JuVee Productions, the banner headed by Viola Davis and Julius Tennon, is branching into animation with a partnership that will see the Woman King shingle produce a slate of afro-anime films. JuVee is partnering with N Lite, a Black and Japanese-led media company and anime studio, on animated films that will focus on Black and afro-indigenous stories.
The first film under the deal will be an epic fantasy inspired by Congolese folklore, Mfinda, created by Congolese-American artist Patience Leiken and N Lite founder Christiano Terry. Donald H. Hewitt, Terry, and Lekien penned the scrrenplay, with D’Art Shtajio’s Arthell Isom set to co-direct, and Japanese screenwriter Mika Abe (Forest of Piano) attached for the Japanese screenplay.
Mfinda, which was announced at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, will be produced alongside producer-distributor powerhouse Gkids, most recently in theaters with The Boy and the Heron, as well as Studio M...
The first film under the deal will be an epic fantasy inspired by Congolese folklore, Mfinda, created by Congolese-American artist Patience Leiken and N Lite founder Christiano Terry. Donald H. Hewitt, Terry, and Lekien penned the scrrenplay, with D’Art Shtajio’s Arthell Isom set to co-direct, and Japanese screenwriter Mika Abe (Forest of Piano) attached for the Japanese screenplay.
Mfinda, which was announced at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, will be produced alongside producer-distributor powerhouse Gkids, most recently in theaters with The Boy and the Heron, as well as Studio M...
- 2/1/2024
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Specialty distributor Gkids has picked up North American rights to directors Yoko Kuno and Nobuhiro Yamashita’s upcoming animated feature “Ghost Cat Anzu,” while Paris-based Charades has boarded the project for international sales.
Spearheaded by Miyu Productions and Shin-Ei Animation, and adapted from a manga by Takashi Imashiro, the family title tracks the tempestuous friendship shared between 11-year Karin, a strong-minded girl sent to live with her monk granddad in the Japanese countryside, and Anzu, the even-more unpredictable phantom feline who acts as her guardian.
The project will screen as a work-in-progress presentation at this year’s Annecy Animation Festival, and is slated for release in 2024.
“From the moment we saw the first drawings and read the script, we knew we needed to be attached and help get this film into the world,” says Gkids director Eric Beckman. “We are huge fans of Yoku Kuno’s animation, of Shin-Ei, and...
Spearheaded by Miyu Productions and Shin-Ei Animation, and adapted from a manga by Takashi Imashiro, the family title tracks the tempestuous friendship shared between 11-year Karin, a strong-minded girl sent to live with her monk granddad in the Japanese countryside, and Anzu, the even-more unpredictable phantom feline who acts as her guardian.
The project will screen as a work-in-progress presentation at this year’s Annecy Animation Festival, and is slated for release in 2024.
“From the moment we saw the first drawings and read the script, we knew we needed to be attached and help get this film into the world,” says Gkids director Eric Beckman. “We are huge fans of Yoku Kuno’s animation, of Shin-Ei, and...
- 6/12/2023
- by Ben Croll
- Variety Film + TV
Anime legends, producer Masao Maruyama and director Gisaburō Sugii, as well as U.S. animation producer and distributor Gkids, have joined global multimedia company N Lite and N Lite Japan to produce “Mfinda,” a first Afro-anime film which will be the subject of an in-depth first look at June’s Annecy Int’l Animation Film Festival.
Selected amongst the pitches this year at Annecy’s MIFA market in the feature film category, the N Lite original was created by Congolese-American artist Patience Lekien and Christiano Terry, founder-ceo of N Lite.
“Mfinda” follows a 12-year-old Congolese girl who is taken to the mfinda, a primordial forest teeming with spirits, gods and ancestors. There she meets up with another young girl from a different time and together they set out to find the magical Nkisi, vessels that hold ancestral spirits as well as empowering materials or medicines, that will help her find her way home.
Selected amongst the pitches this year at Annecy’s MIFA market in the feature film category, the N Lite original was created by Congolese-American artist Patience Lekien and Christiano Terry, founder-ceo of N Lite.
“Mfinda” follows a 12-year-old Congolese girl who is taken to the mfinda, a primordial forest teeming with spirits, gods and ancestors. There she meets up with another young girl from a different time and together they set out to find the magical Nkisi, vessels that hold ancestral spirits as well as empowering materials or medicines, that will help her find her way home.
- 4/28/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
The stop-motion version of the classic tale for Netflix opens in US cinemas next month.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio has been set as the closing night film for this year’s Animation Is Film (Aif) festival in Los Angeles.
Del Toro will be present at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater to introduce the October 29 screening and for a Q&a on the stop-motion animated version Carlo Collodi’s classic tale, which he directed with Mark Gustafson.
The Aif screening is being billed as a ’special presentation,’ though it will come a few days before the film’s screening in Los...
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio has been set as the closing night film for this year’s Animation Is Film (Aif) festival in Los Angeles.
Del Toro will be present at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater to introduce the October 29 screening and for a Q&a on the stop-motion animated version Carlo Collodi’s classic tale, which he directed with Mark Gustafson.
The Aif screening is being billed as a ’special presentation,’ though it will come a few days before the film’s screening in Los...
- 10/6/2022
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
The stop-motion version of the classic tale for Netflix opens in US cinemas next month.
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio has been set to get its North American premiere as the closing night film for this year’s Animation Is Film (Aif) festival in Los Angeles.
Del Toro will be present at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater to introduce the October 29 screening and for a Q&a on the stop-motion animated version Carlo Collodi’s classic tale, which he directed with Mark Gustafson.
Pinocchio is getting its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 15 and was recently announced...
Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio has been set to get its North American premiere as the closing night film for this year’s Animation Is Film (Aif) festival in Los Angeles.
Del Toro will be present at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater to introduce the October 29 screening and for a Q&a on the stop-motion animated version Carlo Collodi’s classic tale, which he directed with Mark Gustafson.
Pinocchio is getting its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival on October 15 and was recently announced...
- 10/6/2022
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
The nominees list for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Board of Governors has been revealed before its June 6-10 balloting.
The candidates are hoping to fill the open seats on the 54-member board. Up to four candidates are set for the open seat at each each branch, which carries three governors with staggered terms per branch.
Board members who have termed out include Academy president David Rubin (from the casting directors branch), Jan Pascale (production designers), Mark Johnson (producers) and Nancy Utley (PR).
Candidates vying for a seat include actress Marlee Matlin, composer Hans Zimmer, and executive Toby Emmerich.
The slate faces some crucial tests once installed, including selecting a new Academy president and new CEO to replace outgoing Dawn Hudson. The Academy also must overcome perceptions created in a rocky year, with its Will Smith Oscars slap incident and the uproar over what categories would make it into the Oscars broadcast.
The candidates are hoping to fill the open seats on the 54-member board. Up to four candidates are set for the open seat at each each branch, which carries three governors with staggered terms per branch.
Board members who have termed out include Academy president David Rubin (from the casting directors branch), Jan Pascale (production designers), Mark Johnson (producers) and Nancy Utley (PR).
Candidates vying for a seat include actress Marlee Matlin, composer Hans Zimmer, and executive Toby Emmerich.
The slate faces some crucial tests once installed, including selecting a new Academy president and new CEO to replace outgoing Dawn Hudson. The Academy also must overcome perceptions created in a rocky year, with its Will Smith Oscars slap incident and the uproar over what categories would make it into the Oscars broadcast.
- 6/2/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
On Friday, March 19, Wolfwalkers will be rereleased in theaters, North American distributor Gkids announced today.
The Apple Original Film’s latest theatrical run will kick off in New York, at the Angelika Film Center. In celebration of the Irish roots of the fantastical hand-drawn pic, which is set in Kilkenny, Gkids also has scheduled a special St. Patrick’s Day sneak preview, which will take place at the Angelika on March 17.
Additional theaters in major markets across North America will be added throughout March and April.
Directed by two-time Oscar nominee Tomm Moore and his longtime collaborator, Ross Stewart, the film centers on Robyn (Honor Kneafsey), a young apprentice hunter from England, who journeys with her father to Ireland, to help take out a pack of wolves. Long confined by the Puritanical society in which she’s been raised, the girl experiences true freedom for the first time only when...
The Apple Original Film’s latest theatrical run will kick off in New York, at the Angelika Film Center. In celebration of the Irish roots of the fantastical hand-drawn pic, which is set in Kilkenny, Gkids also has scheduled a special St. Patrick’s Day sneak preview, which will take place at the Angelika on March 17.
Additional theaters in major markets across North America will be added throughout March and April.
Directed by two-time Oscar nominee Tomm Moore and his longtime collaborator, Ross Stewart, the film centers on Robyn (Honor Kneafsey), a young apprentice hunter from England, who journeys with her father to Ireland, to help take out a pack of wolves. Long confined by the Puritanical society in which she’s been raised, the girl experiences true freedom for the first time only when...
- 3/12/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Over the summer, “Ne Zha,” the first 3D Chinese-produced animated feature released in Imax theaters, did something no one expected. It has grossed $700 million and instantly signaled the arrival of Chinese animation as an international creative force.
The blockbuster is part of the lineup of the Animation Is Film Festival, which runs Oct. 18-20 and features many Asian toon features that are making waves at global films festivals and the local box office. “Ne Zha” is also China’s entry in the international film Oscar race, a prestigious and rare designation for an animated movie.
“Ne Zha” follows a mythological hero who is destined by prophecy to bring destruction to the world, but fights against his destiny. Through a translator, Yi Qiao, the producer of the film and CEO of animation shingle Coloroom, will participate in a Q&a after the film’s screening on Oct. 20.
Yi says he believes...
The blockbuster is part of the lineup of the Animation Is Film Festival, which runs Oct. 18-20 and features many Asian toon features that are making waves at global films festivals and the local box office. “Ne Zha” is also China’s entry in the international film Oscar race, a prestigious and rare designation for an animated movie.
“Ne Zha” follows a mythological hero who is destined by prophecy to bring destruction to the world, but fights against his destiny. Through a translator, Yi Qiao, the producer of the film and CEO of animation shingle Coloroom, will participate in a Q&a after the film’s screening on Oct. 20.
Yi says he believes...
- 10/18/2019
- by Karen Idelson
- Variety Film + TV
The third annual Animation Is Film Festival (Aif) returns this weekend to the Tcl Chinese 6 Theater in Hollywood, with indie Oscar hopefuls “Weathering With You” (GKids), Japan’s official International Film Oscar entry from “Your Name” director Makoto Shinkai, and “I Lost My Body” (Netflix), the Cannes Nespresso Grand Prize winner from director Jeremy Clapin, competing for the jury Grand Prize and Audience awards.
This year Aif (co-sponsored by GKids and Annecy) offers 10 features in competition with a special emphasis on Asian releases. The festival will also present special screenings, retrospectives (a 4K restoration of the Hungarian “Son of the White Mare”), behind-the-scenes presentations (Disney’s “Frozen 2” and Netflix’s “Klaus”), short films (a Best of Annecy with female directors), and more.
“One of the trends that’s really obvious this year is representation by Asia, not just Japan, but China and India, and even within that, you have a huge range of filmmaking,...
This year Aif (co-sponsored by GKids and Annecy) offers 10 features in competition with a special emphasis on Asian releases. The festival will also present special screenings, retrospectives (a 4K restoration of the Hungarian “Son of the White Mare”), behind-the-scenes presentations (Disney’s “Frozen 2” and Netflix’s “Klaus”), short films (a Best of Annecy with female directors), and more.
“One of the trends that’s really obvious this year is representation by Asia, not just Japan, but China and India, and even within that, you have a huge range of filmmaking,...
- 10/17/2019
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
The third Animation Is Film Festival has set “Weathering With You” as its opening film on Oct. 18 at the Tcl Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
“Weathering With You” is set in Japan during exceptionally rainy weather and tells the story of a high school boy who befriends an orphan girl who appears to be able to manipulate the weather. It’s been chosen as Japan’s entry for best international feature film at the 92nd Academy Awards. Director Makoto Shinkai and producer Genki Kawamura are expected to be in attendance.
Closing the festival on Oct. 20 will be France’s “I Lost My Body,” with director Jeremy Clapin and producer Marc du Pontavice in attendance. The film screened at the International Critics Week section at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Nespresso Grand Prize.
The festival will present 10 feature films in competition, vying for grand prize, special jury prize, and audiences award.
“Weathering With You” is set in Japan during exceptionally rainy weather and tells the story of a high school boy who befriends an orphan girl who appears to be able to manipulate the weather. It’s been chosen as Japan’s entry for best international feature film at the 92nd Academy Awards. Director Makoto Shinkai and producer Genki Kawamura are expected to be in attendance.
Closing the festival on Oct. 20 will be France’s “I Lost My Body,” with director Jeremy Clapin and producer Marc du Pontavice in attendance. The film screened at the International Critics Week section at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Nespresso Grand Prize.
The festival will present 10 feature films in competition, vying for grand prize, special jury prize, and audiences award.
- 9/13/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Beta Film and Oscar-winning director Florian Gallenberger are continuing their partnership with WWII drama, The Turncoat. Described as being in the tradition of International Emmy winner Generation War, the limited series is based on the novel by Siegfried Lenz that centers on a young Wehrmacht soldier who is stranded in the no man’s land of the Polish forests, surrounded by partisans, questioning the meaning of duty, conscience, friendship and love. Jannis Niewöhner (Maximilian And Marie De Bourgogne) stars alongside Malgorzata Mikolajczak, Sebastian Urzendowsky (The Counterfeiters), Rainer Bock (Never Look Away) and Ulrich Tukur (The Lives Of Others). Gallenberger is helming from a script by Bernd Lange (The Vanishing). Shooting is underway in Poland and Germany on the Dreamtool production for public broadcaster Ndr, Ard Degeto and Swr. Beta Film handles world sales and will present first images at Mipcom in Cannes this fall.
- 6/13/2019
- by Nancy Tartaglione and Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Distributors teaming up with Fathom Events for special premiere.
Gkids has acquired North American rights from Toho to the animation adventure Promare and will release the film theatrically later this year in both Japanese and an all-new English-language version.
Promare is the first feature film from Studio Trigger, founded by former studio Gainax animator and director Hiroyuki Imaishi, whose credits include TV series Gurren Lagann and Kill La Kill.
Gkids and Fathom Events will present a special premiere event in Us cinemas nationwide on September 17 and 19, prior to the release proper via Gkids starting on September 20.
“Studio Trigger has proved to be the ultimate risk-takers,...
Gkids has acquired North American rights from Toho to the animation adventure Promare and will release the film theatrically later this year in both Japanese and an all-new English-language version.
Promare is the first feature film from Studio Trigger, founded by former studio Gainax animator and director Hiroyuki Imaishi, whose credits include TV series Gurren Lagann and Kill La Kill.
Gkids and Fathom Events will present a special premiere event in Us cinemas nationwide on September 17 and 19, prior to the release proper via Gkids starting on September 20.
“Studio Trigger has proved to be the ultimate risk-takers,...
- 6/13/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Gkids has acquired the North American distribution rights for Marona’s Fantastic Tale, an animated feature from Anca Damian. The feature premieres in competition at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival today.
Damian previous film, Crulic: The Path to Beyond won Annecy’s Cristal Prize for Best Feature in 2012. The North American all-rights deal was negotiated by Gkids CEO Eric Beckman and Carole Baraton for Charades. Rights are being sold worldwide by Charades.
“We have been excited about this film since we saw the first images several years ago,” said Gkids President David Jesteadt. “The film combines a unique and wildly inventive visual style with a universal story that goes straight to the heart for anyone who has been lucky enough to spend time with a dog. We are sure audiences are going to fall in love with the film as much as we have.”
“The Charades team is very...
Damian previous film, Crulic: The Path to Beyond won Annecy’s Cristal Prize for Best Feature in 2012. The North American all-rights deal was negotiated by Gkids CEO Eric Beckman and Carole Baraton for Charades. Rights are being sold worldwide by Charades.
“We have been excited about this film since we saw the first images several years ago,” said Gkids President David Jesteadt. “The film combines a unique and wildly inventive visual style with a universal story that goes straight to the heart for anyone who has been lucky enough to spend time with a dog. We are sure audiences are going to fall in love with the film as much as we have.”
“The Charades team is very...
- 6/11/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
In the first high-profile U.S. deal at this year’s Annecy Animation Film Festival, New York’s Gkids has secured North American rights to main Annecy competition contender “Marona’s Fantastic Tale.”
In negotiation before the festival, the deal was sealed at Annecy on Monday by Carole Baraton at Charades, which is handling worldwide sales on the film, and Gkids CEO Eric Beckman.
Given Gkids’ remarkable record of 11 Oscar nominations for animated movies since the company launched in 2010, the deal is sure to throw an extra spotlight on “Marona’s Fantastic Tale,” which represents a move toward family entertainment by Romania’s Anca Damian. Her animated docu-feature “Crulic: The Path to Beyond,” which was set in a Polish prison, won the top Cristal for best feature film at the 2012 Annecy Festival.
Admired at 2018’s Cartoon Movie, where Damian presented excerpts, and presented again at this year’s event, “Marona...
In negotiation before the festival, the deal was sealed at Annecy on Monday by Carole Baraton at Charades, which is handling worldwide sales on the film, and Gkids CEO Eric Beckman.
Given Gkids’ remarkable record of 11 Oscar nominations for animated movies since the company launched in 2010, the deal is sure to throw an extra spotlight on “Marona’s Fantastic Tale,” which represents a move toward family entertainment by Romania’s Anca Damian. Her animated docu-feature “Crulic: The Path to Beyond,” which was set in a Polish prison, won the top Cristal for best feature film at the 2012 Annecy Festival.
Admired at 2018’s Cartoon Movie, where Damian presented excerpts, and presented again at this year’s event, “Marona...
- 6/11/2019
- by John Hopewell and Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
North American distributor GKids has picked up its first Chinese animated film in the shape of Annecy Int’l Animated Film Festival title White Snake.
GKids will release the film theatrically this fall in both original Chinese and a new English-language version. The film comes from Beijing-based Light Chaser Animation, one of China’s premiere animation studios, in a co-production with Warner Bros., and was co-directed by Amp Wong and Zhao Ji.
Pic made Rmb 449M (Us $67M) during its theatrical release in China earlier this year. The film follows Blanca, a young woman who has lost her memory, as she searches for her identity, in a story based on one of China’s oldest tales.
Gkids’ CEO and Founder Eric Beckman and Light Chaser Animation’s Yu Zhou negotiated the all-rights deal. International sales outside of North America, China, and Japan are handled by All Rights Entertainment, who also...
GKids will release the film theatrically this fall in both original Chinese and a new English-language version. The film comes from Beijing-based Light Chaser Animation, one of China’s premiere animation studios, in a co-production with Warner Bros., and was co-directed by Amp Wong and Zhao Ji.
Pic made Rmb 449M (Us $67M) during its theatrical release in China earlier this year. The film follows Blanca, a young woman who has lost her memory, as she searches for her identity, in a story based on one of China’s oldest tales.
Gkids’ CEO and Founder Eric Beckman and Light Chaser Animation’s Yu Zhou negotiated the all-rights deal. International sales outside of North America, China, and Japan are handled by All Rights Entertainment, who also...
- 6/10/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Gkids has acquired out of Cannes Weathering with You, director Makoto Shinkai and producer Genki Kawamura’s follow-up to Your Name, which is Japan top-grossing animated movie ever and is getting a Hollywood remake from J.J. Abrams. Watch a Japanese-language teaser for the new film above and check out the poster below.
After the all-rights deal, the distributor has set an awards-qualifying run for 2019 with a theatrical release in early 2020 in both the original Japanese and a new English-language version. It opens July 19 in Japan.
Here’s the Weathering with You logline: The summer of his high school freshman year, Hokoda runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day, as if to suggest his future. He lives his days in isolation but finally finds work as a writer for a mysterious occult magazine.
After the all-rights deal, the distributor has set an awards-qualifying run for 2019 with a theatrical release in early 2020 in both the original Japanese and a new English-language version. It opens July 19 in Japan.
Here’s the Weathering with You logline: The summer of his high school freshman year, Hokoda runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo and quickly finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The weather is unusually gloomy and rainy every day, as if to suggest his future. He lives his days in isolation but finally finds work as a writer for a mysterious occult magazine.
- 5/23/2019
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
The next film from “Your Name” director Makoto Shinkai is coming stateside.
Gkids has acquired the North American rights to “Weathering With You,” the latest animated feature from Japanese anime director Shinkai, whose 2016 film “Your Name” surpassed “Spirited Away” as Japan’s highest-grossing animated film of all time, earning $360 million at the worldwide box office.
The company will release the film for an awards-qualifying run in 2019 followed by a theatrical release in early 2020 in both the original Japanese language and in an English-language version. The film opens in Japan on July 19.
Also Read: 'Your Name' Director Makoto Shinkai on Updating the Body-Swap Movie
“Weathering With You” follows a high-school freshman who runs away from his remote island home to live in an unusually gloomy and rainy Tokyo, only to meet a girl who has the power to stop the rain and clear the sky.
“Gkids is thrilled to...
Gkids has acquired the North American rights to “Weathering With You,” the latest animated feature from Japanese anime director Shinkai, whose 2016 film “Your Name” surpassed “Spirited Away” as Japan’s highest-grossing animated film of all time, earning $360 million at the worldwide box office.
The company will release the film for an awards-qualifying run in 2019 followed by a theatrical release in early 2020 in both the original Japanese language and in an English-language version. The film opens in Japan on July 19.
Also Read: 'Your Name' Director Makoto Shinkai on Updating the Body-Swap Movie
“Weathering With You” follows a high-school freshman who runs away from his remote island home to live in an unusually gloomy and rainy Tokyo, only to meet a girl who has the power to stop the rain and clear the sky.
“Gkids is thrilled to...
- 5/23/2019
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Cannes–Gkids, the U.S. distributor of 11 best animated feature Oscar nominees, has acquired North American rights for “Weathering With You,” the new film from director Makoto Shinkai and producer Genki Kawamura.
Gkids has set an awards-qualifying run for 2019 with a theatrical release in early 2020, in both the original Japanese and a new English-language version.
Shinkai and Kawamura’s previous film, “Your Name,” set box-office records in Japan and around the world, grossing $358 million worldwide, becoming the third highest-grossing non-English language and non-Chinese movie of all time. It’s currently getting a major studio live-action remake from J.J. Abrams.
“Weathering With You” follows Hokoda, a high-school freshman who runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, where he soon finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The unusually gloomy and rainy weather feels like a dark omen for his future. He lives his days in isolation until...
Gkids has set an awards-qualifying run for 2019 with a theatrical release in early 2020, in both the original Japanese and a new English-language version.
Shinkai and Kawamura’s previous film, “Your Name,” set box-office records in Japan and around the world, grossing $358 million worldwide, becoming the third highest-grossing non-English language and non-Chinese movie of all time. It’s currently getting a major studio live-action remake from J.J. Abrams.
“Weathering With You” follows Hokoda, a high-school freshman who runs away from his remote island home to Tokyo, where he soon finds himself pushed to his financial and personal limits. The unusually gloomy and rainy weather feels like a dark omen for his future. He lives his days in isolation until...
- 5/23/2019
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Tale of troubled student who flees to Tokyo to receive awards-qualifying run.
Gkids has unveiled its latest Japanese anime acquisition, concluding a deal in Cannes for North American rights to Makoto Shinkai’s follow-up to his box office smash Your Name., Weathering With You.
The distributor has set an awards-qualifying run in 2019 ahead of the theatrical release proper in early 2020 in both the original Japanese and a new English-language version.
Weathering With You follows a troubled high school student who runs away to Tokyo where he finds work on a remote island and eventually meets a girl who changes his outlook on life.
Gkids has unveiled its latest Japanese anime acquisition, concluding a deal in Cannes for North American rights to Makoto Shinkai’s follow-up to his box office smash Your Name., Weathering With You.
The distributor has set an awards-qualifying run in 2019 ahead of the theatrical release proper in early 2020 in both the original Japanese and a new English-language version.
Weathering With You follows a troubled high school student who runs away to Tokyo where he finds work on a remote island and eventually meets a girl who changes his outlook on life.
- 5/23/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Gkids has acquired North American distribution rights to Another Day of Life, the adult-targeted animated feature that played at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and won the European Film Award for Best Animated Film. A 2019 U.S. theatrical release is planned.
Based on author and journalist Ryszard Kapuściński’s book of the same name, the pic directed by Raúl De La Fuente and Damian Nenow intercuts animation with interviews and archival footage to follow Kapuściński’s journey after the outbreak of civil war following Angola’s independence from Portugal in 1975. Against all advice, the journalist drives south into the heart of the bloody conflict to find the isolated rebel leader Farrusco.
The deal was struck by Gkids CEO and founder Eric Beckman and Nicolas Eschbach for Indie Sales.
Gkids is a perennial animation tastemaker that has been a staple in the Oscar Animation Feature race with nominations the past six years.
Based on author and journalist Ryszard Kapuściński’s book of the same name, the pic directed by Raúl De La Fuente and Damian Nenow intercuts animation with interviews and archival footage to follow Kapuściński’s journey after the outbreak of civil war following Angola’s independence from Portugal in 1975. Against all advice, the journalist drives south into the heart of the bloody conflict to find the isolated rebel leader Farrusco.
The deal was struck by Gkids CEO and founder Eric Beckman and Nicolas Eschbach for Indie Sales.
Gkids is a perennial animation tastemaker that has been a staple in the Oscar Animation Feature race with nominations the past six years.
- 5/8/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Raúl De La Fuente, Damian Nenow direct from Ryszard Kapuściński’s account of Angolan civil war.
Gkids has acquired North American rights to the adult-oriented Cannes 2018 animation Another Day Of Life and will distribute theatrically later this year.
Raúl De La Fuente and Damian Nenow directed from author and journalist Ryszard Kapuściński’s book of the same name about the chaos of war.
Another Day Of Life recounts the outbreak of civil war after Angola attained independence from Portugal in 1975. The film uses animation, interviews and archival footage to tell the stories that Kapuściński witnessed during a three-month trip through the African country.
Gkids has acquired North American rights to the adult-oriented Cannes 2018 animation Another Day Of Life and will distribute theatrically later this year.
Raúl De La Fuente and Damian Nenow directed from author and journalist Ryszard Kapuściński’s book of the same name about the chaos of war.
Another Day Of Life recounts the outbreak of civil war after Angola attained independence from Portugal in 1975. The film uses animation, interviews and archival footage to tell the stories that Kapuściński witnessed during a three-month trip through the African country.
- 5/8/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Buenos Aires — Gkids, the U.S. distributor of ten Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations including this year’s “The Breadwinner,” has acquired North American rights to Spaniard Salvador Simó’s “Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles.” Gkids will release the film theatrically next year.
The animated feature is sold worldwide by Spain’s Latido Films; the all-rights deal was negotiated by Gkids’ CEO and founder Eric Beckman and Latido’s Antonio Saura.
The acquisition comes after “Buñuel” world premiered at this year’s Gkids co-run Animation Is Film Festival in Los Angeles, snagging a Special Jury Prize for its innovative handling of unexpected subject matter and positive reviews.
“Frankly, it was a brilliant choice on the part of director Salvador Simo to use such an expressionistic medium [as animation] to examine how surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel bent reality to his own ends in the making of 1933 documentary “Las Hurdes” (aka “Land...
The animated feature is sold worldwide by Spain’s Latido Films; the all-rights deal was negotiated by Gkids’ CEO and founder Eric Beckman and Latido’s Antonio Saura.
The acquisition comes after “Buñuel” world premiered at this year’s Gkids co-run Animation Is Film Festival in Los Angeles, snagging a Special Jury Prize for its innovative handling of unexpected subject matter and positive reviews.
“Frankly, it was a brilliant choice on the part of director Salvador Simo to use such an expressionistic medium [as animation] to examine how surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel bent reality to his own ends in the making of 1933 documentary “Las Hurdes” (aka “Land...
- 12/12/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Kobe Bryant has been removed from the jury of an upcoming film festival at the behest of a Change.org petition that said the former NBA star should not be involved due to the 2003 rape allegation made against him, according to Variety. (At the time, Bryant had said any relations were consensual; he pleaded not guilty to felony charges, which were later dismissed; and he settled a related civil suit).
The 40 year old — who won an Academy Award earlier this year for his work on the animated short film Dear Basketball — was set to participate in the Animation Is Film...
The 40 year old — who won an Academy Award earlier this year for his work on the animated short film Dear Basketball — was set to participate in the Animation Is Film...
- 10/18/2018
- by Lindsay Kimble
- PEOPLE.com
Kobe Bryant will not be serving on the jury at the 2018 Animation Is Film Festival. The basketball legend and Oscar-winning producer has been removed from the jury by festival organizers following a petition seeking his removal over a 2003 rape allegation. Variety, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, and Asifa Hollywood serve as sponsors of the event.
“After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision has been made to remove Kobe Bryant from the 2018 jury,” said Eric Beckman, CEO of Gkids, the independent animation distributor that produces the event. “We are a young organization and it is important to keep our collective energies focused on the films, the participating filmmakers, and our festival attendees.”
An online petition was launched on Change.org last week urging the Animation Is Film Festival to pull Bryant from the jury. Bryant was accused of rape in the summer of 2003 by a hotel employee.
“After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision has been made to remove Kobe Bryant from the 2018 jury,” said Eric Beckman, CEO of Gkids, the independent animation distributor that produces the event. “We are a young organization and it is important to keep our collective energies focused on the films, the participating filmmakers, and our festival attendees.”
An online petition was launched on Change.org last week urging the Animation Is Film Festival to pull Bryant from the jury. Bryant was accused of rape in the summer of 2003 by a hotel employee.
- 10/18/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault allegations from 2003 are coming back to haunt him in the #MeToo and Time’s Up era. He recently was removed from the jury at the Animation Is Film Festival after a petition called for his removal.
The petition was started by Women and Allies on Change.org and reads:
“We, women and allies of the animation community demand that accused rapist and sexual predator Kobe Bryant be removed from the Jury of Animation is Film Festival. In light of the #MeToo movement, there has been little to no recourse for Kobe Bryant’s actions of sexual assault.”
They demanded that Gkids, which produces the event, remove him from the jury citing that one of the fest’s “primary purposes is to champion and support women filmmakers.”
“It’s time to turn these words into action,” they added.
Eric Beckman, CEO of Gkids responded to the...
The petition was started by Women and Allies on Change.org and reads:
“We, women and allies of the animation community demand that accused rapist and sexual predator Kobe Bryant be removed from the Jury of Animation is Film Festival. In light of the #MeToo movement, there has been little to no recourse for Kobe Bryant’s actions of sexual assault.”
They demanded that Gkids, which produces the event, remove him from the jury citing that one of the fest’s “primary purposes is to champion and support women filmmakers.”
“It’s time to turn these words into action,” they added.
Eric Beckman, CEO of Gkids responded to the...
- 10/18/2018
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
An animated film festival in L.A. just kicked Kobe Bryant off the festival jury over backlash stemming from his 2003 rape case. The Lakers legend was set to be part of the jury at the Animation is Film Festival this weekend at the Tcl Chinese Theatres in Hollywood ... but event organizers announced Wednesday that ain't happening. “After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision has been made to remove Kobe Bryant...
- 10/17/2018
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Kobe Bryant has been dropped from the jury of the Animation Is Film Festival, following an online protest over his 2003 rape allegation.
Bryant won an Academy Award this year for his animated short film, “Dear Basketball.” He was scheduled to serve on the jury for the animation festival, which will be held this weekend at the Tcl Chinese Theatres.
“After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision has been made to remove Kobe Bryant from the 2018 jury,” said Eric Beckman, CEO of Gkids, the independent animation distributor that produces the event. “We are a young organization and it is important to keep our collective energies focused on the films, the participating filmmakers, and our festival attendees.”
A petition was posted on Change.org last week, urging the festival to remove Bryant from the jury. Variety is one of the sponsors of the event, along with the...
Bryant won an Academy Award this year for his animated short film, “Dear Basketball.” He was scheduled to serve on the jury for the animation festival, which will be held this weekend at the Tcl Chinese Theatres.
“After discussions with the various stakeholders of Animation Is Film, the decision has been made to remove Kobe Bryant from the 2018 jury,” said Eric Beckman, CEO of Gkids, the independent animation distributor that produces the event. “We are a young organization and it is important to keep our collective energies focused on the films, the participating filmmakers, and our festival attendees.”
A petition was posted on Change.org last week, urging the festival to remove Bryant from the jury. Variety is one of the sponsors of the event, along with the...
- 10/17/2018
- by Gene Maddaus
- Variety Film + TV
Mamoru Hosoda’s “Mirai” will open the second Animation Is Film Festival, slated for Oct. 19-21 at Hollywood’s Tcl Chinese Theatre. Hosoda will attend the screening, which will be the North American premiere of the film, which debuted in Cannes.
“Mirai” is also among the initial films in competition announced by the festival, produced by independent animation distributor GKids in partnership with animation festival Annecy, Fathom Events and Variety.
Other competition titles hail from all over the world and include “Another Day of Life,” “Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles,” “Funan,” “I Want to Eat Your Pancreas,” “Okko’s Inn,” “Pachamama,” “Penguin Highway,” “Ruben Brandt, Collector,” “Seder-Masochism,” and “Tito and the Birds.”
The Animation Is Film jury will once again be presided over by Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge, who will be joined by Warner Animation Group Evp Allison Abbate, NBA star and now Oscar winner Kobe Bryant,...
“Mirai” is also among the initial films in competition announced by the festival, produced by independent animation distributor GKids in partnership with animation festival Annecy, Fathom Events and Variety.
Other competition titles hail from all over the world and include “Another Day of Life,” “Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles,” “Funan,” “I Want to Eat Your Pancreas,” “Okko’s Inn,” “Pachamama,” “Penguin Highway,” “Ruben Brandt, Collector,” “Seder-Masochism,” and “Tito and the Birds.”
The Animation Is Film jury will once again be presided over by Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge, who will be joined by Warner Animation Group Evp Allison Abbate, NBA star and now Oscar winner Kobe Bryant,...
- 9/19/2018
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
The second-annual Animation Is Film Festival (October 19 – 21) will once again offer a diverse range of indie features from Asia, Europe, South America, and North America. Just as last year’s festival drew many animation fans to the Tcl Chinese in Hollywood, this iteration will impact the Oscar race because of the prestigious exposure.
Produced by GKids in partnership with Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Variety and Fathom Events, the festival will offer more than 30 titles, including 11 films in competition. Aif kicks off with the premiere of GKids’ Oscar contender, “Mirai,” a time-traveling story about a brother and sister from acclaimed Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda. There will also be a four-film retrospective of Hosodo’s work.
Aif will additionally spotlight footage from Disney’s Oscar contender, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” (November 21), and Sony’s highly-anticipated “Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse” (December 14). There will also be a 20th anniversary screening of DreamWorks’ “Prince...
Produced by GKids in partnership with Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Variety and Fathom Events, the festival will offer more than 30 titles, including 11 films in competition. Aif kicks off with the premiere of GKids’ Oscar contender, “Mirai,” a time-traveling story about a brother and sister from acclaimed Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda. There will also be a four-film retrospective of Hosodo’s work.
Aif will additionally spotlight footage from Disney’s Oscar contender, “Ralph Breaks the Internet” (November 21), and Sony’s highly-anticipated “Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse” (December 14). There will also be a 20th anniversary screening of DreamWorks’ “Prince...
- 9/19/2018
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Gravitas Ventures has secured the North American distribution rights to What Still Remains, a post-apocalyptic thriller from Strike the Sun Entertainment. Josh Mendoza wrote and directed the film, which stars Lulu Antariksa (T@gged), Colin O’Donoghue (Once Upon a Time), and Mimi Rogers (Ginger Snaps). It follows a young woman (Antariksa) struggling to survive in a world long-since destroyed by disease. But when she accepts an invitation from a lone traveler (O’Donoghue) to join his community, she discovers there is more to fear in this world than the legends of the monsters that destroyed it. The pic will get a limited theatrical run at the Laemmle Music Hall 3 in Beverly Hills starting August 10, followed by a VOD rollout on August 14. Gravitas’ Brendan Gallagher negotiated the deal with Erik Feig Law on behalf of Strike the Sun Entertainment.
Gkids has acquired the North American distribution rights to Mfkz, an...
Gkids has acquired the North American distribution rights to Mfkz, an...
- 7/26/2018
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Annecy, France — If the animated art and family film distribution business remains as lively as the 10th anniversary celebration of Gkids, the emblematic U.S. distributor, held at the Annecy Festival, then it will be in very good health indeed.
Not that the business’ prospects are negative at all. The Gkid 10th anni party proved something of a metaphor, for the company and the business.
First, it was held in France. The Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival was the place where Gkids could to get together the largest number of friends, reasoned Gkids founder Eric Beckman.
To celebrate, Gkids snagged the Mifa Chill-Out Lounge, Annecy Festival prime real estate, a Mifa market outhouse overlooking the town’s lake and steep-backed mountains. That in turn is a reflection of the industry position Gkids now commands at Annecy.
“When we started, we were total outsiders, my first time at Annecy we were kind of tip-toeing around,...
Not that the business’ prospects are negative at all. The Gkid 10th anni party proved something of a metaphor, for the company and the business.
First, it was held in France. The Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival was the place where Gkids could to get together the largest number of friends, reasoned Gkids founder Eric Beckman.
To celebrate, Gkids snagged the Mifa Chill-Out Lounge, Annecy Festival prime real estate, a Mifa market outhouse overlooking the town’s lake and steep-backed mountains. That in turn is a reflection of the industry position Gkids now commands at Annecy.
“When we started, we were total outsiders, my first time at Annecy we were kind of tip-toeing around,...
- 6/16/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Annecy, France— Women in Animation (Wia) and Les Femmes s’Animent (Lfa) will celebrate the second annual Women in Animation World Summit in partnership with the 2018 Annecy International Animation Festival and Mifa Market. The event will take place on Monday, June 11 at the Impérial Palace hotel.
Wia will also receive the 2018 Mifa Animation Industry Award. It’s the first time such acknowledgment has been granted to an organization or institution.
The day-long symposium features panels and discussions. The first panel will be devoted to “Inclusion and Intersectionality.” Moderated by Julie Ann Crommett, VP of multicultural engagement at Walt Disney Studios, the event will include input from head of studio, Ellation, and Wia president Marge Dean, Corinne Kouper, director of development at TeamTO and Lfa president, and Mickaël Marin, managing director of Citia, which organizes the Annecy Festival.
A second panel will be also hosted by Crommett, which will focus on...
Wia will also receive the 2018 Mifa Animation Industry Award. It’s the first time such acknowledgment has been granted to an organization or institution.
The day-long symposium features panels and discussions. The first panel will be devoted to “Inclusion and Intersectionality.” Moderated by Julie Ann Crommett, VP of multicultural engagement at Walt Disney Studios, the event will include input from head of studio, Ellation, and Wia president Marge Dean, Corinne Kouper, director of development at TeamTO and Lfa president, and Mickaël Marin, managing director of Citia, which organizes the Annecy Festival.
A second panel will be also hosted by Crommett, which will focus on...
- 6/11/2018
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Distributor earned animated feature Oscar nod for The Breadwinner earlier this year.
Family animation producer and distributor Gkids has acquired North American rights to Fireworks, producer Genki Kawamura’s follow-up to Japanese hit Your Name.
Nobuyuki Takeuchi directed the story about star-crossed lovers with a sci-fi twist. When a shy boy runs away with his love and things turn sour, he discovers a multi-coloured ball in the sea with the power to turn back time.
However each reset brings further complications and moves the couple further away from each other until they risk losing sight of reality altogether.
Akiyuki Shinbo...
Family animation producer and distributor Gkids has acquired North American rights to Fireworks, producer Genki Kawamura’s follow-up to Japanese hit Your Name.
Nobuyuki Takeuchi directed the story about star-crossed lovers with a sci-fi twist. When a shy boy runs away with his love and things turn sour, he discovers a multi-coloured ball in the sea with the power to turn back time.
However each reset brings further complications and moves the couple further away from each other until they risk losing sight of reality altogether.
Akiyuki Shinbo...
- 3/15/2018
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The executive joined Gkids in 2007 and most recently served as senior vice-president of distribution.
CEO and founder Eric Beckman will continue to serve as CEO of the company that has garnered eight best animation feature Oscar nominations.
“Dave has been my partner since Gkids was a start-up and we worked elbow-to-elbow in an 8 x 12 office,” said Beckman. “He has been a crucial component of the company’s success to date.
“As much as anything, this new title is merely an acknowledgment of the role he is already serving – and I look forward to Dave’s continued leadership and innovative thinking as the company looks to grow in exciting new directions over the coming years.”
The Gkids 2017 roster includes Swiss Oscar submission My Life As A Zucchini, Us comedy My Entire High School Sinking Into The Sea, and The Breadwinner, the upcoming feature from two-time Oscar-nominated Cartoon Saloon on which Beckman and Jesteadt serve as executive producers.
The...
CEO and founder Eric Beckman will continue to serve as CEO of the company that has garnered eight best animation feature Oscar nominations.
“Dave has been my partner since Gkids was a start-up and we worked elbow-to-elbow in an 8 x 12 office,” said Beckman. “He has been a crucial component of the company’s success to date.
“As much as anything, this new title is merely an acknowledgment of the role he is already serving – and I look forward to Dave’s continued leadership and innovative thinking as the company looks to grow in exciting new directions over the coming years.”
The Gkids 2017 roster includes Swiss Oscar submission My Life As A Zucchini, Us comedy My Entire High School Sinking Into The Sea, and The Breadwinner, the upcoming feature from two-time Oscar-nominated Cartoon Saloon on which Beckman and Jesteadt serve as executive producers.
The...
- 1/18/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
In the most competitive animated Oscar race ever (with a record 27 entries), indie powerhouse Gkids (with eight nominations since 2009) entered the fray with five contenders for the first time. And, on Monday, its two strongest — the stop-motion “My Life as a Zucchini” and the hand-drawn “Miss Hokusai” — grabbed two Annie nominations for best indie feature and a third for “Zucchini” director Claude Barras.
Read More: How Gkids Shook the Oscar Animated Race with First Latin American Nominee and a New Ghibli Hit
“It’s a feast of animation and the timing was just the luck of the draw,” Gkids co-founder and president Eric Beckman told IndieWire. “The really rich landscape that we see this year is part of a trend and a shift [toward indies] that we’re happy to see exist and take pride in helping propagate it.”
Beckman also prides himself on smart taste and filling a need to help...
Read More: How Gkids Shook the Oscar Animated Race with First Latin American Nominee and a New Ghibli Hit
“It’s a feast of animation and the timing was just the luck of the draw,” Gkids co-founder and president Eric Beckman told IndieWire. “The really rich landscape that we see this year is part of a trend and a shift [toward indies] that we’re happy to see exist and take pride in helping propagate it.”
Beckman also prides himself on smart taste and filling a need to help...
- 11/29/2016
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
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