Take a look at a teaser for "L'Esclave Furcy" ("The Slave Furcy") - an upcoming french animated (rotoscopy) feature film directed by Serge Elissalde, based on the true story of a slave who sued the French government in 1817 to obtain his freedom. The project centers on the unique lawsuit by a slave named Furcy. The case culminated in the 1843 decision by France’s Supreme Court of Appeal to recognize the freedom of Furcy on the basis of the Free Soil principle, that any slave setting foot on French soil was free. As my research tells me, the Furcy case has been completely ignored in French scholarship until very recently, thanks to the research done by Washington...
- 7/14/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
PARIS -- Toons from the U.K. swept the awards at the 31st Annecy Animated Film Festival Saturday night, which wrapped along with the parallel 17th International Mifa animated film market.
The Fest's top prize, the Cristal for best feature, went to Christopher Nielsen's "Free Jimmy", a U.K.-Norway co-production. Samuel and Frederic Guillaume's "Max & Co," another U.K. co-production with Switzerland, Belgium and France, took the audience award for best feature. Japanese Mamoru Hosoda's "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" received a special distinction in the feature category.
The U.K. also took home every Cristal award in the television category. Christopher Sadler's "Still Life" from the "Shaun the Sheep" series won best TV production, Kitty Taylor took the special award for a TV series for "I Will Be Especially Very Careful" from "Charlie and Lola", and Kez Margrie's "The Wrong Trainers" won the best TV special prize.
The U.K.'s Tom Brown and Daniel Benjamin Gray won the award for best graduation film and Kez Margrie, also from the U.K., took home the Unicef Prize for "The Wrong Trainers". Other winners include Andreas Hykade's "The Runt" from Germany (Fipresci Award), Gregoire Sivan's "Premier Voyage" from France (Canal Plus Award) and Serge Elissalde's "The Man on the Moon" also from France (Sacem Award).
The Fest's top prize, the Cristal for best feature, went to Christopher Nielsen's "Free Jimmy", a U.K.-Norway co-production. Samuel and Frederic Guillaume's "Max & Co," another U.K. co-production with Switzerland, Belgium and France, took the audience award for best feature. Japanese Mamoru Hosoda's "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" received a special distinction in the feature category.
The U.K. also took home every Cristal award in the television category. Christopher Sadler's "Still Life" from the "Shaun the Sheep" series won best TV production, Kitty Taylor took the special award for a TV series for "I Will Be Especially Very Careful" from "Charlie and Lola", and Kez Margrie's "The Wrong Trainers" won the best TV special prize.
The U.K.'s Tom Brown and Daniel Benjamin Gray won the award for best graduation film and Kez Margrie, also from the U.K., took home the Unicef Prize for "The Wrong Trainers". Other winners include Andreas Hykade's "The Runt" from Germany (Fipresci Award), Gregoire Sivan's "Premier Voyage" from France (Canal Plus Award) and Serge Elissalde's "The Man on the Moon" also from France (Sacem Award).
- 6/17/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
More Berlin Film Festival news
Given that the youth audience is the holy grail of the mainstream movie industry, it's odd that Berlin is the only major film festival to have sidebars dedicated to children's and teenage pictures.
The Berlinale instigated the Kinderfilmfest as far back as 1978, with a mandate to screen films that show the world from young people's point of view. This was augmented in 2004 by the 14-plus section aimed at adolescent audiences. Every year more than 35,000 people attend the sidebar, which is centered on the Zoo Palast theater.
Now going into its 30th edition, the original sidebar was renamed this year Generation Kplus, while the older section becomes Generation 14plus. "We needed a name with a certain abstraction, like Panorama and Focus," said Thomas Hailer, the sidebar's director.
This year's edition gets off to a high-profile start with the European premiere of fantasy adventure "The Last Mimzy" directed by New Line chief Bob Shaye.
The selection is characterized by its wide range, with films from Thailand, South Korea and Malaysia rubbing shoulders with offerings from Hungary, Latvia and Scandinavia. The program typically contains more challenging films for children rather than popcorn entertainment fare. It comprises titles that are not specifically conceived for kids but may have their own appeal for younger audiences. "We screen films for children, but not necessarily children's films with talking animals," Hailer said.
But those who do want to see their animals speaking will not be disappointed by "U," the French music-themed animated story of a lonely princess who befriends a unicorn directed by Gregoire Solotareff and Serge Elissalde.
Given that the youth audience is the holy grail of the mainstream movie industry, it's odd that Berlin is the only major film festival to have sidebars dedicated to children's and teenage pictures.
The Berlinale instigated the Kinderfilmfest as far back as 1978, with a mandate to screen films that show the world from young people's point of view. This was augmented in 2004 by the 14-plus section aimed at adolescent audiences. Every year more than 35,000 people attend the sidebar, which is centered on the Zoo Palast theater.
Now going into its 30th edition, the original sidebar was renamed this year Generation Kplus, while the older section becomes Generation 14plus. "We needed a name with a certain abstraction, like Panorama and Focus," said Thomas Hailer, the sidebar's director.
This year's edition gets off to a high-profile start with the European premiere of fantasy adventure "The Last Mimzy" directed by New Line chief Bob Shaye.
The selection is characterized by its wide range, with films from Thailand, South Korea and Malaysia rubbing shoulders with offerings from Hungary, Latvia and Scandinavia. The program typically contains more challenging films for children rather than popcorn entertainment fare. It comprises titles that are not specifically conceived for kids but may have their own appeal for younger audiences. "We screen films for children, but not necessarily children's films with talking animals," Hailer said.
But those who do want to see their animals speaking will not be disappointed by "U," the French music-themed animated story of a lonely princess who befriends a unicorn directed by Gregoire Solotareff and Serge Elissalde.
MUNICH -- Generation, the children's and young people's sidebar at the Berlin International Film Festival, will feature a slate of 25 feature films from 22 countries in addition to 21 short films from 13 countries, organizers announced Friday.
The sidebar, which marks its 30th anniversary this year, will have three world premieres and ten international premieres in its two sections, Generation Kplus (formerly the Kinderfilmfest) and Generation 14plus.
The Generation Kplus competition will open Feb. 9 with the international premiere of Robert Shaye's fantasy adventure "The Last Mimzy", starring Timothy Hutton and Rainn Wilson.
The youth film competition, Generation 14plus, opens the same day with Tata Amaral's Brazilian hip-hop drama "Antonia". Amaral's 1996 film "Um Ceu de Estrellas" (A Starry Sky) appeared at the Berlinale in the Forum section.
A complete list of titles follows.
Generation Kplus
"Bloede Muetze!" (Silly's Sweet Summer) by Johannes Schmid, Germany; "Dek Hor" (Dorm) by Songyos Sugmakanan, Thailand; "Forortsungar" (Kidz in da Hood) by Ylva Gustavsson and Catti Edfeldt, Sweden; "Ice Keh-ki" (Ice Bar) by Yeo In-gwang, South Korea; "Iszka Utazasa" (Iska's Journey) by Csaba Bollok, Hungary; "Je m'appelle Elisabeth" (Call Me Elisabeth) by Jean-Pierre Ameris, France; "Kruistocht in Spijkerbroek" (Crusade in Jeans) by Ben Sombogaart, The Netherlands/Germany /Luxembourg/Belgium; "The Last Mimzy" by Robert Shaye, U.S.; "Leiutajatekula Lotte"(Lotte from Gadgetville) by Heiki Ernits and Janno Poldma, Estonia/Latvia; "Mukhsin" by Yasmin Ahmad, Malaysia; "Razzle Dazzle" by Darren Ashton, Australia; "Sipur Hatzi Russi" (Love & Dance) by Eitan Anner, Israel; "Trigger" by Gunnar Vikene, Norway/Sweden/Denmark; "U" by Gregoire Solotareff & Serge Elissalde, France
Generation 14plus
Adama Meshuga'at (Sweet Mud) by Dror Shaul, Israel/Germany/France/Japan; "Antonia" (Antonia) by Tata Amaral, Brazil; "Cum mi-am petrecut sfars, itul lumii" (The Way I Spent the End of the World) by Catalin Mitulescu, Romania/France; "Cheonhajangsa Madonna" (Like a Virgin) by Lee Hae-young and Lee Hae-jun, South Korea; "Eagle vs.
The sidebar, which marks its 30th anniversary this year, will have three world premieres and ten international premieres in its two sections, Generation Kplus (formerly the Kinderfilmfest) and Generation 14plus.
The Generation Kplus competition will open Feb. 9 with the international premiere of Robert Shaye's fantasy adventure "The Last Mimzy", starring Timothy Hutton and Rainn Wilson.
The youth film competition, Generation 14plus, opens the same day with Tata Amaral's Brazilian hip-hop drama "Antonia". Amaral's 1996 film "Um Ceu de Estrellas" (A Starry Sky) appeared at the Berlinale in the Forum section.
A complete list of titles follows.
Generation Kplus
"Bloede Muetze!" (Silly's Sweet Summer) by Johannes Schmid, Germany; "Dek Hor" (Dorm) by Songyos Sugmakanan, Thailand; "Forortsungar" (Kidz in da Hood) by Ylva Gustavsson and Catti Edfeldt, Sweden; "Ice Keh-ki" (Ice Bar) by Yeo In-gwang, South Korea; "Iszka Utazasa" (Iska's Journey) by Csaba Bollok, Hungary; "Je m'appelle Elisabeth" (Call Me Elisabeth) by Jean-Pierre Ameris, France; "Kruistocht in Spijkerbroek" (Crusade in Jeans) by Ben Sombogaart, The Netherlands/Germany /Luxembourg/Belgium; "The Last Mimzy" by Robert Shaye, U.S.; "Leiutajatekula Lotte"(Lotte from Gadgetville) by Heiki Ernits and Janno Poldma, Estonia/Latvia; "Mukhsin" by Yasmin Ahmad, Malaysia; "Razzle Dazzle" by Darren Ashton, Australia; "Sipur Hatzi Russi" (Love & Dance) by Eitan Anner, Israel; "Trigger" by Gunnar Vikene, Norway/Sweden/Denmark; "U" by Gregoire Solotareff & Serge Elissalde, France
Generation 14plus
Adama Meshuga'at (Sweet Mud) by Dror Shaul, Israel/Germany/France/Japan; "Antonia" (Antonia) by Tata Amaral, Brazil; "Cum mi-am petrecut sfars, itul lumii" (The Way I Spent the End of the World) by Catalin Mitulescu, Romania/France; "Cheonhajangsa Madonna" (Like a Virgin) by Lee Hae-young and Lee Hae-jun, South Korea; "Eagle vs.
- 1/12/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
COLOGNE, Germany -- Christopher Plummer starrer Man In The Chair, Shane Meadows' skinhead drama This is England and Kidz in da Hood, a musical that looks at the life of illegal immigrants in Sweden, are among the first titles picked for the official lineup of the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival.
All three will screen in Berlin's children and youth sidebar, Generation (formerly Kinderfilmfest). 2007 will mark the 30th anniversary of Berlin's children's film section.
Other films chosen for the Generation Kplus (children) and Generation 14plus (youth) sections include Thai thriller Dorm, from Songyos Sugmakanan; "Bloede Mutze!" (Stupid Hat!), from German first-timer Johannes Schmid; Romanian director Catalin Mitulescu's "The Way I Spent the End of the World," a look at the fall of Nicolae Ceausescu's brutal regime; and Trigger, from Norwegian director Gunnar Vikene, which centers on a renegade racehorse.
Two animated features have made the cut: Estonian comedy Lotte from Gadgetville, from directors Heiki Ernits and Janno Poldma, and Gregoire Solotareff and Serge Elissalde's French animated fairytale "U," which bowed at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this year.
All three will screen in Berlin's children and youth sidebar, Generation (formerly Kinderfilmfest). 2007 will mark the 30th anniversary of Berlin's children's film section.
Other films chosen for the Generation Kplus (children) and Generation 14plus (youth) sections include Thai thriller Dorm, from Songyos Sugmakanan; "Bloede Mutze!" (Stupid Hat!), from German first-timer Johannes Schmid; Romanian director Catalin Mitulescu's "The Way I Spent the End of the World," a look at the fall of Nicolae Ceausescu's brutal regime; and Trigger, from Norwegian director Gunnar Vikene, which centers on a renegade racehorse.
Two animated features have made the cut: Estonian comedy Lotte from Gadgetville, from directors Heiki Ernits and Janno Poldma, and Gregoire Solotareff and Serge Elissalde's French animated fairytale "U," which bowed at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this year.
- 12/14/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
ANNECY, France -- The winning feature film at this year's Annecy International Animation Festival was director Christian Volckman's striking black-and-white futuristic thriller Renaissance. The film's title is an apt reflection of what is going on in the Gallic cartoon business, which is undergoing an unprecedented boom. A report released last week by the Center National de la Cinematographie showed eight French animated films were completed in 2005, double the number in any of the previous four years. The lineup at Annecy, which wrapped Saturday, bears testimony to the bursting health of the French toon industry. Two of the five features in competition were French-made, while the fest opened with another local picture, "U," the tale of a princess rescued from misery by a unicorn, directed by Gregoire Solotareff and Serge Elissalde. Michel Ocelot's dazzling Arabian adventure Azur and Asmar also unspooled after its premiere at Cannes in Directors' Fortnight, and Piccolo, Saxo and Company, based on the best-selling musical children's story, also had its premiere in the Alpine lakeside town. But this is only the tip of the iceberg, as French producers known for traditional live-action movies are increasingly becoming involved in animated projects.
- 6/12/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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