life As A Courgette (also known...
My Life as a Courgette director Claude Barras has revealed details of his next two projects.
They are an adaptation of Greek myth Oedipus for children and an original script about deforestation.
Speaking to Screen at the Fmx visual effects conference in Stuttgart, Barras said that both will be stop motion feature animations aimed at children.
“The story about deforestation is more mainstream,” Barras said. “It is set in the jungle in Borneo and features a young girl and a orangutan.”
The Oedipus story is in concept art stage. Barras said he is consulting with child psychologists to determine the right age at which to pitch the story; the original tale features patricide and incest.
“This will be very low budget. The concept art currently mixes stop motion with emoticons for facial expression and masks for the character’s heads.”
My Life As A Courgette (also known...
- 5/3/2017
- ScreenDaily
Claude Barras, director of the Oscar-nominated My Life as a Zucchini, said he wants to make a stop-motion version of Oedipus on Wednesday during the Fmx visual effects and animation conference in Stuttgart, Germany.
Additionally, he's developing a stop-motion film based on an original story about a child living in Borneo.
In both cases, he's aiming for simplicity on a low budget (he's even considering making Oedipus without sets), something he did to great effect with My Life as a Zucchini, which was made for just $6 million and released in the U.S. by indie distributor Gkids.
"Simplicity in a film can be an...
Additionally, he's developing a stop-motion film based on an original story about a child living in Borneo.
In both cases, he's aiming for simplicity on a low budget (he's even considering making Oedipus without sets), something he did to great effect with My Life as a Zucchini, which was made for just $6 million and released in the U.S. by indie distributor Gkids.
"Simplicity in a film can be an...
- 5/3/2017
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This is a Pure Movies review for My Life as a Courgette, starring Nick Offerman, Ellen Page, Will Forte and Amy Sedaris, directed by Claude Barras Though colourful and visually popping, children’s animation can be remarkably adept at tugging the heartstrings. It’s guilty of caving to easy manipulation and doe-eyed schmaltziness every now and then, sure, but when it’s smart, it can be devastating. Maybe it’s the bait-and-switch juxtaposition of storybook images and incisive emotional truths that makes it so effective. Maybe it’s the heart-rendering simplicity of their allegories – or maybe, even, it’s that such emotions are simply universal. Whatever the secret is, from My Neighbour Totoro to Toy Story 3, they are almost unparalleled in their ability to give voice to often-inexpressible sentiments.
- 4/27/2017
- by Joshua Glenn
- Pure Movies
The 49th annual edition of the Cannes Film Festival’s lauded Directors’ Fortnight section announced its picks this morning. The section is a non-competitive sidebar, but members of the Société des Réalisateurs Français, which organizes the event, do dole out honors.
Directors’ Fortnight artistic director Edouard Waintrop announced the titles in a roughly 40 minute presentation Thursday. The section opens with the latest film from Claire Denis, “Un Beau Soleil Interieur,” an adaptation of Roland Barthes’ “A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments,” which stars Juliette Binoche and Gerard Depardieu. Major auteurs in the lineup include Bruno Dumont, with his musical “Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc,” and Bael Ferrara, who will return to Cannes after several years with “Alive In France,” a documentary that follows Ferrara and his band as they tour France.
Other notable titles include “The Florida Project,” Sean Baker’s follow-up to “Tangerine,” and “A Ciambra,” from “Mediterranea” director Jonas Carpignano.
Directors’ Fortnight artistic director Edouard Waintrop announced the titles in a roughly 40 minute presentation Thursday. The section opens with the latest film from Claire Denis, “Un Beau Soleil Interieur,” an adaptation of Roland Barthes’ “A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments,” which stars Juliette Binoche and Gerard Depardieu. Major auteurs in the lineup include Bruno Dumont, with his musical “Jeannette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc,” and Bael Ferrara, who will return to Cannes after several years with “Alive In France,” a documentary that follows Ferrara and his band as they tour France.
Other notable titles include “The Florida Project,” Sean Baker’s follow-up to “Tangerine,” and “A Ciambra,” from “Mediterranea” director Jonas Carpignano.
- 4/20/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
The 19th edition of the Buenos Aires Independent Film Festival (Bafici) on Thursday announced its full program at a press conference in Buenos Aires, led by the city’s Minister of Culture Angel Mahler, fest director Javier Porta Fouz and Argentine Film Institute president Alejandro Cacetta.
An art house beacon and one of Latin America's main film events, Bafici will screen more than 400 films and welcome international guests Nanni Moretti (Mia Madre), Claude Barras (Oscar-nominated My Life as a Zucchini) and Alex Ross Perry (Sundance entry Golden Exits) to present retrospectives of their work. Other guests include Lucrecia...
An art house beacon and one of Latin America's main film events, Bafici will screen more than 400 films and welcome international guests Nanni Moretti (Mia Madre), Claude Barras (Oscar-nominated My Life as a Zucchini) and Alex Ross Perry (Sundance entry Golden Exits) to present retrospectives of their work. Other guests include Lucrecia...
- 3/30/2017
- by Agustin Mango
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The eyes have it: Claude Barras with Courgette - and his box of tricks. Photo: Richard Mowe
From the moment it bowed in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight last year until now, a modest budget animation film by an unknown director has been fêted and acclaimed at Festivals all over the world with, notably, an Oscar nomination and a César win in France. Claude Barras, the director of My Life as a Courgette (or Zucchini in the States) has barely had time to draw breath. He pauses to reflect on a phenomenal few months, his admiration for Nick Park and the Aardman Studios, his collaboration with French director Céline Sciamma, and why simplicity is the key to his work.
Richard Mowe: You have been living with My Life As A Courgette for quite some time - has it been a bit of an endurance test ?
Claude Barras: Yes, that...
From the moment it bowed in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight last year until now, a modest budget animation film by an unknown director has been fêted and acclaimed at Festivals all over the world with, notably, an Oscar nomination and a César win in France. Claude Barras, the director of My Life as a Courgette (or Zucchini in the States) has barely had time to draw breath. He pauses to reflect on a phenomenal few months, his admiration for Nick Park and the Aardman Studios, his collaboration with French director Céline Sciamma, and why simplicity is the key to his work.
Richard Mowe: You have been living with My Life As A Courgette for quite some time - has it been a bit of an endurance test ?
Claude Barras: Yes, that...
- 3/30/2017
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Divine Order takes three awards; Cahier Africain wins two.
My My Life As A Courgette won best fiction film at the Swiss Film Awards, announced on Friday (24 March).
Claude Barras’ stop-motion animation also won best film score, for Sophie Hunter’s soundtrack, and a special Academy award for the casting and directing.
The film won the César for best animation this year, and was also nominated in the same category at the Oscars and Golden Globes.
The other big winner at the event was The Divine Order with three awards.
Petra Volpe’s film, which centres on the fight for equal rights for women in 1970s Switzerland, won best screenplay (Petra Volpe), best actress (Marie Leuenberger) and best performance in a supporting role (Rachel Braunschweig).
The film will receive its international premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 21, with Trust Nordisk handling world sales.
Heidi Specogna’s documentary Cahier Africain received two awards, for best documentary...
My My Life As A Courgette won best fiction film at the Swiss Film Awards, announced on Friday (24 March).
Claude Barras’ stop-motion animation also won best film score, for Sophie Hunter’s soundtrack, and a special Academy award for the casting and directing.
The film won the César for best animation this year, and was also nominated in the same category at the Oscars and Golden Globes.
The other big winner at the event was The Divine Order with three awards.
Petra Volpe’s film, which centres on the fight for equal rights for women in 1970s Switzerland, won best screenplay (Petra Volpe), best actress (Marie Leuenberger) and best performance in a supporting role (Rachel Braunschweig).
The film will receive its international premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 21, with Trust Nordisk handling world sales.
Heidi Specogna’s documentary Cahier Africain received two awards, for best documentary...
- 3/27/2017
- by orlando.parfitt@screendaily.com (Orlando Parfitt)
- ScreenDaily
A shot in the animated children’s feature My Life As A Zucchini. Courtesy of Gkids.
One of this year’s Oscar nominees for Best Animated Feature, the French/Swiss My Life As A Zucchini (Ma Vie en Courgette) is a complete charmer. The stop-motion children’s film focuses on a lonely boy nicknamed Zucchini (Courgette, in French) who is sent to a group home after his mother’s accidental death. Life had not been good with his hard-drinking mom after his father left them, but the boy clings to his only mementos of them and his childhood: a kite that depicts his little-remembered dad as a superhero, one of his mom’s empty beer cans, and the strange nickname his mother gave him.
Zucchini expects the worst when the kindly policeman who has befriended him, Raymond, takes him to the rural orphanage. At first it seems as if he...
One of this year’s Oscar nominees for Best Animated Feature, the French/Swiss My Life As A Zucchini (Ma Vie en Courgette) is a complete charmer. The stop-motion children’s film focuses on a lonely boy nicknamed Zucchini (Courgette, in French) who is sent to a group home after his mother’s accidental death. Life had not been good with his hard-drinking mom after his father left them, but the boy clings to his only mementos of them and his childhood: a kite that depicts his little-remembered dad as a superhero, one of his mom’s empty beer cans, and the strange nickname his mother gave him.
Zucchini expects the worst when the kindly policeman who has befriended him, Raymond, takes him to the rural orphanage. At first it seems as if he...
- 3/17/2017
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Chicago – Leave it to the Europeans to inject some realistic drama into the art of animation. The recently Oscar nominated “My Life as a Zucchini” is opening in Chicago this weekend, and tells the story of parental abandonment, orphanages and finding family. Co-produced by France and Switzerland, it uses a familiar claymation stop-motion style for more emotional resonance.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
The English dubbed version is cast with familiar names – Nick Offerman, Ellen Page, Will Forte and Amy Sedaris – and that adds even more connection to the material. The film is an adaption of a novel by Gilles Paris, and pulls no punches in its presentation of a group of orphans, telling the back stories of their circumstances with substance abuse parents, drunken parents, abusive parents and deported parents. The kids are all misfits, and need to rally to each other to get through their challenges. The story suffers a bit through a tipped off ending,...
Rating: 3.5/5.0
The English dubbed version is cast with familiar names – Nick Offerman, Ellen Page, Will Forte and Amy Sedaris – and that adds even more connection to the material. The film is an adaption of a novel by Gilles Paris, and pulls no punches in its presentation of a group of orphans, telling the back stories of their circumstances with substance abuse parents, drunken parents, abusive parents and deported parents. The kids are all misfits, and need to rally to each other to get through their challenges. The story suffers a bit through a tipped off ending,...
- 3/11/2017
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Oscar-nominated My Life As A Courgette wins two prizes as industry present upcoming animations.
The Swiss-French animated feature My Life As A Courgette picked up two of the Cartoon Tributes at the 19th edition of Cartoon Movie (March 8-10) after voting by the co-production market’s participants.
The distinction of European producer of the year went to Max Karli and Pauline Gygax’s Geneva-based Rita Productions together with their French partners Blue Spirit Productions and distributor Gebeka Films for the stop-motion comedy-drama, which faced stiff competition from the production teams of Richard The Stork and Ethel & Ernest.
In addition, the animation community gathered in Bordeaux voted Courgette’s director Claude Barras as European director of the year.
My Life As a Courgette won Césars in France last month for best animated feature and best adapted screenplay after receiving the European Film Award for best European animated feature in Wroclaw in December and being nominated for a best...
The Swiss-French animated feature My Life As A Courgette picked up two of the Cartoon Tributes at the 19th edition of Cartoon Movie (March 8-10) after voting by the co-production market’s participants.
The distinction of European producer of the year went to Max Karli and Pauline Gygax’s Geneva-based Rita Productions together with their French partners Blue Spirit Productions and distributor Gebeka Films for the stop-motion comedy-drama, which faced stiff competition from the production teams of Richard The Stork and Ethel & Ernest.
In addition, the animation community gathered in Bordeaux voted Courgette’s director Claude Barras as European director of the year.
My Life As a Courgette won Césars in France last month for best animated feature and best adapted screenplay after receiving the European Film Award for best European animated feature in Wroclaw in December and being nominated for a best...
- 3/10/2017
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
MaryAnn’s quick take… Simply a lovely film, with some of the most striking — and haunting — animation I’ve ever seen, and full of a remarkable and palpable warmth and humanity. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
The animation style may be a bit of a tipoff: My Life as a Zucchini is not going to be an easy film. The haunting claymation features people with sallow faces and shadowed eyes on oversized heads, tragedy and pain made bloatedly manifest on their bodies. And these people are mostly children: orphans abandoned by life, which has turned them either bullying or neurotic or withdrawn or just plain sad. Some parents may feel that this is not a film suitable for children, but I disagree: kids’ sympathy (and that of adults,...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
The animation style may be a bit of a tipoff: My Life as a Zucchini is not going to be an easy film. The haunting claymation features people with sallow faces and shadowed eyes on oversized heads, tragedy and pain made bloatedly manifest on their bodies. And these people are mostly children: orphans abandoned by life, which has turned them either bullying or neurotic or withdrawn or just plain sad. Some parents may feel that this is not a film suitable for children, but I disagree: kids’ sympathy (and that of adults,...
- 3/6/2017
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Get those animal-related Oscar puns for the sequel.
“Zootopia” took home the award for Best Animated Feature at Sunday night’s 89th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California.
Read More: ‘Zootopia’: How Disney Anticipated Trump’s America With That Ice Cream Scene (Exclusive Video)
This is the fifth straight year that a Disney-affiliated entity as won the award and the 11th time in the 16 years the award has existed. Co-directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore were both nominated previously for the award for their individual work on “Bolt” and “Wreck-It Ralph,” respectively.
“We are so grateful to the audiences all over the world who have embraced this film with this story of tolerance being more powerful than fear of the other,” Moore said, accepting the award.
The evening’s dark horse contender was “Kubo and the Two Strings,” the latest film from Portland-based animation house Laika.
“Zootopia” took home the award for Best Animated Feature at Sunday night’s 89th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, California.
Read More: ‘Zootopia’: How Disney Anticipated Trump’s America With That Ice Cream Scene (Exclusive Video)
This is the fifth straight year that a Disney-affiliated entity as won the award and the 11th time in the 16 years the award has existed. Co-directors Byron Howard and Rich Moore were both nominated previously for the award for their individual work on “Bolt” and “Wreck-It Ralph,” respectively.
“We are so grateful to the audiences all over the world who have embraced this film with this story of tolerance being more powerful than fear of the other,” Moore said, accepting the award.
The evening’s dark horse contender was “Kubo and the Two Strings,” the latest film from Portland-based animation house Laika.
- 2/27/2017
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
France’s highest film awards were handed out at the 42nd annual ceremony in Paris on Friday [24].
Isabelle Huppert clinched best actress for her performance in Paul Verhoeven’s Elle at France’s annual César awards at Salle Pleyel in Paris on Friday evening (24), in a 42nd edition marked by strong female stories, newcomers and outsiders.
Scroll Down For Full List Of Winners
Verhoeven’s tale of a tough female company boss who plays a cat-and-mouse psychological game with a rapist also won best film with Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar presenting the award to the Dutch director and the film’s producers Saïd Ben Saïd and Michel Merkt.
The director noted Huppert had taken the film to a higher level.
“You added something that I didn’t have in mind when I started the project, it came through the collaboration you. Thank you, Isabelle, I adore you.”
Huppert was also on hand to accept her award ahead of...
Isabelle Huppert clinched best actress for her performance in Paul Verhoeven’s Elle at France’s annual César awards at Salle Pleyel in Paris on Friday evening (24), in a 42nd edition marked by strong female stories, newcomers and outsiders.
Scroll Down For Full List Of Winners
Verhoeven’s tale of a tough female company boss who plays a cat-and-mouse psychological game with a rapist also won best film with Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar presenting the award to the Dutch director and the film’s producers Saïd Ben Saïd and Michel Merkt.
The director noted Huppert had taken the film to a higher level.
“You added something that I didn’t have in mind when I started the project, it came through the collaboration you. Thank you, Isabelle, I adore you.”
Huppert was also on hand to accept her award ahead of...
- 2/24/2017
- ScreenDaily
‘My Life As A Zucchini’ Review: This Oscar Nominee Is An Animated ‘Short Term 12’ That Keeps It Real
From “Oliver Twist” to “The Fault In Our Stars,” younger viewers have always had an affinity for melancholy. Call it a penchant for melodrama, unfettered access to emotions without shame, or maybe it’s taking comfort in life’s messier truths before social mores encourage them to project happiness at all times. Children often feel things more intensely than jaded adults; it follows that they would respond to narratives that are comfortable painting with shades of grey.
Which is not to say “My Life As A Zucchini” isn’t colorful. Visually, it uses a whimsical palette and exudes vintage charm. The figures, with their circular eyes and ruddy noses and ears have that certain stop-motion je ne sais quoi. The wide, circular eyes of the film’s mournful protagonist, Zucchini, are rimmed in blue to match his hair, painting his face with a pallor that mirrors the blues inside.
Read...
Which is not to say “My Life As A Zucchini” isn’t colorful. Visually, it uses a whimsical palette and exudes vintage charm. The figures, with their circular eyes and ruddy noses and ears have that certain stop-motion je ne sais quoi. The wide, circular eyes of the film’s mournful protagonist, Zucchini, are rimmed in blue to match his hair, painting his face with a pallor that mirrors the blues inside.
Read...
- 2/23/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Premiering in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival last year, Claude Barras‘ feature-length debut animation My Life as a Zucchini (aka My Life as a Courgette) is a deeply felt tale of the healing process through the eyes of an orphan. Ahead of its U.S. release this weekend, where it will also compete as a Best Animated Feature Film nominee at the Academy Awards, I had the opportunity to speak with Barras about crafting the animation.
We discussed his collaboration with Céline Sciamma (Girlhood) on the script, taking the perspective of a child, capturing taboo subjects, a crisis in production, his biggest animation influences, his Oscar nomination, and where he sees the future of his craft heading. Check out the full conversation below.
The Film Stage: Can you talk about the child perspective of this film — you don’t see the mother’s death and adult...
We discussed his collaboration with Céline Sciamma (Girlhood) on the script, taking the perspective of a child, capturing taboo subjects, a crisis in production, his biggest animation influences, his Oscar nomination, and where he sees the future of his craft heading. Check out the full conversation below.
The Film Stage: Can you talk about the child perspective of this film — you don’t see the mother’s death and adult...
- 2/23/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
If comforting hugs could be delivered in visual form, My Life as a Zucchini would be the warmest of them all. Kindhearted but not sugarcoated, Claude Barras’ first animated feature has quickly become a global phenomenon, winning many international awards and now an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Feature. Its most delightful victory, however, is in dealing with hardship and tragedy with honest tactfulness wrapped in colorful design. Social realism filtered through the magical physicality of stop-motion is the recipe at the root of this touching adaptation of French scribe Gilles Paris’s novel, for which Girlhood director Céline Sciamma […]...
- 2/23/2017
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
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