After focusing on Taiwanese projects for its first three years, the pitching section of Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf) opened its doors to international projects for the first time this year.
The move attracted 539 projects from 20 regions including Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Iran, France and the U.S. After a selection process overseen by four separate juries, the applications were whittled down to 43 across four sections: Project to Screen, divided further into Feature Films and Series; Animation Features & Series; and Documentary Features & Series.
The feature film section includes projects from leading filmmakers such as Japanese director Koji Fukada, Indonesia’s Edwin, the Philippines’ Sheron Deyoc (Women Of The Weeping River) and Japan-based, Indian-origin filmmaker Anshul Chauhan (December).
Tccf pitching also includes an additional ten Taiwanese IPs that have strong potential for adaptations. These include books, webtoons and...
The move attracted 539 projects from 20 regions including Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Singapore, Iran, France and the U.S. After a selection process overseen by four separate juries, the applications were whittled down to 43 across four sections: Project to Screen, divided further into Feature Films and Series; Animation Features & Series; and Documentary Features & Series.
The feature film section includes projects from leading filmmakers such as Japanese director Koji Fukada, Indonesia’s Edwin, the Philippines’ Sheron Deyoc (Women Of The Weeping River) and Japan-based, Indian-origin filmmaker Anshul Chauhan (December).
Tccf pitching also includes an additional ten Taiwanese IPs that have strong potential for adaptations. These include books, webtoons and...
- 10/30/2023
- by Liz Shackleton
- Deadline Film + TV
A record 53 projects will be presented in November.
The Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf) is set to take place on a larger and more international scale this year, presenting a record 53 projects with international productions included for the first time.
Project pitching is one of the main sections of Tccf, the content licensing and project investment market organised by Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca), which will run from November 7-10 at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei. A record 539 submissions from 29 regions were received this year. The total cash prizes are worth more than $150,000.
The selected projects are divided...
The Taiwan Creative Content Fest (Tccf) is set to take place on a larger and more international scale this year, presenting a record 53 projects with international productions included for the first time.
Project pitching is one of the main sections of Tccf, the content licensing and project investment market organised by Taiwan Creative Content Agency (Taicca), which will run from November 7-10 at Songshan Cultural and Creative Park in Taipei. A record 539 submissions from 29 regions were received this year. The total cash prizes are worth more than $150,000.
The selected projects are divided...
- 9/22/2023
- by Silvia Wong
- ScreenDaily
Experimental cinema, which usually combines multiple art forms in order to come up with new and unique ways of artistic expression, is usually aimed to rather hard-core buffs or even exclusively to people who attend galleries, exhibitions and museums more than cinema. Jean-Baptiste Phou, however has managed to come up with an experimental movie, that is actually quite easy to watch no matter the audience.
“My Mother's Tongue” Screened at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
The story is autobiographical, and starts with Phou's childhood, who was born in France by Chinese-Cambodian parents, and the impact the lack of communication, particularly with his mother, whose native language he did not speak, had on him, growing up in a household where a number of languages and dialects were spoken, to the point that his family had their own mixed one, in order to find some sort of communication. This eventually...
“My Mother's Tongue” Screened at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
The story is autobiographical, and starts with Phou's childhood, who was born in France by Chinese-Cambodian parents, and the impact the lack of communication, particularly with his mother, whose native language he did not speak, had on him, growing up in a household where a number of languages and dialects were spoken, to the point that his family had their own mixed one, in order to find some sort of communication. This eventually...
- 3/25/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Paris-based Les Films d’Ici, producer of Denis Do’s “Funan,” has teamed with Barcelona-based Boogaloo Films, whose credits include Miguel Ángel Blanca’s “Magaluf Ghost Town,” to co-produce documentary feature “Tolyatti Adrift.”
Directed by Laura Sisteró – an on-the-rise Catalan talent – “Tolyatti Adrift” is being presented at the Wip’s showcase of this week’s Malaga Festival Spanish Screenings.
The film depicts a collection of young characters desperately searching for first opportunities and life dreams in an emblematic setting: the old Russian city of Tolyatti, formerly a symbol of progress and source of Soviet pride due to its car industry (the legendary Lada). It’s now the poorest city in Russia.
“I felt shocked by the images’ energy and aesthetic power. I couldn’t help but wonder what a young Spanish woman looked for in these car stories, in the depths of Russia,” Valérianne Boué at Les Films d’Ici said to Variety,...
Directed by Laura Sisteró – an on-the-rise Catalan talent – “Tolyatti Adrift” is being presented at the Wip’s showcase of this week’s Malaga Festival Spanish Screenings.
The film depicts a collection of young characters desperately searching for first opportunities and life dreams in an emblematic setting: the old Russian city of Tolyatti, formerly a symbol of progress and source of Soviet pride due to its car industry (the legendary Lada). It’s now the poorest city in Russia.
“I felt shocked by the images’ energy and aesthetic power. I couldn’t help but wonder what a young Spanish woman looked for in these car stories, in the depths of Russia,” Valérianne Boué at Les Films d’Ici said to Variety,...
- 10/20/2021
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Increased competition and higher demand is good for native animation production, says Corinne Kouper, the co-founder of France’s TeamTO, which recently announced the sale of all U.S. and Latin American rights to its original animated series, “Jade Armor,” to WarnerMedia.
“There’s a really positive energy in French animation, linked to the growing number of platforms, increased competition and demand,” adds Kouper, who believes the deal will allow her company to extend its reach within the U.S. and Latin America.
The WarnerMedia deal also highlights a shift in demand from U.S. platforms, she adds.
“We feel that the centre of gravity, which used to be very U.S.-centric, is changing: Networks are increasingly interested in local production. It’s particularly notable in France because we’ve always been a big producer of animation. And thanks to recent social movements, there’s a demand not only...
“There’s a really positive energy in French animation, linked to the growing number of platforms, increased competition and demand,” adds Kouper, who believes the deal will allow her company to extend its reach within the U.S. and Latin America.
The WarnerMedia deal also highlights a shift in demand from U.S. platforms, she adds.
“We feel that the centre of gravity, which used to be very U.S.-centric, is changing: Networks are increasingly interested in local production. It’s particularly notable in France because we’ve always been a big producer of animation. And thanks to recent social movements, there’s a demand not only...
- 3/16/2021
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
“Sorya,” “Starseed,” and “Caramel’s Words” are among 55 projects from 16 countries set to be pitched at this year’s Cartoon Movie, Europe’s leading animated feature co-production event.
The 23rd edition will move totally online, running March 9-11.
Part of an In Development showcase, “Sorya” is directed by Denis Do, an Annecy Fest best feature film winner for “Funan.” That debut depicted the brutality of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime. In “Sorya,” in contrast, he takes a more intimate approach, following a Cambodian teen woman arriving in Phnom Penh to work in a textile factory, flirting with dreams of becoming a singer, flirting with singing stardom and finally trying to find some stability in her life. Special Touch Studios’ Sébastien Onomo produces. “Funan” composer Thibault Kientz Agyeman will create the film’s the score.
French highlights also take in Pierre Földes’ “Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman” (produced by Cinema Defacto), Sarah Van Den Boom...
The 23rd edition will move totally online, running March 9-11.
Part of an In Development showcase, “Sorya” is directed by Denis Do, an Annecy Fest best feature film winner for “Funan.” That debut depicted the brutality of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime. In “Sorya,” in contrast, he takes a more intimate approach, following a Cambodian teen woman arriving in Phnom Penh to work in a textile factory, flirting with dreams of becoming a singer, flirting with singing stardom and finally trying to find some stability in her life. Special Touch Studios’ Sébastien Onomo produces. “Funan” composer Thibault Kientz Agyeman will create the film’s the score.
French highlights also take in Pierre Földes’ “Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman” (produced by Cinema Defacto), Sarah Van Den Boom...
- 2/1/2021
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
Bordeaux, France — French directors Zabou Breitman and Éléa Gobbé-Mévellec, Belgian distributor Lumière and French production outfit Xilam won Tributes Awards at this year’s Cartoon Movie, Europe’s biggest animated feature co-production and sales forum which closed today in the French port city of Bordeaux.
Breitman and Gobbé-Mévellec’s “The Swallows Of Kabul,” which world premiered at the Cannes Festival’s Un Certain Regard last year, is produced by Les Armateurs in co-production with Melusine Prods. and Close Up Films. The 2D watercolor-style animation adapts the bestselling book from Yasmina Khadra offering a touching “fresco” of life under Taliban rule in the Afghan capital through the intertwined stories of two couples. It marks the fifth feature of actress-director Breitman and the her first animated title and for animator Gobbé-Mévellec her debut feature. “Kabul” is sold by Paris’ Celluloid Dreams.
Nominees for the Direction Tribute Award also included Spain’s Sergio Pablos...
Breitman and Gobbé-Mévellec’s “The Swallows Of Kabul,” which world premiered at the Cannes Festival’s Un Certain Regard last year, is produced by Les Armateurs in co-production with Melusine Prods. and Close Up Films. The 2D watercolor-style animation adapts the bestselling book from Yasmina Khadra offering a touching “fresco” of life under Taliban rule in the Afghan capital through the intertwined stories of two couples. It marks the fifth feature of actress-director Breitman and the her first animated title and for animator Gobbé-Mévellec her debut feature. “Kabul” is sold by Paris’ Celluloid Dreams.
Nominees for the Direction Tribute Award also included Spain’s Sergio Pablos...
- 3/5/2020
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
In the innovative Netflix animated film I Lost My Body, a severed hand skitters across the streets of Paris trying to reunite with its missing anatomical companion. Whether that hand winds up grasping an Oscar is up to Academy voters, in a year when a record 32 contenders qualified for the Best Animated Feature race.
I Lost My Body is an original film, but more than likely a sequel will come away with the Oscar: either Toy Story 4, Frozen 2 or How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, the third and final film in the Dragon series.
Walt Disney Studios once again finds itself in prime contention, with the fourth installment in the Pixar Toy Story franchise, which saw the addition of a new character, the spork Forky, voiced by Tony Hale, and an expanded role for Bo Peep (Annie Potts). Toy Story 3 (2010) remains the only sequel to win...
I Lost My Body is an original film, but more than likely a sequel will come away with the Oscar: either Toy Story 4, Frozen 2 or How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, the third and final film in the Dragon series.
Walt Disney Studios once again finds itself in prime contention, with the fourth installment in the Pixar Toy Story franchise, which saw the addition of a new character, the spork Forky, voiced by Tony Hale, and an expanded role for Bo Peep (Annie Potts). Toy Story 3 (2010) remains the only sequel to win...
- 12/18/2019
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Amid the big-budget Hollywood sequels jockeying for position, this year’s awards race has a sizable contingent of contenders from overseas, including both foreign-made films and co-productions. The pack is led by indie animation mainstay GKids, but Netflix has also entered the fray as a distribution partner and entries from China are slipping into the mix.
Pearl Studio and DreamWorks Animation’s “Abominable,” a family film set in modern-day China and featuring Chinese characters, is a major challenger. From its inception, the CG-animated Yeti adventure was a “true collaboration” between the two studios in terms of artistic leadership, according to Pearl chief creative officer Peilin Chou.
“It’s an historic co-production in the sense that we really worked side-by-side with DreamWorks in terms of creative decision-making,” she says.
From Spain, Sergio Pablos’ “Klaus” is perhaps one of the most highly anticipated contenders. The hand-drawn holiday feature, which arrives from Netflix on Nov.
Pearl Studio and DreamWorks Animation’s “Abominable,” a family film set in modern-day China and featuring Chinese characters, is a major challenger. From its inception, the CG-animated Yeti adventure was a “true collaboration” between the two studios in terms of artistic leadership, according to Pearl chief creative officer Peilin Chou.
“It’s an historic co-production in the sense that we really worked side-by-side with DreamWorks in terms of creative decision-making,” she says.
From Spain, Sergio Pablos’ “Klaus” is perhaps one of the most highly anticipated contenders. The hand-drawn holiday feature, which arrives from Netflix on Nov.
- 10/29/2019
- by Jennifer Wolfe
- Variety Film + TV
“We’re together now. It’ll be fine.”
For director Denis Do the task of making his first film is closely linked to his family’s history. Born in 1985 in Paris, Do is a child of three different cultures; the French, the Chinese and the Cambodian. His first feature “Funan” – as the closing credits state – is dedicated to his mother, his brother as well as the survivors of the Khmer Rouge regimes in Cambodia between 1975 to 1979. In an interview with Zippy Frames from 2013, the director mentions how his mother lost his brother in the turmoils of the Khmer Rouge’s rise to power. Only after the regime ended the family was eventually able to re-connect, a fate which many Cambodians shared, while others never saw their relatives again.
“Funan” is screening at the 27th Art Film Fest Kosice
However, “Funan” is not a political film in the mind of its director.
For director Denis Do the task of making his first film is closely linked to his family’s history. Born in 1985 in Paris, Do is a child of three different cultures; the French, the Chinese and the Cambodian. His first feature “Funan” – as the closing credits state – is dedicated to his mother, his brother as well as the survivors of the Khmer Rouge regimes in Cambodia between 1975 to 1979. In an interview with Zippy Frames from 2013, the director mentions how his mother lost his brother in the turmoils of the Khmer Rouge’s rise to power. Only after the regime ended the family was eventually able to re-connect, a fate which many Cambodians shared, while others never saw their relatives again.
“Funan” is screening at the 27th Art Film Fest Kosice
However, “Funan” is not a political film in the mind of its director.
- 6/18/2019
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Annecy, France – Denis Do’s “Sorya” and Amandine Taffin’s “Tistou of the Green Thumbs” –both from France– took feature kudos at the 2019 Mifa Pitches Awards, the first honors announced at Annecy and devoted to projects pitched in various categories/showcases: Feature Films, TV Series and Specials, Short Films and Animation du Monde.
The 37-title selection included projects from Armenia, Uruguay, Hungary, Nigeria, Argentina, South Africa, Kenya, Turkey, Denmark, Brazil, Italia, Colombia, Venezuela, China, United States, Mozambique, Peru, Russia, Germany, Singapore, South Korea and of course France. Sponsored awards vary between cash prizes, development awards and the offer of post-production services.
The sophomore outing of Denis Do, a Crystal winner at Annecy last year with “Funan,” “Sorya” a personal depiction of the brutality of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime, took the Ciclic Prize.“Sorya” will be produced by Sébastien Onomo at Special Touch Studios.
Do tells the story of a...
The 37-title selection included projects from Armenia, Uruguay, Hungary, Nigeria, Argentina, South Africa, Kenya, Turkey, Denmark, Brazil, Italia, Colombia, Venezuela, China, United States, Mozambique, Peru, Russia, Germany, Singapore, South Korea and of course France. Sponsored awards vary between cash prizes, development awards and the offer of post-production services.
The sophomore outing of Denis Do, a Crystal winner at Annecy last year with “Funan,” “Sorya” a personal depiction of the brutality of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime, took the Ciclic Prize.“Sorya” will be produced by Sébastien Onomo at Special Touch Studios.
Do tells the story of a...
- 6/15/2019
- by Emilio Mayorga
- Variety Film + TV
“Funan” (currently in limited release) represents GKids’ best shot at an animated Oscar nomination this season. The exquisite 2D feature took both the Annecy and Animation Is Film festivals last year, advancing the potential of animation to reach us with poetry and empathy, with its harrowing story of a family’s struggle to survive the Khmer Rouge reign of terror in Cambodia from 1975-79. In particular, the fierce courage of a mother (voiced by “The Artist’s” Bérénice Bejo) to rescue her lost four-year-old son and escape to freedom.
For first-time director Denis Do, “Funan” became a personal journey of discovery about his own family’s connection to Cambodia, prying loose his mother’s secret about escaping from Cambodia to Paris, where he was born and brought up and where he attended the prestigious Gobelins animation school. “I wanted to tell my mother’s story since graduating from animation school...
For first-time director Denis Do, “Funan” became a personal journey of discovery about his own family’s connection to Cambodia, prying loose his mother’s secret about escaping from Cambodia to Paris, where he was born and brought up and where he attended the prestigious Gobelins animation school. “I wanted to tell my mother’s story since graduating from animation school...
- 6/12/2019
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
GKids bolstered its animated slate with its first Chinese acquisition, “White Snake,” from Beijing-based Light Chaser Animation and Warner Bros., which premieres in competition at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival this week. The CG fantasy, co-directed by Amp Wong and Zhao Ji, is inspired by one of China’s oldest romantic fables, “Legend of the White Snake,” a love story between a snake spirit and snake hunter.
In the animated “White Snake,” a young woman suffering from memory loss discovers a link to a whole other identity within the spirit world. “Light Chaser Animation are true innovators, raising the bar for top notch Chinese animation and storytelling,” stated David Jesteadt, president of GKids. “We are overjoyed to be releasing this stunning epic to North American audiences.”
“White Snake” grossed the equivalent of $67 million in China earlier this year through Warner Bros., and serves as a prequel that takes place 500 years before the original story.
In the animated “White Snake,” a young woman suffering from memory loss discovers a link to a whole other identity within the spirit world. “Light Chaser Animation are true innovators, raising the bar for top notch Chinese animation and storytelling,” stated David Jesteadt, president of GKids. “We are overjoyed to be releasing this stunning epic to North American audiences.”
“White Snake” grossed the equivalent of $67 million in China earlier this year through Warner Bros., and serves as a prequel that takes place 500 years before the original story.
- 6/10/2019
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
There’s no sensationalism in Denis Do’s “Funan,” a harrowing animated drama about a family struggling to survive the Khmer Rouge revolution in Cambodia in the late 1970s. It’s a film about dulling the senses and stripping away, at gunpoint, the will to fight. It’s a film about holding onto hope without any sentimentalism to encourage you. It’s a film of pain, and it’s beautifully depressing.
“Funan” features the voices of Bérénice Bejo and Louis Garrel (who previously co-starred in “Godard Mon Amour”) as Chou and Khuon, Cambodian parents of a three-year-old named Sovanh. Their lives seem perfect for all of a minute before the revolution begins; once that happens, they are driven from their homes and — after Sovanh toddles away from them in a caravan — forced into a separate labor camp from their child.
Malnourished, worked to the bone, and subject to brainwashing every day,...
“Funan” features the voices of Bérénice Bejo and Louis Garrel (who previously co-starred in “Godard Mon Amour”) as Chou and Khuon, Cambodian parents of a three-year-old named Sovanh. Their lives seem perfect for all of a minute before the revolution begins; once that happens, they are driven from their homes and — after Sovanh toddles away from them in a caravan — forced into a separate labor camp from their child.
Malnourished, worked to the bone, and subject to brainwashing every day,...
- 6/7/2019
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
Film Fest Košice loves Asian Movies. They have a whole section dedicated to them, called Eastern Promises, and curated by Kristina Aschenbrennerova (also a contributor of Asian Movie Pulse).
But beside Eastern Promises they also have always a good selection of Asian Titles within the general Programme. Let’s have a look at those titles.
Asian Films in The Programme
International Competition Of Feature Films (Peter Nágel)
(1st-3rd feature films of the director produced after 1 January 2018)
Still Human by Oliver Chan, 2018, Hk
The Day After I`m Gone, by Nimrod Eldar, 2019, Il
A Tale of Three Sisters, by Emin Alper, 2019, Tr-de-nl-gr
A Tale of Three Sisters
International Competition Of Short Films
(Short films (up to 30 minutes) produced after 1 January 201)
Brotherhood by Meryam Joobeur, 2018, CA-tn-qa-se
The Fox by Sadegh Javadi Nikjeh, 2018, Ir
Tungrus by Rishi Chandna, 2018, In
Tungrus
Around The World (Peter Nágel)
Bag of Rice by Kiseye Berendj, 1996, Ir-jp...
But beside Eastern Promises they also have always a good selection of Asian Titles within the general Programme. Let’s have a look at those titles.
Asian Films in The Programme
International Competition Of Feature Films (Peter Nágel)
(1st-3rd feature films of the director produced after 1 January 2018)
Still Human by Oliver Chan, 2018, Hk
The Day After I`m Gone, by Nimrod Eldar, 2019, Il
A Tale of Three Sisters, by Emin Alper, 2019, Tr-de-nl-gr
A Tale of Three Sisters
International Competition Of Short Films
(Short films (up to 30 minutes) produced after 1 January 201)
Brotherhood by Meryam Joobeur, 2018, CA-tn-qa-se
The Fox by Sadegh Javadi Nikjeh, 2018, Ir
Tungrus by Rishi Chandna, 2018, In
Tungrus
Around The World (Peter Nágel)
Bag of Rice by Kiseye Berendj, 1996, Ir-jp...
- 6/5/2019
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
When approaching horrific historical events like the rise of the violent Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, any filmmaker has to tread carefully. But Funan director Denis Do has to approach the subject with an extra layer of sensitivity because his animated film, hitting select theaters next week, is about his own family. Do’s mother is the basis […]
The post Exclusive ‘Funan’ Featurette: Director Denis Do Brings a Personal Approach to the Rise of the Khmer Rouge appeared first on /Film.
The post Exclusive ‘Funan’ Featurette: Director Denis Do Brings a Personal Approach to the Rise of the Khmer Rouge appeared first on /Film.
- 5/29/2019
- by Hoai-Tran Bui
- Slash Film
There’s something about translating real-life events, especially historically prominent ones, through the lens of animation. Retaining the ability to capture the most innately empathetic pieces of audiences through the medium of animation, it’s part of what makes “Funan” look like such a unique film.
Read More: ‘Watchmen’ Teaser: HBO’s Sequel To The Acclaimed Comic Book Series Features An Army Of Rorschachs & Impending Doom
The directorial debut of Denis Do, “Funan” thrusts its otherwise complacent characters into turmoil.
Continue reading ‘Funan’ Trailer: Animation & History Collide In Denis Do’s Debut About The Khmer Rouge Regime In Cambodia at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Watchmen’ Teaser: HBO’s Sequel To The Acclaimed Comic Book Series Features An Army Of Rorschachs & Impending Doom
The directorial debut of Denis Do, “Funan” thrusts its otherwise complacent characters into turmoil.
Continue reading ‘Funan’ Trailer: Animation & History Collide In Denis Do’s Debut About The Khmer Rouge Regime In Cambodia at The Playlist.
- 5/9/2019
- by Julia Teti
- The Playlist
"You decide where we go. If we live or die." GKids has debuted a full-length Us trailer for the acclaimed animated film from France titled Funan, the feature directional debut of filmmaker Denis Do. The story is about the survival and struggle of a young mother during the Khmer Rouge revolution in Cambodia, as she tries to find her 4-year-old son, torn from his own family by the communist regime. This premiered at the Annecy Film Festival last year, where it was award with the Best Feature Film top prize. Funan is described as a searing and remarkable debut from filmmaker Denis Do, who uses his own family history as inspiration for a thrilling story of love, loss and enduring hope in the most trying of times. Featuring (in French) the voices of Bérénice Bejo and Louis Garrel. This looks fantastic, and the reviews have been overly positive so far,...
- 5/8/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
With “Funan” (opening June 7th), director Dennis Do explores nightmarish atrocities in his acclaimed survival story about the cruelties of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge in 1975. The Annecy and Animation Is Film (Aif) award-winner might also secure the 12th Oscar nomination for indie distributor GKids.
“Funan,” a French-Luxembourg-Belgium production, follows a young woman and her husband separated from their four-year-old son as a result of the Khmer Rouge’s forced exile from their village into internment camps. It features the voices of Bérénice Bejo (“The Artist”) and Louis Garrel (“The Dreamers”). “‘Funan’ is the story of a family. Of a woman…My mother,” the director explained in the production notes. “I wish to explore feelings, relationships, the whole complexity of human connection in a context of extreme oppression. Good and evil is not the point. The movie immerses us into the lives of normal people, exhausted by suffering…. Animation is an...
“Funan,” a French-Luxembourg-Belgium production, follows a young woman and her husband separated from their four-year-old son as a result of the Khmer Rouge’s forced exile from their village into internment camps. It features the voices of Bérénice Bejo (“The Artist”) and Louis Garrel (“The Dreamers”). “‘Funan’ is the story of a family. Of a woman…My mother,” the director explained in the production notes. “I wish to explore feelings, relationships, the whole complexity of human connection in a context of extreme oppression. Good and evil is not the point. The movie immerses us into the lives of normal people, exhausted by suffering…. Animation is an...
- 5/7/2019
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
"You can't give up, Chou." GKids has debuted the first official Us teaser trailer for an animated film from France titled Funan, the feature directional debut of filmmaker Denis Do. This premiered at the Annecy Film Festival last year, where it was award with the Best Feature Film top prize. Funan is a searing and remarkable debut from filmmaker Denis Do, who uses his own family history as inspiration for a thrilling story of love, loss and enduring hope in the most trying of times. Featuring the voices of Bérénice Bejo and Louis Garrel. The story is about the survival and struggle of a young mother during the Khmer Rouge revolution in Cambodia, as she tries to find her 4-year-old son, torn from his own family by the communist regime. I've heard nothing but great things about this indie animated film, and it looks like it's as powerful and moving as it sounds.
- 4/12/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
In a year of change and growth for Mexico’s Guadalajara Intl. Film Festival (Ficg), the revamped animation competitions, godfathered by Guadalajara native Guillermo del Toro, stand out as key examples of ambitions shared by the event’s new leadership, headed by Vendo Cine co-founder and longtime Ficg Industria head Estrella Araiza.
Where many animation-focused festivals and awards programs in Latin America tend to celebrate domestic or Ibero-American productions – think Mexico’s Pixelatl, Spain’s Quirino Awards – this year’s selected films at Guadalajara demonstrate a global inclusion with less peers – France’s Annecy Festival and Los Angeles’ Annie Awards are good examples.
“I think it’s important that every festival has its idiosyncrasies,” explained Carolina López, Ficg’s animation section curator. “Ficg is a festival with a specific DNA and we are adding to that DNA with what will be almost a festival within a festival.”
Previously Ficg did...
Where many animation-focused festivals and awards programs in Latin America tend to celebrate domestic or Ibero-American productions – think Mexico’s Pixelatl, Spain’s Quirino Awards – this year’s selected films at Guadalajara demonstrate a global inclusion with less peers – France’s Annecy Festival and Los Angeles’ Annie Awards are good examples.
“I think it’s important that every festival has its idiosyncrasies,” explained Carolina López, Ficg’s animation section curator. “Ficg is a festival with a specific DNA and we are adding to that DNA with what will be almost a festival within a festival.”
Previously Ficg did...
- 3/8/2019
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Chicago – One of the most successful ongoing film festivals is Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema (Apuc). Facilitated by founder and veteran film programmer Sophia Wong Bocchio, the fest anticipates Season Eight with another amazing line-up of films from Japan, Mongolia, Singapore, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Indonesia and South Korea.
The format for the Spring 2019 Apuc is going through a change … instead of spreading films out to once a week, there will be multiple films each week, equalling a shorter calendar season. Many of the weeks will focus on one country, and as always there will be opportunities to meet the filmmakers and participate in post screening discussions (Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com is on board to host Q&As March 27th and 28th). And besides the Chicago screenings taking place at AMC River East 21, the Heritage Museum of Asian Art, the Alliance Francaise de Chicago, the Joffrey Ballet studio...
The format for the Spring 2019 Apuc is going through a change … instead of spreading films out to once a week, there will be multiple films each week, equalling a shorter calendar season. Many of the weeks will focus on one country, and as always there will be opportunities to meet the filmmakers and participate in post screening discussions (Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com is on board to host Q&As March 27th and 28th). And besides the Chicago screenings taking place at AMC River East 21, the Heritage Museum of Asian Art, the Alliance Francaise de Chicago, the Joffrey Ballet studio...
- 2/27/2019
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Born in Paris in 1985, Denis Do graduated in 2009 from the acclaimed French animation school Les Gobelins “L’école de l’image”, pioneer in the fields of animation and filmmaking. His last school project was a short film, “Le Ruban” is the tale of a love story under the Chinese Cultural Revolution in the 1960’s.
Denis’ first animated feature film is “Funan” is a family tale, inspired by his mother’s personal story, that takes place during the Khmer Rouge era in 1970s Cambodia and it earned him the prestigious Annecy International Animated Film Festival’s Cristal Award. He also won the Audience Award from the 2018 Animation Is Film Festival held in Los Angeles.
On the occasion of his film, “Funan“, screening at Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul, we speak with him about the new generations in Cambodia, the power of animation, working with other Cambodian artists, the...
Denis’ first animated feature film is “Funan” is a family tale, inspired by his mother’s personal story, that takes place during the Khmer Rouge era in 1970s Cambodia and it earned him the prestigious Annecy International Animated Film Festival’s Cristal Award. He also won the Audience Award from the 2018 Animation Is Film Festival held in Los Angeles.
On the occasion of his film, “Funan“, screening at Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul, we speak with him about the new generations in Cambodia, the power of animation, working with other Cambodian artists, the...
- 2/14/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
European animated films continue to tackle weighty subject matter with diverse works aimed at older and more mature audiences.
A number of celebrated titles last year impressed by tackling historical, political and cultural subject matter in original ways, among them Raúl de la Fuente and Damian Nenow’s European Film Award winner “Another Day of Life,” above, Denis Do’s “Funan,” which took the top prize in Annecy, and Nora Twomey’s “The Breadwinner,” which won a plethora of prizes around the globe.
This year the trend continues with new and upcoming projects that explore wide ranging subject matter, from such sobering themes as the plight of refugees, racism and war to lighter fare like surrealist cinema and quirky romance.
Norwegian director Mats Grorud tackles the politically charged topic of Palestinian refugees in “Wardi” (The Tower). The film follows an 11-year-old girl living with her family in a Beirut refugee...
A number of celebrated titles last year impressed by tackling historical, political and cultural subject matter in original ways, among them Raúl de la Fuente and Damian Nenow’s European Film Award winner “Another Day of Life,” above, Denis Do’s “Funan,” which took the top prize in Annecy, and Nora Twomey’s “The Breadwinner,” which won a plethora of prizes around the globe.
This year the trend continues with new and upcoming projects that explore wide ranging subject matter, from such sobering themes as the plight of refugees, racism and war to lighter fare like surrealist cinema and quirky romance.
Norwegian director Mats Grorud tackles the politically charged topic of Palestinian refugees in “Wardi” (The Tower). The film follows an 11-year-old girl living with her family in a Beirut refugee...
- 2/8/2019
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Alamode Film has acquired German and Austrian rights from HanWay Films to Lone Scherfig’s drama The Kindness of Strangers, which will open the Berlin International Film Festival next month. Zoe Kazan, Andrea Riseborough, Tahar Rahim, Caleb Landry Jones, Jay Baruchel and Bill Nighy star. The deal was negotiated by Nicole Mackey on behalf of HanWay Films with Alamode Film, with whom HanWay has recently worked on The White Crow, Swimming With Men and The Killing Of A Sacred Deer.
U.S. animation specialist Gkids has picked up Denis Do’s debut Funan, based on his own family story. The film, which which won the top prizes at the Annecy Int’l Animated Film Festival, will be released this spring. Funan follows Chou, a young woman living in the chaos of 1975 Cambodia, amid the arrival of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. When she and her husband are separated from their four-year-old...
U.S. animation specialist Gkids has picked up Denis Do’s debut Funan, based on his own family story. The film, which which won the top prizes at the Annecy Int’l Animated Film Festival, will be released this spring. Funan follows Chou, a young woman living in the chaos of 1975 Cambodia, amid the arrival of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime. When she and her husband are separated from their four-year-old...
- 1/16/2019
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Spring theatrical launch for Cambodia-set family drama.
Gkids has picked up Us rights from Bac Films to Denis Do’s feature directorial debut and Annecy 2018 top prize winner Funan featuring Bérénice Bejo and Louis Garrel in the voice cast.
The family animation is based on Do’s family story and centres on Chou, a young woman in 1975 Cambodia who is separated from her four-year-old child when the Khmer Rouge takes over.
Despite the ensuing chaos as Pol Pot’s brutal regime takes hold on the country, Chou vows to reunite her family even if it means risking everything. Do wrote the screenplay with Magali Pouzol.
Gkids has picked up Us rights from Bac Films to Denis Do’s feature directorial debut and Annecy 2018 top prize winner Funan featuring Bérénice Bejo and Louis Garrel in the voice cast.
The family animation is based on Do’s family story and centres on Chou, a young woman in 1975 Cambodia who is separated from her four-year-old child when the Khmer Rouge takes over.
Despite the ensuing chaos as Pol Pot’s brutal regime takes hold on the country, Chou vows to reunite her family even if it means risking everything. Do wrote the screenplay with Magali Pouzol.
- 1/16/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Indie distributor Gkids has acquired the U.S. distribution rights for Funan, an animated drama that won the top prizes last year at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival and the Animation is Film Festival.
Based on first-time director Denis Do's own family story, the hand-drawn animated film follows a family living in 1975 Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime.
Gkids plans release the film theatrically this spring.
“Denis has created a truly remarkable and personal film,” said Gkids president David Jesteadt. “Funan is the perfect example of animation’s ability to tell all kinds of stories, for all ...
Based on first-time director Denis Do's own family story, the hand-drawn animated film follows a family living in 1975 Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime.
Gkids plans release the film theatrically this spring.
“Denis has created a truly remarkable and personal film,” said Gkids president David Jesteadt. “Funan is the perfect example of animation’s ability to tell all kinds of stories, for all ...
- 1/16/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Indie distributor Gkids has acquired the U.S. distribution rights for Funan, an animated drama that won the top prizes last year at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival and the Animation is Film Festival.
Based on first-time director Denis Do's own family story, the hand-drawn animated film follows a family living in 1975 Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime.
Gkids plans release the film theatrically this spring.
“Denis has created a truly remarkable and personal film,” said Gkids president David Jesteadt. “Funan is the perfect example of animation’s ability to tell all kinds of stories, for all ...
Based on first-time director Denis Do's own family story, the hand-drawn animated film follows a family living in 1975 Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge regime.
Gkids plans release the film theatrically this spring.
“Denis has created a truly remarkable and personal film,” said Gkids president David Jesteadt. “Funan is the perfect example of animation’s ability to tell all kinds of stories, for all ...
- 1/16/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
20 of the contributors of Asian Movie Pulse have voted the 20 Best Films of 2018, resulting in what we consider a great selection, both regarding the top and the overall diversity, since the list includes films from Japan, S. Korea, China, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, The Philippines Thailand, and even a France-Belgium-Luxembourg co-production with a Cambodian setting, while the genres include everything from extreme violence and mainstream films to art-house, documentaries and animation, and even a Netflix film.
Without further ado, here are the best films of 2018, in reverse order. Some films may have premiered in 2017, but since they mostly circulated in 2018, we decided to include them.
20. Buybust
All of the above make it quite clear that “BuyBust” presents a combination of “The Raid” and “The Villainess”, but I also thought that it shares some similarities with “Mad Max” particularly in the way the villains and the setting are presented. Nevertheless, in terms of presentation,...
Without further ado, here are the best films of 2018, in reverse order. Some films may have premiered in 2017, but since they mostly circulated in 2018, we decided to include them.
20. Buybust
All of the above make it quite clear that “BuyBust” presents a combination of “The Raid” and “The Villainess”, but I also thought that it shares some similarities with “Mad Max” particularly in the way the villains and the setting are presented. Nevertheless, in terms of presentation,...
- 1/3/2019
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Lille, France – “The Breadwinner” director Nora Twomey and “The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe” directors Christian Bøving-Andersen and Eva Lee Wallberg took top honors at Saturday night’s second edition of the European Animation Awards (Eaa) in Lille, France, scooping best feature and best TV/broadcast production respectively.
It was an evening of beautiful mishaps, as the streets of Lille were a mix of brave and peaceful civilian protesters gathered just blocks away from holiday carolers, singing with their children in their arms. The awards ceremony lost their WiFi connection, had all of the glassware stolen for the winners’ after party, and in the most headscratching passage of the evening, contestants for Miss France were paraded into the ceremony, where a number admitted knowing little-to-nothing about animation.
In spite of the snafus, or perhaps elevated by them, the evening was buzzing with humor, charm and a collection of...
It was an evening of beautiful mishaps, as the streets of Lille were a mix of brave and peaceful civilian protesters gathered just blocks away from holiday carolers, singing with their children in their arms. The awards ceremony lost their WiFi connection, had all of the glassware stolen for the winners’ after party, and in the most headscratching passage of the evening, contestants for Miss France were paraded into the ceremony, where a number admitted knowing little-to-nothing about animation.
In spite of the snafus, or perhaps elevated by them, the evening was buzzing with humor, charm and a collection of...
- 12/8/2018
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
With Funan, his feature film debut, Denis Do took on his family’s remarkable history, coming to understand and connect with it in an entirely new way. Set in Cambodia in April of 1975, the animated drama examines a mother who has been torn from her 4-year-old son, struggling to endure the realities of life under the Khmer Rouge regime, while pursuing her lost child.
Born in Paris and raised in three cultures—those of France, China and Cambodia—the director had little connection growing up to the truth of the Khmer Rouge, and what life was really like for those at their mercy. “As far as I can remember, when I was around three or four years old, I was not able to finish my dish, and my mum told me that I had to pay respect to all the victims during the Khmer Rouge regime,” Do recalls. “Because before,...
Born in Paris and raised in three cultures—those of France, China and Cambodia—the director had little connection growing up to the truth of the Khmer Rouge, and what life was really like for those at their mercy. “As far as I can remember, when I was around three or four years old, I was not able to finish my dish, and my mum told me that I had to pay respect to all the victims during the Khmer Rouge regime,” Do recalls. “Because before,...
- 12/7/2018
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“We’re together now. It’ll be fine.”
For director Denis Do the task of making his first film is closely linked to his family’s history. Born in 1985 in Paris, Do is a child of three different cultures; the French, the Chinese and the Cambodian. His first feature “Funan” – as the closing credits state – is dedicated to his mother, his brother as well as the survivors of the Khmer Rouge regimes in Cambodia between 1975 to 1979. In an interview with Zippy Frames from 2013, the director mentions how his mother lost his brother in the turmoils of the Khmer Rouge’s rise to power. Only after the regime ended the family was eventually able to re-connect, a fate which many Cambodians shared, while others never saw their relatives again.
“Funan” is screening at Five Flavours Asian Film Festival
However, “Funan” is not a political film in the mind of its director.
For director Denis Do the task of making his first film is closely linked to his family’s history. Born in 1985 in Paris, Do is a child of three different cultures; the French, the Chinese and the Cambodian. His first feature “Funan” – as the closing credits state – is dedicated to his mother, his brother as well as the survivors of the Khmer Rouge regimes in Cambodia between 1975 to 1979. In an interview with Zippy Frames from 2013, the director mentions how his mother lost his brother in the turmoils of the Khmer Rouge’s rise to power. Only after the regime ended the family was eventually able to re-connect, a fate which many Cambodians shared, while others never saw their relatives again.
“Funan” is screening at Five Flavours Asian Film Festival
However, “Funan” is not a political film in the mind of its director.
- 11/22/2018
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Athens — Raúl de la Fuente and Damian Nenow’s “Another Day of Life,” the hybrid animation-live action adaptation of Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski’s harrowing account of the Angolan Civil War, led the pack with five nominations at the second annual European Animation Awards, which were announced Thursday morning in Athens.
“Chris the Swiss,” Anja Kofmel’s part-animated documentary investigation into her cousin’s mysterious death during the Yugoslav War, and “Funan,” Denis Do’s heart-wrenching account of the horrors of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime, each received four nominations in the feature film category.
“The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe,” by Christian Bøving-Andersen and Eva Lee Wallberg, and “The Highway Rat,” by Jeroen Jaspaert, led the TV nominations with four apiece.
The Emile Awards, as they’re widely known, were launched last year to celebrate the best in European animation. Along with prizes for best direction in...
“Chris the Swiss,” Anja Kofmel’s part-animated documentary investigation into her cousin’s mysterious death during the Yugoslav War, and “Funan,” Denis Do’s heart-wrenching account of the horrors of Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge regime, each received four nominations in the feature film category.
“The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe,” by Christian Bøving-Andersen and Eva Lee Wallberg, and “The Highway Rat,” by Jeroen Jaspaert, led the TV nominations with four apiece.
The Emile Awards, as they’re widely known, were launched last year to celebrate the best in European animation. Along with prizes for best direction in...
- 11/8/2018
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
“Funan,” the story of a young mother trying to reunite her family during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia of the 1970s, won both the Grand Prize and the Audience Award at the Animation Is Film Festival, held Oct. 19-21 in Los Angeles. The film, directed by Denis Do, made its North American debut at the event.
“’Funan’ reminds us that animation can tell any kind of story. This versatile medium is by no means limited to fantastical or extraordinary subjects, but is in fact uniquely suited to incredibly personal ones as well,” said Peter Debruge, jury chairman and Variety’s chief film critic. “With ‘Funan,’ Do explores what his Cambodian mother experienced at the hands of the Khmer Rouge regime, finding unexpected beauty within the horror of the situation. The jury agreed that the profound result actually feels more powerful by virtue of being made in animation.”
In addition,...
“’Funan’ reminds us that animation can tell any kind of story. This versatile medium is by no means limited to fantastical or extraordinary subjects, but is in fact uniquely suited to incredibly personal ones as well,” said Peter Debruge, jury chairman and Variety’s chief film critic. “With ‘Funan,’ Do explores what his Cambodian mother experienced at the hands of the Khmer Rouge regime, finding unexpected beauty within the horror of the situation. The jury agreed that the profound result actually feels more powerful by virtue of being made in animation.”
In addition,...
- 10/23/2018
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
One film ran away with the two top prizes at Hollywood’s second annual Animation Is Film Festival (which ran October 19 – 21): Denis Do’s intense Cambodia family survival drama “Funan” won both the jury’s Grand Prize and the Audience Award, selected by festival attendees. The Special Jury Prize went to “Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles,” co-written and directed by Salvador Simó, which follows surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel and his producer friend Ramón as they shoot an ambitious documentary on the poverty-stricken remote Las Hurdes region in Spain.
Read More: ‘Mirai’ Could Mark GKids’ 11th Feature Oscar Nomination: Animation Is Film Festival
“’Funan’ reminds us that animation can tell any kind of story,” stated jury chairman Peter Debruge. “This versatile medium is by no means limited to fantastical or extraordinary subjects, but is in fact uniquely suited to incredibly personal ones as well. With ‘Funan,’ director Denis...
Read More: ‘Mirai’ Could Mark GKids’ 11th Feature Oscar Nomination: Animation Is Film Festival
“’Funan’ reminds us that animation can tell any kind of story,” stated jury chairman Peter Debruge. “This versatile medium is by no means limited to fantastical or extraordinary subjects, but is in fact uniquely suited to incredibly personal ones as well. With ‘Funan,’ director Denis...
- 10/23/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
One film ran away with the two top prizes at Hollywood’s second annual Animation Is Film Festival (which ran October 19 – 21): Denis Do’s intense Cambodia family survival drama “Funan” won both the jury’s Grand Prize and the Audience Award, selected by festival attendees. The Special Jury Prize went to “Bunuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles,” co-written and directed by Salvador Simó, which follows surrealist filmmaker Luis Buñuel and his producer friend Ramón as they shoot an ambitious documentary on the poverty-stricken remote Las Hurdes region in Spain.
Read More: ‘Mirai’ Could Mark GKids’ 11th Feature Oscar Nomination: Animation Is Film Festival
“’Funan’ reminds us that animation can tell any kind of story,” stated jury chairman Peter Debruge. “This versatile medium is by no means limited to fantastical or extraordinary subjects, but is in fact uniquely suited to incredibly personal ones as well. With ‘Funan,’ director Denis...
Read More: ‘Mirai’ Could Mark GKids’ 11th Feature Oscar Nomination: Animation Is Film Festival
“’Funan’ reminds us that animation can tell any kind of story,” stated jury chairman Peter Debruge. “This versatile medium is by no means limited to fantastical or extraordinary subjects, but is in fact uniquely suited to incredibly personal ones as well. With ‘Funan,’ director Denis...
- 10/23/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
How does one depict a genocide such as that inflicted by the Khmer Rouge on the Cambodian people? Some — such as Rithy Pahn, who used clay figures rather than actors for the reenactments in his Oscar-nominated documentary “The Missing Piece” — would argue that to do so is to empower the perpetrators, to exploit the victims, and potentially to reduce the atrocities to a form of spectacle. And yet, the world must not be allowed to forget. By embracing hand-drawn animation as a tool for tactful re-creation, “Funan” director Denis Do provides audiences a unique window into this relatively under-represented 20th-century horror, one that serves as an act of witnessing even as it avoids directly showing the violence on-screen.
Do’s restraint is an artistic choice, not one forced upon him by censors or producers concerned about reaching the widest audience possible. Even by cutting away from the worst incidents — which include beatings,...
Do’s restraint is an artistic choice, not one forced upon him by censors or producers concerned about reaching the widest audience possible. Even by cutting away from the worst incidents — which include beatings,...
- 10/23/2018
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Five Flavours Asian Film Festival is a yearly review of the cinema of East, Southeast, and South Asia. For the 12th time, the Festival presents a meticulous selection of films from the region – auteur projects, avant-garde animations, classics from the film archives, local blockbusters, and Asian Film Awards-winning genre cinema.
The majority of the films will be screened in Poland for the first time. For five of them, the festival screening will be their European premiere. Asian filmmakers will visit the festival and join us for Q&A sessions, providing the titles presented with additional context.
In Asian cinemas, the year 2018 is marked by a variety of auteur projects by renown directors, classic genre cinema, and blockbusters gaining momentum in world-wide box offices. At the same time, a new generation of filmmakers is on the rise – their films already gain visibility and receive awards at international festivals.
The program of...
The majority of the films will be screened in Poland for the first time. For five of them, the festival screening will be their European premiere. Asian filmmakers will visit the festival and join us for Q&A sessions, providing the titles presented with additional context.
In Asian cinemas, the year 2018 is marked by a variety of auteur projects by renown directors, classic genre cinema, and blockbusters gaining momentum in world-wide box offices. At the same time, a new generation of filmmakers is on the rise – their films already gain visibility and receive awards at international festivals.
The program of...
- 10/22/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Other titles include Bad Times At El Royale and Park Chan-Wook series The Little Drummer Girl;
The 13th Rome Film Fest (18-28 October) has unveiled its line-up. It will feature in its non-competitive official selection 38 films, including the world premieres of Fede Alvarez’s The Girl In The Spider’s Web with Claire Foy and Gilles De Maistre’s Mia Et Le Lion Blanc, featuring Melanie Laurent.
Scroll down for the full line-up
Opening with Drew Goddard’s Bad Times At El Royale, Antonio Monda’s fourth edition confirms itself as a “fest” and not a “festival” as the director specifies.
The 13th Rome Film Fest (18-28 October) has unveiled its line-up. It will feature in its non-competitive official selection 38 films, including the world premieres of Fede Alvarez’s The Girl In The Spider’s Web with Claire Foy and Gilles De Maistre’s Mia Et Le Lion Blanc, featuring Melanie Laurent.
Scroll down for the full line-up
Opening with Drew Goddard’s Bad Times At El Royale, Antonio Monda’s fourth edition confirms itself as a “fest” and not a “festival” as the director specifies.
- 10/5/2018
- by Gabriele Niola
- ScreenDaily
Festival to feature screenings and a busy industry programme.
A masterclass from UK feature animation studio Locksmith Animation is one of the highlights of the fourth annual Manchester Animation Festival (Maf), which runs from November 13-15.
Julie Lockhart, Sarah Smith and Elisabeth Murdoch’s London-based company opened its doors earlier this year. It has a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox for projects including Ron’s Gone Wrong, which is now in production.
Maf will take place at Manchester’s Home cinema. The programme includes an animated short competition, screenings of new features, retrospective screenings, workshops and networking events. Panel...
A masterclass from UK feature animation studio Locksmith Animation is one of the highlights of the fourth annual Manchester Animation Festival (Maf), which runs from November 13-15.
Julie Lockhart, Sarah Smith and Elisabeth Murdoch’s London-based company opened its doors earlier this year. It has a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox for projects including Ron’s Gone Wrong, which is now in production.
Maf will take place at Manchester’s Home cinema. The programme includes an animated short competition, screenings of new features, retrospective screenings, workshops and networking events. Panel...
- 9/27/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Festival to feature screenings and a busy industry programme.
A masterclass from UK feature animation studio Locksmith Animation is one of the highlights of this year’s Manchester Animation Festival (Maf), which runs from November 13-15.
Julie Lockhart, Sarah Smith and Elisabeth Murdoch’s London-based company opened its doors earlier this year. It has a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox for projects including Ron’s Gone Wrong, which is now in production.
Maf, which will take place at Manchester’s Home cinema, is also hosting a selection of panel and discussion events including ‘Animated Women UK’, which aims to...
A masterclass from UK feature animation studio Locksmith Animation is one of the highlights of this year’s Manchester Animation Festival (Maf), which runs from November 13-15.
Julie Lockhart, Sarah Smith and Elisabeth Murdoch’s London-based company opened its doors earlier this year. It has a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox for projects including Ron’s Gone Wrong, which is now in production.
Maf, which will take place at Manchester’s Home cinema, is also hosting a selection of panel and discussion events including ‘Animated Women UK’, which aims to...
- 9/27/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The second Animation Is Film festival in Los Angeles will open with the North American premiere of Mamoru Hosoda’s Mirai on October 19, part of a four-film retrospective of the director’s work at the event, which also unveiled some of its competition films Wednesday. The fest, produced by Gkids in partnership with Annecy International Animation Film Festival, runs October 19-21 at the Tcl Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
Mirai, written and directed by Hosada hailing from Japan’s Studio Chizu, is being released theatrically by Gkids on November 30 in both the original Japanese and an English-dubbed version after it premiered this year in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival. Hosada will attend the festival.
The fest will feature more than 30 animated feature films from Asia, Europe, South America and North America, with juried and audience prizes. Also on tap: special footage from Disney’s Ralph Breaks the...
Mirai, written and directed by Hosada hailing from Japan’s Studio Chizu, is being released theatrically by Gkids on November 30 in both the original Japanese and an English-dubbed version after it premiered this year in the Directors’ Fortnight section at the Cannes Film Festival. Hosada will attend the festival.
The fest will feature more than 30 animated feature films from Asia, Europe, South America and North America, with juried and audience prizes. Also on tap: special footage from Disney’s Ralph Breaks the...
- 9/19/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline 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
The Night Manager and Rev star Tom Hollander is joining the cast of BBC One drama Baptiste, which starts filming this summer. Tchéky Karyo will star as investigator Julien Baptiste in the spinoff of crime-drama The Missing, whose writers Harry and Jack Williams are also behind Baptiste. The crime-drama is produced by Two Brothers Pictures for BBC One in association with all3media International who are handling international sales. Executive producers are Harry and Jack Williams and Christopher Aird for Two Brothers Pictures and Tommy Bulfin for the BBC. Producer is John Griffin.
Nora Twomey’s The Breadwinner, executive-produced by Angelina Jolie, scooped three prizes at major animation festival Annecy International Animation Festival in France. The film, about a young Afghan girl living in war-torn Kabul, scored the jury award and the audience award in the competition section, as well as the best original music for a feature film prize from the special awards.
Nora Twomey’s The Breadwinner, executive-produced by Angelina Jolie, scooped three prizes at major animation festival Annecy International Animation Festival in France. The film, about a young Afghan girl living in war-torn Kabul, scored the jury award and the audience award in the competition section, as well as the best original music for a feature film prize from the special awards.
- 6/18/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Denis Do’s Funan wins best feature.
Nora Twomey’s The Breadwinner received three prizes at the Annecy International Animation Festival (which ran June 11-16).
Scroll down for full list of winners
The film picked up the jury award and the audience award in the competition section, as well as the best original music for a feature film prize from the special awards. It is based on Deborah Ellis’ novel and follows a young Afghan girl living in a Kabul, a city under siege.
Best feature film went to Denis Do’s Funan, about a Cambodian family torn apart by...
Nora Twomey’s The Breadwinner received three prizes at the Annecy International Animation Festival (which ran June 11-16).
Scroll down for full list of winners
The film picked up the jury award and the audience award in the competition section, as well as the best original music for a feature film prize from the special awards. It is based on Deborah Ellis’ novel and follows a young Afghan girl living in a Kabul, a city under siege.
Best feature film went to Denis Do’s Funan, about a Cambodian family torn apart by...
- 6/18/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Annecy, France — Denis Do’s semi-autobiographical story, set against the Khmer Rouge’s brutal reign-of-terror, took the top Cristal at the 2018 Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival.
Nora Twomey’s “The Breadwinner,” a moral co-victor, swept three awards, including two key trophies: the Annecy Audience Award, the statue that really counts for distributors and sales agents, and the festival’s Jury Award.
In other top distinctions, Nienke Deutz “Bloeistraat 11,” fruit of the flowering Flanders school of animation, scooped the top Cristal for a short film at a festival which places a large emphasis on briefer formats.
As for TV, two episodes of Tonko House’s “Pig: The Dam Keeper Poems”: “Yellow Flower” and “Hello Nice to Meet You” snagged the Cristal for top TV series.
This year’s preeminent festival awards validate the two biggest artistic trends noticeable at a vibrant 2018 Annecy meet. An increase in the number of feature...
Nora Twomey’s “The Breadwinner,” a moral co-victor, swept three awards, including two key trophies: the Annecy Audience Award, the statue that really counts for distributors and sales agents, and the festival’s Jury Award.
In other top distinctions, Nienke Deutz “Bloeistraat 11,” fruit of the flowering Flanders school of animation, scooped the top Cristal for a short film at a festival which places a large emphasis on briefer formats.
As for TV, two episodes of Tonko House’s “Pig: The Dam Keeper Poems”: “Yellow Flower” and “Hello Nice to Meet You” snagged the Cristal for top TV series.
This year’s preeminent festival awards validate the two biggest artistic trends noticeable at a vibrant 2018 Annecy meet. An increase in the number of feature...
- 6/16/2018
- by John Hopewell and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Denis Do’s Funan on Saturday took the top prize in the main competiton section at the Annecy International Animation Festival. The hand-drawn film, voiced by Oscar nominee Berenice Bejo and Louis Garrel, follows a family under the regime of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
The jury prize went to The Breadwinner by Nora Twomey. The Irish-made epic about a young Afghan girl in Afghanistan was a big winner at the festival, as it took the audience award as well. The Breadwinner is from Cartoon Saloon, the same studio the produced the Oscar-nominated Secret of Kells, which was co-directed by Twomey.
The jury distinction ...
The jury prize went to The Breadwinner by Nora Twomey. The Irish-made epic about a young Afghan girl in Afghanistan was a big winner at the festival, as it took the audience award as well. The Breadwinner is from Cartoon Saloon, the same studio the produced the Oscar-nominated Secret of Kells, which was co-directed by Twomey.
The jury distinction ...
- 6/16/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Denis Do’s Funan on Saturday took the top prize in the main competiton section at the Annecy International Animation Festival. The hand-drawn film, voiced by Oscar nominee Berenice Bejo and Louis Garrel, follows a family under the regime of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia.
The jury prize went to The Breadwinner by Nora Twomey. The Irish-made epic about a young Afghan girl in Afghanistan was a big winner at the festival, as it took the audience award as well. The Breadwinner is from Cartoon Saloon, the same studio the produced the Oscar-nominated Secret of Kells, which was co-directed by Twomey.
The jury distinction ...
The jury prize went to The Breadwinner by Nora Twomey. The Irish-made epic about a young Afghan girl in Afghanistan was a big winner at the festival, as it took the audience award as well. The Breadwinner is from Cartoon Saloon, the same studio the produced the Oscar-nominated Secret of Kells, which was co-directed by Twomey.
The jury distinction ...
- 6/16/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Depicting life under Cambodia’s brutal Khmer Rouge regime in harrowing detail, Funan tells the story of one family that lived through years of separation, starvation and forced labor while trying to maintain a semblance of hope. It’s not an easy subject for an animated film, and this one is probably more suitable for adults and teenagers than children, yet director Denis Do manages to make such a difficult story feel both personal (it was inspired by the life of his mother) and emotional. Despite some narrative cliches, the painstaking way that the movie documents a very dark period in ...
- 6/15/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Depicting life under Cambodia’s brutal Khmer Rouge regime in harrowing detail, Funan tells the story of one family that lived through years of separation, starvation and forced labor while trying to maintain a semblance of hope. It’s not an easy subject for an animated film, and this one is probably more suitable for adults and teenagers than children, yet director Denis Do manages to make such a difficult story feel both personal (it was inspired by the life of his mother) and emotional. Despite some narrative cliches, the painstaking way that the movie documents a very dark period in ...
- 6/15/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
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