French animation company Folivari is producing animated coming-of-age feature The Wild Inside with Patrick Imbert to direct.
Based on Jamey Bradbury’s novel of the same name, the film follows an Alaskan girl forced to confront her connection to nature and wild animals after her mother goes missing.
It marks Imbert’s third collaboration with Folivari following Cesar award-winner The Summit Of Gods and 2018 nominee The Big Bad Fox And Other Tales.
Folivari was founded in 2014 by Damien Brunner, Thibaut Ruby and Didier Brunner who previously produced the Oscar-nominated animations Ernest And Celestine and The Triplets Of Belleville.
The company...
Based on Jamey Bradbury’s novel of the same name, the film follows an Alaskan girl forced to confront her connection to nature and wild animals after her mother goes missing.
It marks Imbert’s third collaboration with Folivari following Cesar award-winner The Summit Of Gods and 2018 nominee The Big Bad Fox And Other Tales.
Folivari was founded in 2014 by Damien Brunner, Thibaut Ruby and Didier Brunner who previously produced the Oscar-nominated animations Ernest And Celestine and The Triplets Of Belleville.
The company...
- 3/5/2024
- ScreenDaily
Gkids has unveiled the U.S. release date, first trailer and English-language voice cast for Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia, the sequel to the Oscar-nominated animated feature Ernest & Celestine, which it likewise released stateside.
Slated for a September 1 release at the Village East in New York, as well as at L.A.’s Laemmle Santa Monica and Laemmle Glendale and additional markets nationwide (view the full list here), the film based on the children’s books by Gabrielle Vincent has Andrew Kishino playing Ernest the bear, with Ashley Boettcher as his unlikely mouse friend Celestine. Others in this cast of the film, which is also coming to U.S. theaters in its original French-language form, include David Lodge, Anne Yatco, Lena Josephine Marano, Bill Lobley and Daniel Hagan. Check out its trailer above.
The new Ernest & Celestine flick nabbed a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the...
Slated for a September 1 release at the Village East in New York, as well as at L.A.’s Laemmle Santa Monica and Laemmle Glendale and additional markets nationwide (view the full list here), the film based on the children’s books by Gabrielle Vincent has Andrew Kishino playing Ernest the bear, with Ashley Boettcher as his unlikely mouse friend Celestine. Others in this cast of the film, which is also coming to U.S. theaters in its original French-language form, include David Lodge, Anne Yatco, Lena Josephine Marano, Bill Lobley and Daniel Hagan. Check out its trailer above.
The new Ernest & Celestine flick nabbed a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the...
- 7/24/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Annecy — Opening under the pall of Thursday’s knife attack, – which prompted a spirited show of solidarity and communal defiance at its opening ceremony on Sunday – this year’s Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival has never been bigger. Creativity is exploding, from “Spider-Verse” and beyond.
Animation is flowering in India and Africa.
Yet studio work, much courtesy of streamer orders, may rebound, but never return to the halcyon levels of the last few years. Theatrical for most animation titles has yet to return, moreover – save for extraordinary mega-blockbusters such as “Across the Spider-Verse” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” 10 takes on this year’s Annecy, the biggest animation festival on the world:
The Big Plays
Three – and nearly four – high-profile U.S. movies world premiere at Annecy: Disney’s “Once Upon A Studio,” a 100th anniversary celebratory short; DreamWorks Animation’s comedy fantasy “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken”; and Netflix’s...
Animation is flowering in India and Africa.
Yet studio work, much courtesy of streamer orders, may rebound, but never return to the halcyon levels of the last few years. Theatrical for most animation titles has yet to return, moreover – save for extraordinary mega-blockbusters such as “Across the Spider-Verse” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie.” 10 takes on this year’s Annecy, the biggest animation festival on the world:
The Big Plays
Three – and nearly four – high-profile U.S. movies world premiere at Annecy: Disney’s “Once Upon A Studio,” a 100th anniversary celebratory short; DreamWorks Animation’s comedy fantasy “Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken”; and Netflix’s...
- 6/12/2023
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Gkids has snapped up U.S. rights to Ernest & Celestine: A Trip To Gibberitia — the sequel to the acclaimed Ernest & Celestine, which landed a Best Animated Feature Oscar nom in 2014. The decorated producer and distributor of animation, celebrating its 15th anniversary, will put both the original French-language version of Gibberitia and a new English dub in theaters this year.
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Both Ernest & Celestine films are based on the children’s book series by Belgian author-illustrator Gabrielle Vincent. The original helmed by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner examines the unlikely friendship between a bear, Ernest (Lambert Wilson...
Related Story Laura Linney Comedy ‘The Miracle Club’ Acquired By Sony Pictures Classics Related Story 'Inu-Oh' Director Masaaki Yuasa On Exploring Undocumented Possibilities For A "Modern Interpretation Of Old Tales" Related Story As The Best Animated Feature Competition Heats Up, Can Netflix Or Another Newcomer Bring Home The Oscar?
Both Ernest & Celestine films are based on the children’s book series by Belgian author-illustrator Gabrielle Vincent. The original helmed by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar and Benjamin Renner examines the unlikely friendship between a bear, Ernest (Lambert Wilson...
- 3/2/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
A cheering crowd at France’s Annecy Festival got a sneak peek at the hugely anticipated sequel to French family hit “Ernest and Célestine” on Thursday.
It was not disappointed-
“Ernest and Célestine: A Trip to Gibberitia” is slated for release in France in December, nearly a decade after the multi-prized original, which scored an Academy Award nomination alongside 2014 winner “Frozen.”
The 22-minute long preview screening in Annecy was followed by a short concert by the film’s composer, Vincent Courtois, playing the cello, and one of his band members on the clarinet.
“The story revolves a lot around music,” co-director Julien Chheng told Variety. “While making the film, we would wait for his demo to animate our characters. We wanted to be true to the Ernest and Celestine style which is very subtle: We didn’t want to use music to enhance emotions but rather allow the characters and...
It was not disappointed-
“Ernest and Célestine: A Trip to Gibberitia” is slated for release in France in December, nearly a decade after the multi-prized original, which scored an Academy Award nomination alongside 2014 winner “Frozen.”
The 22-minute long preview screening in Annecy was followed by a short concert by the film’s composer, Vincent Courtois, playing the cello, and one of his band members on the clarinet.
“The story revolves a lot around music,” co-director Julien Chheng told Variety. “While making the film, we would wait for his demo to animate our characters. We wanted to be true to the Ernest and Celestine style which is very subtle: We didn’t want to use music to enhance emotions but rather allow the characters and...
- 6/17/2022
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
A feature film sequel to the animated French family hit “Ernest & Celestine” is coming soon, and Studiocanal has revealed a first look at the film along with new details ahead of launching worldwide sales on the movie.
“Ernest & Celestine 2: A Trip to Gibberitia” is a sequel to the Oscar-nominated 2012 film, which picked up six Annie Award nominations and won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Though the sequel was first announced as far back as 2017 in France, with production beginning in May 2020, the film is finally close to completion, and Studiocanal plans to release it in France on December 14, 2022.
The distributor will also be launching worldwide sales on the title at the European Film Market.
The original film is based on a series of books and tells the story of the unlikely friendship between a bear named Ernest and a mouse named Celestine, who go on the...
“Ernest & Celestine 2: A Trip to Gibberitia” is a sequel to the Oscar-nominated 2012 film, which picked up six Annie Award nominations and won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Though the sequel was first announced as far back as 2017 in France, with production beginning in May 2020, the film is finally close to completion, and Studiocanal plans to release it in France on December 14, 2022.
The distributor will also be launching worldwide sales on the title at the European Film Market.
The original film is based on a series of books and tells the story of the unlikely friendship between a bear named Ernest and a mouse named Celestine, who go on the...
- 2/4/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
This story about “The Summit of the Gods” first appeared in the special animation section in the Awards Preview issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
Based on the manga by Jirô Taniguchi and Baku Yumemakura, the breathtaking French-language animated feature “The Summit of the Gods” searches for meaning at inhospitable heights. The drama set in the 1990s chronicles two quests, one of headstrong climber Habu (voiced by Eric Herson-Macarel) bent on conquering Mount Everest alone, and one involving photojournalist Fukamachi (Damien Boisseau) seeking grandeur by potentially finding a camera that belonged to George Mallory, the real-life mountaineer who disappeared in 1953 while attempting to climb the same peak. Inevitably, their paths overlap.
Director Patrick Imbert wasn’t familiar with the material until renowned producers Damien Brunner and Didier Brunner at Folivari approached him. He immediately appreciated the story’s potential for animation and began sorting through the passages to adapt it...
Based on the manga by Jirô Taniguchi and Baku Yumemakura, the breathtaking French-language animated feature “The Summit of the Gods” searches for meaning at inhospitable heights. The drama set in the 1990s chronicles two quests, one of headstrong climber Habu (voiced by Eric Herson-Macarel) bent on conquering Mount Everest alone, and one involving photojournalist Fukamachi (Damien Boisseau) seeking grandeur by potentially finding a camera that belonged to George Mallory, the real-life mountaineer who disappeared in 1953 while attempting to climb the same peak. Inevitably, their paths overlap.
Director Patrick Imbert wasn’t familiar with the material until renowned producers Damien Brunner and Didier Brunner at Folivari approached him. He immediately appreciated the story’s potential for animation and began sorting through the passages to adapt it...
- 1/26/2022
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Wrap
Netflix’s “The Summit of the Gods” (opening November 24 in select theaters and streaming November 30) accomplishes something new and immersive in 2D animation: the beauty, excitement, and danger of scaling Mount Everest. However, for French director Patrick Imbert (“The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales”), this was not about soaring new heights in animation, but exploring the obsession with mountain climbing.
“You use the tools that you bring with telling a movie story,” said Imbert, a former animation supervisor who teamed up with producers Didier Brunner, Damien Brunner, Jean-Charles Ostorero (who co-scripted), and Stéphan Roelants. “And that’s why we use image, sound design, and music [by Amine Bouhafa] to create something that doesn’t exist outside. Of course, I know and love some animation a lot, but most of my influences are live-action movies. For example, [Stanley] Kubrick’s ‘Barry Lyndon.’ One thing I learned is that many different things happen to that character,...
“You use the tools that you bring with telling a movie story,” said Imbert, a former animation supervisor who teamed up with producers Didier Brunner, Damien Brunner, Jean-Charles Ostorero (who co-scripted), and Stéphan Roelants. “And that’s why we use image, sound design, and music [by Amine Bouhafa] to create something that doesn’t exist outside. Of course, I know and love some animation a lot, but most of my influences are live-action movies. For example, [Stanley] Kubrick’s ‘Barry Lyndon.’ One thing I learned is that many different things happen to that character,...
- 11/23/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Rich Ting (“Warrior”), Darren Barnet (“Never Have I Ever”) and Keiko Agena (“Better Call Saul”) have been tapped to lead the voice cast for the English-language dub of Netflix’s “The Summit of the Gods,” from César award-winning filmmaker Patrick Imbert.
Based on the acclaimed manga by Jirô Taniguchi and the novel by Baku Yumemakura, “The Summit of the Gods” poses the question, “Were George Mallory and his companion Andrew Irvine the first men to scale Everest on June 8th, 1924? Only the little Vestpocket Kodak camera they took with them might reveal the truth.”
“The Summit of the Gods” picks up in Kathmandu, 70 years after Mallory and Irvine’s journey, when a young Japanese reporter named Fukamachi Makoto (Barnet) recognizes the camera in the hands of the mysterious Habu Joji (Ting), an outcast climber believed missing for years. As the plot progresses, Fukamachi enters a world of obsessive mountaineers on...
Based on the acclaimed manga by Jirô Taniguchi and the novel by Baku Yumemakura, “The Summit of the Gods” poses the question, “Were George Mallory and his companion Andrew Irvine the first men to scale Everest on June 8th, 1924? Only the little Vestpocket Kodak camera they took with them might reveal the truth.”
“The Summit of the Gods” picks up in Kathmandu, 70 years after Mallory and Irvine’s journey, when a young Japanese reporter named Fukamachi Makoto (Barnet) recognizes the camera in the hands of the mysterious Habu Joji (Ting), an outcast climber believed missing for years. As the plot progresses, Fukamachi enters a world of obsessive mountaineers on...
- 11/23/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Netflix has taken worldwide rights to animated feature The Summit Of The Gods (Le Sommet Des Dieux). Based on Jiro Taniguchi and Baku Yumemakura’s best selling manga, the movie debuted in the Cinema de la Plage section at the Cannes Film Festival this past July. Netflix is planning a theatrical release in select U.S. theaters on November 24, followed by select cinemas in the UK on November 26 and will put it on the streaming service on November 30.
Patrick Imbert (The Big Bad Fox And Other Tales) directs the film that poses the question: Were George Mallory and his companion Andrew Irvine the first men to scale Everest on June 8, 1924? And sets in motion a quest for the truth.
The synopsis tells us that only the little Kodak camera Mallory and Irvine took with them might reveal the real story. Seventy years after their feat,...
Patrick Imbert (The Big Bad Fox And Other Tales) directs the film that poses the question: Were George Mallory and his companion Andrew Irvine the first men to scale Everest on June 8, 1924? And sets in motion a quest for the truth.
The synopsis tells us that only the little Kodak camera Mallory and Irvine took with them might reveal the real story. Seventy years after their feat,...
- 8/31/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Didier Brunner – producer of “The Triplets of Belleville,” “The Secret of Kells” and “Ernest and Celestine” – is readying his next production, ’Prends Garde à toi!,’ an adaptation of the ‘Carmen’ story led by one of France’s freest creative spirits: Sébastien Laudenbach.
Laudenbach’s feature debut, “The Girl Without Hands,” an adaptation of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, was acquired by Gkids for North American distribution. It also took Annecy’s 2016 Jury Prize. He is now directing his second animated feature, “Chicken for Linda!”
“Prends Garde à toi!” is inspired by both Prosper Mérimée’s 1845 novella and Georges Bizet’s 1875 opera, the title (literally “Beware!”) being a famous repeated warning from Carmen’s entrance aria in the opera.
Laudenbach’s third feature, the 2D animated feature is set up at Paris-based Folivari, the production company founded by Didier and son Damien Brunner in 2014, which has seen rapid success with 26-part...
Laudenbach’s feature debut, “The Girl Without Hands,” an adaptation of a Brothers Grimm fairy tale, was acquired by Gkids for North American distribution. It also took Annecy’s 2016 Jury Prize. He is now directing his second animated feature, “Chicken for Linda!”
“Prends Garde à toi!” is inspired by both Prosper Mérimée’s 1845 novella and Georges Bizet’s 1875 opera, the title (literally “Beware!”) being a famous repeated warning from Carmen’s entrance aria in the opera.
Laudenbach’s third feature, the 2D animated feature is set up at Paris-based Folivari, the production company founded by Didier and son Damien Brunner in 2014, which has seen rapid success with 26-part...
- 6/15/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
In one extract from the Annecy online presentation of banner French production “The Summit of the Gods,” a climber steels himself to jump over a huge, gaping, seemingly bottomless crevasse, its ice walls tinged a lethal dark blue – cold that will kill you quickly.
Running at the crevasse, the climber flings himself into the air. Cut to a shot of his landing on the snow on the other side, gasping in relief.
This is, of course, the stuff of a live action film. Yet “The Summit of the Gods” is animation, and mostly 2D animation at that.
“Animation can talk about any subject but differently from live action,” says Folivari’s Didier Brunner, one of its producers. Sold by Wild Bunch, and produced by Jean-Charles Ostorero’s Julianne Films, Didier and Damien Brunner’s Folivari and Stéphane Roélants’ Melusine Productions, “The Summit of the Gods” bears him out.
The story,...
Running at the crevasse, the climber flings himself into the air. Cut to a shot of his landing on the snow on the other side, gasping in relief.
This is, of course, the stuff of a live action film. Yet “The Summit of the Gods” is animation, and mostly 2D animation at that.
“Animation can talk about any subject but differently from live action,” says Folivari’s Didier Brunner, one of its producers. Sold by Wild Bunch, and produced by Jean-Charles Ostorero’s Julianne Films, Didier and Damien Brunner’s Folivari and Stéphane Roélants’ Melusine Productions, “The Summit of the Gods” bears him out.
The story,...
- 6/16/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
With “The Summit of the Gods” shaping up as one of the major draws of this year’s online Annecy Work in Progress section, Didier and Damien Brunner’s Paris-based Folivari is teaming with France’s Gaumont on a second signature animated feature, “The Nazis, My Father and Me.”
Putting its large weight behind the title, Gaumont will co-produce, distribute in France and handle world sales on the coming of age action-thriller set in October 1941 New York City, just weeks before the U.S. finally entered WWII.
News of the Gaumont deal comes as Folvari has moved into production on animated feature “Ernest and Celestine: A Journey in Charabia,” the sequel to the Oscar-nominated original.
For French animation, such moves are signs of the times. With Gaumont on board for “The Nazis, My Father and Me,” Folivari is now working with some of the highest-profile and weightiest film-tv companies in France.
Putting its large weight behind the title, Gaumont will co-produce, distribute in France and handle world sales on the coming of age action-thriller set in October 1941 New York City, just weeks before the U.S. finally entered WWII.
News of the Gaumont deal comes as Folvari has moved into production on animated feature “Ernest and Celestine: A Journey in Charabia,” the sequel to the Oscar-nominated original.
For French animation, such moves are signs of the times. With Gaumont on board for “The Nazis, My Father and Me,” Folivari is now working with some of the highest-profile and weightiest film-tv companies in France.
- 6/16/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Whether in “I Lost My Body,” a boy-girl love story which takes place as the suitor’s severe hand crawls towards its owner, or with “The Summit of the Gods,” an epic account of two crazed climbers’ attempt to scale Everest’s South-West face in winter without oxygen, France is pushing back the boundaries of animation as art.
On one hand, it is attempting to break down its walls, affirming its status as a medium not a subject-prescribing and proscribing genre type. On the other, it is also releasing its unlocked artistic potential.
“There are no reserved territories for live action. Any story can be told in animation,” says Xilam founder Marc du Pontavice, “I Lost My Body” producer.
“Animation can talk about any subject but differently from live action,” agrees Folivari’s Didier Brunner, a producer on “The Summit of the Gods.”
He added: “If we’d done ‘The...
On one hand, it is attempting to break down its walls, affirming its status as a medium not a subject-prescribing and proscribing genre type. On the other, it is also releasing its unlocked artistic potential.
“There are no reserved territories for live action. Any story can be told in animation,” says Xilam founder Marc du Pontavice, “I Lost My Body” producer.
“Animation can talk about any subject but differently from live action,” agrees Folivari’s Didier Brunner, a producer on “The Summit of the Gods.”
He added: “If we’d done ‘The...
- 6/15/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Covid-19 looks set to accelerate the biggest paradigm shift in French animation in the last two decades: Global streaming platforms’ ever larger presence in finance and distribution.
How France’s auteur-driven animation movie and TV industry dovetails with the market interests and industry practices of Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Warner Media and Apple TV Plus will determine a large part of its future.
Depending on the company and the sector – TV is far more advanced than feature film – it’s a revolution that is already being put through.
Already, 15 months ago, 43% of Xilam’s revenues came from streaming platforms, Xilam president Marc du Pontavice said last year. Now that proportion will be higher, he told Variety in the eve of the run-up to this year’s totally online Annecy Festival.
At TeamTO, international sales represent about half of its revenues, and platforms will account for 30% of those in 2020, says Corinne Kouper,...
How France’s auteur-driven animation movie and TV industry dovetails with the market interests and industry practices of Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Warner Media and Apple TV Plus will determine a large part of its future.
Depending on the company and the sector – TV is far more advanced than feature film – it’s a revolution that is already being put through.
Already, 15 months ago, 43% of Xilam’s revenues came from streaming platforms, Xilam president Marc du Pontavice said last year. Now that proportion will be higher, he told Variety in the eve of the run-up to this year’s totally online Annecy Festival.
At TeamTO, international sales represent about half of its revenues, and platforms will account for 30% of those in 2020, says Corinne Kouper,...
- 6/15/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
France’s 2020 Annecy festival and accompanying Mifa market won’t be the first such events to go completely online this year, but certainly stand out as one of Europe’s largest to do so. The prestigious animation gathering, which normally draws toon heavyhitters from all over the world, will stream June 15-30.
While platforms and broadcasters fight over available content, with kids and family one of the tentpoles of subscriber retention, the market for animation has never been more demanding — both in quality and audience expectation.
One big challenge in making the transition to online is the inability to stream many of the key titles from Annecy’s Official and Contrechamp competitions in their entirety due to licensing rights and other contractual conditions.
However, several studios and key sales agents have confirmed to Variety that they are planning alternative means of promoting their upcoming content while still entertaining eager Annecy badge-holders.
While platforms and broadcasters fight over available content, with kids and family one of the tentpoles of subscriber retention, the market for animation has never been more demanding — both in quality and audience expectation.
One big challenge in making the transition to online is the inability to stream many of the key titles from Annecy’s Official and Contrechamp competitions in their entirety due to licensing rights and other contractual conditions.
However, several studios and key sales agents have confirmed to Variety that they are planning alternative means of promoting their upcoming content while still entertaining eager Annecy badge-holders.
- 6/12/2020
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Annecy — Three European animation powerhouses – Didier and Damien Brunner’s Folivari, Canal Plus and Studiocanal – are linking to develop “The Baker Street Four,” a premium tween/family animation series marking a striking spin off from the Sherlock Holmes franchise.
“My Life as a Zucchini” French producer Blue Spirit will serve as the animation studio, as on the Didier Brunner-produced 1998’s Kirikou movie, hit TV series “The Long Long Holiday” and on Brunner’s Academy Award-nominated animated features “The Secret of Kells,” “The Triplets of Belleville,” and “Ernest & Celestine.”
News of the Folivari-Studiocanal-Canal Plus development pact comes as Folivari has unveiled that a third season of TV series “Samsam” is now in the works, further producers on “The Nazis, My Father and Me,” a new projects: “The Seven Dwarf Bears.”
With Everest epic “The Summit of the Gods” now in production, the new titles mark in general a move...
“My Life as a Zucchini” French producer Blue Spirit will serve as the animation studio, as on the Didier Brunner-produced 1998’s Kirikou movie, hit TV series “The Long Long Holiday” and on Brunner’s Academy Award-nominated animated features “The Secret of Kells,” “The Triplets of Belleville,” and “Ernest & Celestine.”
News of the Folivari-Studiocanal-Canal Plus development pact comes as Folivari has unveiled that a third season of TV series “Samsam” is now in the works, further producers on “The Nazis, My Father and Me,” a new projects: “The Seven Dwarf Bears.”
With Everest epic “The Summit of the Gods” now in production, the new titles mark in general a move...
- 6/10/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Madrid — It’s no coincidence that Netflix has chosen Annecy, a fairy tale-looking town nestling in the French Alps, to unveil scenes from its first two animated movies; or that Warner Bros. Animation will world premiere at Annecy’s Intl. Animation Film Festival its first Looney Tunes Cartoon; or that Didier Brunner, the doyen of Europe’s art film scene, is announcing a key development deal on a banner new TV series here.
France’s Annecy Animation Film Festival and its Mifa market are animation Hollywood’s home from home,and embraced as passionately by Europep’s industry and creators, 2D and 3D alike. This year they will also provide a stage for the resurgence of Japan as an international toon power, and for the best of Chinese and Latin American animation.
Joining the Annecy Festival market in 2002, Mickaël Marin has witnessed and helped drive this growth, first as head of Mifa,...
France’s Annecy Animation Film Festival and its Mifa market are animation Hollywood’s home from home,and embraced as passionately by Europep’s industry and creators, 2D and 3D alike. This year they will also provide a stage for the resurgence of Japan as an international toon power, and for the best of Chinese and Latin American animation.
Joining the Annecy Festival market in 2002, Mickaël Marin has witnessed and helped drive this growth, first as head of Mifa,...
- 6/10/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Writer-director Juan Antin worked for 14 years to make “Pachamama,” which tells the tale of a young boy growing up in the Andes in the time of the Incas and the Spanish explorers, and now the animated film will be seen by a global audience when it debuts on Netflix on Friday, June 7.
“The idea came one day when I was at a festival in Cuba presenting my first film, ‘Mercano the Martian,'” explains Antin. “I was staring at the sea and I had a vision. I imagined all those ships coming in from Europe and Spain 500 years ago. I said, ‘Wow, I can imagine how the indigenous people saw these men arrive and thought they were gods.’ I started to imagine the different points of view that each one has of the other and thought it would be a good idea for a film.”
“Pachamama,” which had its world...
“The idea came one day when I was at a festival in Cuba presenting my first film, ‘Mercano the Martian,'” explains Antin. “I was staring at the sea and I had a vision. I imagined all those ships coming in from Europe and Spain 500 years ago. I said, ‘Wow, I can imagine how the indigenous people saw these men arrive and thought they were gods.’ I started to imagine the different points of view that each one has of the other and thought it would be a good idea for a film.”
“Pachamama,” which had its world...
- 6/6/2019
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
Suggesting once more that audiences are underserved by high-quality independent animation, Studiocanal has closed multiple major territories to “Samsam,” the latest movie from Folivari, headed by Didier Brunner whose producer credits include the Academy Award nominated “The Old Lady and the Pidgeons,” “The Triplets of Belleville,” “The Secret of Kells” and “Ernest & Celestine.”
A departure for Folivari – it’s first full 3D feature, and a pre-school sci-fi adventure – as the company, run by Didier Brunner and Damien Brunner explores ever more upscale TV and talent from outside France and multifarious combinations 2D and 3D animation, without sacrificing its auteur-empowering philosophy and striving fir artistic excellence, the Folivari-Studiocanal co-production has closed licensing deals for China, in a banner deal with Wingsight, South Korea (Joy N Cinema), Scandinavia (Svensk) and Cis and the Baltic states (Volga).
In further deals, also often with frequent Studiocanal partners, Studiocanal has pre-sold Switzerland, a country...
A departure for Folivari – it’s first full 3D feature, and a pre-school sci-fi adventure – as the company, run by Didier Brunner and Damien Brunner explores ever more upscale TV and talent from outside France and multifarious combinations 2D and 3D animation, without sacrificing its auteur-empowering philosophy and striving fir artistic excellence, the Folivari-Studiocanal co-production has closed licensing deals for China, in a banner deal with Wingsight, South Korea (Joy N Cinema), Scandinavia (Svensk) and Cis and the Baltic states (Volga).
In further deals, also often with frequent Studiocanal partners, Studiocanal has pre-sold Switzerland, a country...
- 6/5/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Cannes — Produced by Cottonwood Media and Studiocanal, written by “Ice Age 2’s” Gerry Swallow, and directed by Academy Award nominated Samuel Tourneux (“Only Pidgeons Go To Heaven”), $25 million animated feature “Around the World” had sparked offers from “from all over the world” by Wednesday evening at Cannes, said Anne Cherel, Studiocanal head of international current movies sales.
Weighing offers, Studiocanal looks to close 70%-80% of major territories by the end of the market, she added.
That looks set to make “Around the World” one of this year’s Cannes Film Market hits.
Studiocanal will distribute “Around the World” directly in France. It will also release the film, based on Jules Vernes’ timeless literary classic, in its direct distribution territories of Germany, the U.K. and Australia/New Zealand, unless it receives offers for the territories which it can’t refuse, Cherel said.
That may be possible. One of the biggest...
Weighing offers, Studiocanal looks to close 70%-80% of major territories by the end of the market, she added.
That looks set to make “Around the World” one of this year’s Cannes Film Market hits.
Studiocanal will distribute “Around the World” directly in France. It will also release the film, based on Jules Vernes’ timeless literary classic, in its direct distribution territories of Germany, the U.K. and Australia/New Zealand, unless it receives offers for the territories which it can’t refuse, Cherel said.
That may be possible. One of the biggest...
- 5/16/2019
- by John Hopewell and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Projects selected by Annecy, Haf, Los Cabos, New Horizons, Thessaloniki and Malaga festivals will pitch to industry.
The Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival (May 14-25) has announced the festivals and projects that will take part in its Goes to Cannes showcase (May 18-20).
Five international film festivals have been invited to programme work-in-progress projects actively seeking a sales agent, distributors or a festival selection.
The festivals taking part in the event this year are: Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), Los Cabos International Film Festival, New Horizons International Film Festival,...
The Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival (May 14-25) has announced the festivals and projects that will take part in its Goes to Cannes showcase (May 18-20).
Five international film festivals have been invited to programme work-in-progress projects actively seeking a sales agent, distributors or a festival selection.
The festivals taking part in the event this year are: Annecy International Animation Film Festival, Hong Kong - Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), Los Cabos International Film Festival, New Horizons International Film Festival,...
- 4/16/2019
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Studiocanal has sold near all of the world outside the U.S. on Hugo Gélin’s “Love at Second Sight.” The European production-distribution-sales giant, part of Vivendi’s Canal Plus Group, has also kicked off promising sales on a panoply of new foreign-language titles, such as Yvan Attal’s “My Dog Stupid,” Cedric Klapisch’s “Someone Somewhere” and animated feature “Samsam.”
“Our mission at Studiocanal is to ensure we make high-quality European cinema with strong global potential,” said Anna Marsh, Studiocanal Evp, international distribution.
Described by Marsh as a “key title, a high concept movie which really appeals.” “Love at Second Sight” stars François Civil as a young best-selling novelist who forgets the love of his life in one world to wake up in another where she’s a world-famous pianist who’s never met him.
Combining large ambition, a questioning take on gender equality in relationships, and a director whose 2017 debut,...
“Our mission at Studiocanal is to ensure we make high-quality European cinema with strong global potential,” said Anna Marsh, Studiocanal Evp, international distribution.
Described by Marsh as a “key title, a high concept movie which really appeals.” “Love at Second Sight” stars François Civil as a young best-selling novelist who forgets the love of his life in one world to wake up in another where she’s a world-famous pianist who’s never met him.
Combining large ambition, a questioning take on gender equality in relationships, and a director whose 2017 debut,...
- 2/14/2019
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has acquired Juan Antin’s Cesar-nominated animated feature “Pachamama,” the streaming giant announced Thursday. The film competes in the best animated film category at the upcoming 44thCesar Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, which will be presented Feb. 22 in Paris.
A hybrid animation adventure film about a mischievous young boy, living in a remote village in the Andes Mountains, who dreams of becoming a shaman, “Pachamama” will debut on Netflix in June.
“‘Pachamama’ has been a very long journey, guided by a message that came like an echo from ancient times – a message of love, respect and gratitude to our cherished Earth. Thanks to Netflix, I am thrilled to share this awe-inspiring story with a global audience,” said Antin.
A co-production between France, Luxembourg and Canada, “Pachamama” was directed by Antin, who also co-wrote with Olivier de Bannes, Patricia Valeix and Nathalie Hertzberg. It is produced by Oscar-nominee...
A hybrid animation adventure film about a mischievous young boy, living in a remote village in the Andes Mountains, who dreams of becoming a shaman, “Pachamama” will debut on Netflix in June.
“‘Pachamama’ has been a very long journey, guided by a message that came like an echo from ancient times – a message of love, respect and gratitude to our cherished Earth. Thanks to Netflix, I am thrilled to share this awe-inspiring story with a global audience,” said Antin.
A co-production between France, Luxembourg and Canada, “Pachamama” was directed by Antin, who also co-wrote with Olivier de Bannes, Patricia Valeix and Nathalie Hertzberg. It is produced by Oscar-nominee...
- 2/7/2019
- by Robert Mitchell
- Variety Film + TV
Gkids and Studiocanal have enlisted a host of Brit actors to voice the English-language version of animated family feature The Big Bad Fox And Other Tales.
Bill Bailey (Hot Fuzz), Adrian Edmonson (War & Peace), Matthew Goode (Downton Abbey), Celia Imrie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Justin Edwards (The Thick Of It), comedian Phil Jupitus and Giles New (Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) will lend their voices to the story of an unusual farm which is home to a fox who mothers a family of chicks, a rabbit who plays a stork, and a duck who wants to be Santa Claus. Directors Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert adapted Renner’s graphic novel.
Animation specialist Gkids will release the well-traveled French pic stateside this fall following its Annecy Film Festival debut last year. Studiocanal handled sales as well as the French and upcoming UK release.
Renner and...
Bill Bailey (Hot Fuzz), Adrian Edmonson (War & Peace), Matthew Goode (Downton Abbey), Celia Imrie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Justin Edwards (The Thick Of It), comedian Phil Jupitus and Giles New (Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales) will lend their voices to the story of an unusual farm which is home to a fox who mothers a family of chicks, a rabbit who plays a stork, and a duck who wants to be Santa Claus. Directors Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert adapted Renner’s graphic novel.
Animation specialist Gkids will release the well-traveled French pic stateside this fall following its Annecy Film Festival debut last year. Studiocanal handled sales as well as the French and upcoming UK release.
Renner and...
- 7/3/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Annecy, France — 20 years ago, this Dec. 19, with “Kirikou and the Sorceress,” director Michel Ocelot and producer Didier Brunner brought the flag down on the modern age of movie animation in Europe.
Sold by Sc Films, “Pachamama,” to be unveiled Thursday at an Annecy Festival Music and Animated Movies presentation, shows Brunner remaining true to his principles but not to a style. It comes as Folivari, the Paris-based production house he launched in 2014, also underscores just how much Europe’s animation industry has flourished, despite headwinds.
“Every production has its own personality and originality,” says Brunner. Washed through by the world view and aesthetics of indigenous South American, “Pachamama” harks back in some ways to “Kirikou.” But it is chalk and cheese, however, compared to the near photo-realism of “The Summit of the Gods,” an Everest-set epic, or the mellow water colors of “The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales,” a stereotype-busting barnyard caper,...
Sold by Sc Films, “Pachamama,” to be unveiled Thursday at an Annecy Festival Music and Animated Movies presentation, shows Brunner remaining true to his principles but not to a style. It comes as Folivari, the Paris-based production house he launched in 2014, also underscores just how much Europe’s animation industry has flourished, despite headwinds.
“Every production has its own personality and originality,” says Brunner. Washed through by the world view and aesthetics of indigenous South American, “Pachamama” harks back in some ways to “Kirikou.” But it is chalk and cheese, however, compared to the near photo-realism of “The Summit of the Gods,” an Everest-set epic, or the mellow water colors of “The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales,” a stereotype-busting barnyard caper,...
- 6/14/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
France Televisions, the Paris-headquartered public broadcaster which ranks as the leading backer of European animation, announced Wednesday four new animated features and dozens of series at Annecy Film Festival.
The broadcaster, which invested 30 million euros – more than 50% of which were invested in original French content in 2017 — is co-producing Remi Chayé’s “Calamity,”Tanguy de Kermel’s “SamSam,” Eric Tosti, David Alaux and Jean-Francois Tosti’s “Terra Willy” (pictured), and Toby Genkel and Xavier Giacometti’s “Yakari.”
“Yakari,” based on the character of the popular series and the comic books by Derib & Job, follows a Sioux boy who lives a great adventure every day in the wilderness with his best friends. The series is produced by Dargaud Media, Wunderwerk, Belvision, France 3 Cinema, Bac Films Production, Universum Film and Gao Shan Pictures.
Set in 1863 in the Wild West, “Calamity” follows Jane, a 10-year-old in the year after both parents died. The...
The broadcaster, which invested 30 million euros – more than 50% of which were invested in original French content in 2017 — is co-producing Remi Chayé’s “Calamity,”Tanguy de Kermel’s “SamSam,” Eric Tosti, David Alaux and Jean-Francois Tosti’s “Terra Willy” (pictured), and Toby Genkel and Xavier Giacometti’s “Yakari.”
“Yakari,” based on the character of the popular series and the comic books by Derib & Job, follows a Sioux boy who lives a great adventure every day in the wilderness with his best friends. The series is produced by Dargaud Media, Wunderwerk, Belvision, France 3 Cinema, Bac Films Production, Universum Film and Gao Shan Pictures.
Set in 1863 in the Wild West, “Calamity” follows Jane, a 10-year-old in the year after both parents died. The...
- 6/13/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Annecy, France — Still flush from a vibrant inaugural edition, the organizers of the European Animation Awards – or Emile Awards, as they are also known – are looking to build for their second edition, adding new categories, nominated titles, panels and presentations.
In another sign of growth, the Emile Awards’ board is in discussions to add a second day to the prizes with events taking place on the afternoon and evening of Friday, Dec. 7.
“Launched with great success in 2017, our brain child has grown up with prodigious speed,” commented Emile Awards president Peter Lord.
News of fast-track growth plans at the European Animation Awards comes as its members have elected a new board and executive, in place for 2018-20.
The number of short list nominations will increase from three to five in order to showcase a larger diversity in submissions for the final vote.
As sound design becomes a key production value...
In another sign of growth, the Emile Awards’ board is in discussions to add a second day to the prizes with events taking place on the afternoon and evening of Friday, Dec. 7.
“Launched with great success in 2017, our brain child has grown up with prodigious speed,” commented Emile Awards president Peter Lord.
News of fast-track growth plans at the European Animation Awards comes as its members have elected a new board and executive, in place for 2018-20.
The number of short list nominations will increase from three to five in order to showcase a larger diversity in submissions for the final vote.
As sound design becomes a key production value...
- 6/12/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Annecy, France — In a major strategic move by one of Europe’s preeminent animation production houses, Folivari’s Didier Brunner, producer of the Academy Award nominated “Ernest & Celestine,” has launched an animation studio, Fost Studio.
Co-founded by Folivari executives Damien Brunner and Thibaut Ruby, who will serve as its president and managing director, Fost Studio will be in charge of some of the rough and clean animation on “Wolfwalkers,” the new feature from two-time Academy nominee Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, and produced by Cartoon Saloon.
Fost Studio will oversee most backgrounds, all the animation and the overall production supervision on “Stinky Dog,” a 52-part TV series adaption of Marc Boutavant and Colas Gutman’s bestselling books, which have sold 500,000 copies in France. Davy Durand and Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar (“A Town Called Panic”) direct.
A third production set up at Fost, “The Summit of the Gods,” is...
Co-founded by Folivari executives Damien Brunner and Thibaut Ruby, who will serve as its president and managing director, Fost Studio will be in charge of some of the rough and clean animation on “Wolfwalkers,” the new feature from two-time Academy nominee Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, and produced by Cartoon Saloon.
Fost Studio will oversee most backgrounds, all the animation and the overall production supervision on “Stinky Dog,” a 52-part TV series adaption of Marc Boutavant and Colas Gutman’s bestselling books, which have sold 500,000 copies in France. Davy Durand and Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar (“A Town Called Panic”) direct.
A third production set up at Fost, “The Summit of the Gods,” is...
- 6/11/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Marché du Film — Festival de Cannes Announces Nine Festival Selections for its 6th Edition of ‘Goes…
Marché du Film — Festival de Cannes Announces Nine Festival Selections for its 6th Edition of ‘Goes To Cannes’
‘Goes to Cannes’ is coming back for the 6th consecutive year. Renowned International Film Festivals will program and showcase a selection of works-in-progress actively seeking a sales agent, distributors or a festival selection.
From May 11–14, the festivals will present feature films in post-production. These curated selections will be shown during two-hour market screenings in the presence of the film teams who will introduce their films in front of an audience of industry professionals.
Nine festivals will travel to Cannes to present their selection within the frame of the Goes to Cannes: Annecy International Animation Film Festival, International Film Festival of Panama, Doc Alliance, Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), New Horizons International Film Festival, Los Cabos International Film Festival, Guadalajara International Film Festival, Vilnius Film Festival, and Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
For the first time this year,...
‘Goes to Cannes’ is coming back for the 6th consecutive year. Renowned International Film Festivals will program and showcase a selection of works-in-progress actively seeking a sales agent, distributors or a festival selection.
From May 11–14, the festivals will present feature films in post-production. These curated selections will be shown during two-hour market screenings in the presence of the film teams who will introduce their films in front of an audience of industry professionals.
Nine festivals will travel to Cannes to present their selection within the frame of the Goes to Cannes: Annecy International Animation Film Festival, International Film Festival of Panama, Doc Alliance, Hong Kong-Asia Film Financing Forum (Haf), New Horizons International Film Festival, Los Cabos International Film Festival, Guadalajara International Film Festival, Vilnius Film Festival, and Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
For the first time this year,...
- 5/11/2018
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
France’s Annecy Intl. Film Festival is once again bringing five animated features, each in different stages of production, to participate in the works in progress sessions – “Goes to Cannes” – at the Cannes Film Festival. Held on Friday May 11, Annecy Goes to Cannes, now in its third year, focuses on animated films looking to acquire sales agents, distribution or additional festival pick-ups.
Annecy Goes to Cannes is run by Citia, the organization behind the Annecy festival – Europe’s and one of the world’s most important animation festival – Mifa market and the Forum Blanc.
Citia project manager Géraldine Baché told to Variety that, “This edition of Annecy Goes to Cannes features projects identified and tracked over the last few years at Annecy and other places we’ve travelled. This edition specifically reflects how big the diversity in animation is in terms of audience, with movies dedicated to kids, teens, adults and families.
Annecy Goes to Cannes is run by Citia, the organization behind the Annecy festival – Europe’s and one of the world’s most important animation festival – Mifa market and the Forum Blanc.
Citia project manager Géraldine Baché told to Variety that, “This edition of Annecy Goes to Cannes features projects identified and tracked over the last few years at Annecy and other places we’ve travelled. This edition specifically reflects how big the diversity in animation is in terms of audience, with movies dedicated to kids, teens, adults and families.
- 5/11/2018
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Charades, the year-old French sales company which has three movies playing at Cannes, has come on board to handle international sales on “My Family and the Wolf,” a fantasy-adventure feature to be directed by Adrià Garcia (“Nocturna”).
Mixing live action with bits of CGI animation, “My Family and the Wolf” is being produced by Folivari, the company headed by Didier Brunner, whose credits include such well-known French animated films as “Kirikou,” “Ernest & Célestine” and “The Triplets of Belleville.”
Nectarious Films, La Compagnie Cinématographique and Panache Productions are also producing. Apollo Films is co-producing and will release “My Family and the Wolf” in France. The feature was developed by Headless, a Barcelona-based label bringing together the animation trio Garcia, Alfredo Torres and Victor Maldonado.
Famed Spanish actress Carmen Maura (“Volver”) is set to star in the film, which follows 9-year-old Hugo, who embarks on a journey to protect his ill...
Mixing live action with bits of CGI animation, “My Family and the Wolf” is being produced by Folivari, the company headed by Didier Brunner, whose credits include such well-known French animated films as “Kirikou,” “Ernest & Célestine” and “The Triplets of Belleville.”
Nectarious Films, La Compagnie Cinématographique and Panache Productions are also producing. Apollo Films is co-producing and will release “My Family and the Wolf” in France. The feature was developed by Headless, a Barcelona-based label bringing together the animation trio Garcia, Alfredo Torres and Victor Maldonado.
Famed Spanish actress Carmen Maura (“Volver”) is set to star in the film, which follows 9-year-old Hugo, who embarks on a journey to protect his ill...
- 5/8/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Politically-charged annual celebration of French cinema highlights female rights, fight against Aids and plight of refugees.
Robin Campillo’s AIDS activism drama Bpm topped the awards at the 43rd edition of the French Césars on Friday evening (March 2), with the director clinching best film, editing and screenplay.
The film won in six of its 13 nominated categories, with additional awards for best original music for Arnaud Rebotini, best supporting actor for Antoine Reinartz and best male newcomer for Nahuel Pérez Biscayart.
The César triumph follows an award-winning run in France for the film charting the activities of the Paris branch of...
Robin Campillo’s AIDS activism drama Bpm topped the awards at the 43rd edition of the French Césars on Friday evening (March 2), with the director clinching best film, editing and screenplay.
The film won in six of its 13 nominated categories, with additional awards for best original music for Arnaud Rebotini, best supporting actor for Antoine Reinartz and best male newcomer for Nahuel Pérez Biscayart.
The César triumph follows an award-winning run in France for the film charting the activities of the Paris branch of...
- 3/2/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Sales and distribution deals for Pachamama, from Ernest And Celestine producer.
Sc Films has boarded international sales rights to animation feature Pachamama from Oscar-nominated producer Didier Brunner, known for The Triplets Of Belleville, The Secret Of Kells and Ernest And Celestine.
Pachamama will be the first 3D CGI animation to be produced by Damien Brunner and Didier Brunner’s new company Folivari.
The film has started production in France where it is due to be theatrically released by Haut Et Court in 2018. Studiocanal handles some home entertainment rights in France.
Set in the Andes, Pachamama follows the story of young boy Tepulpaï, who dreams of becoming a Shaman, and his best friend Naïra. When a sacred treasure is taken from their village, they set off on a mission to retrieve the irreplaceable artefact.
Director is first-time filmmaker Juan Antin, who wrote the script with Patricia Valeix (Long Way North).
Producers are Folivari, O2B Films...
Sc Films has boarded international sales rights to animation feature Pachamama from Oscar-nominated producer Didier Brunner, known for The Triplets Of Belleville, The Secret Of Kells and Ernest And Celestine.
Pachamama will be the first 3D CGI animation to be produced by Damien Brunner and Didier Brunner’s new company Folivari.
The film has started production in France where it is due to be theatrically released by Haut Et Court in 2018. Studiocanal handles some home entertainment rights in France.
Set in the Andes, Pachamama follows the story of young boy Tepulpaï, who dreams of becoming a Shaman, and his best friend Naïra. When a sacred treasure is taken from their village, they set off on a mission to retrieve the irreplaceable artefact.
Director is first-time filmmaker Juan Antin, who wrote the script with Patricia Valeix (Long Way North).
Producers are Folivari, O2B Films...
- 1/25/2017
- by [email protected] (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Producer Didier Brunner talks updating the Oscar-nominated animation into a TV series backed by Canal+ and France Television.
Veteran French producer Didier Brunner (The Triplets Of Belleville) has revealed further details about the TV spin off from his 2012 Oscar-Nominated animated feature, Ernestine & Celestine.
The 26-part series is expected to be ready in September of this year.
Speaking on an Annecy Film Festival panel ‘From Feature Film To TV Series (and Vice Versa)’, Brunner highlighted the challenges in transforming a hit feature into a small screen series.
“We didn’t just want to do Ernest & Celestine 2,” Brunner commented.
In order to make the TV series,...
Veteran French producer Didier Brunner (The Triplets Of Belleville) has revealed further details about the TV spin off from his 2012 Oscar-Nominated animated feature, Ernestine & Celestine.
The 26-part series is expected to be ready in September of this year.
Speaking on an Annecy Film Festival panel ‘From Feature Film To TV Series (and Vice Versa)’, Brunner highlighted the challenges in transforming a hit feature into a small screen series.
“We didn’t just want to do Ernest & Celestine 2,” Brunner commented.
In order to make the TV series,...
- 6/15/2016
- by [email protected] (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Festival to open with Michaël Dudok de Wit’s The Red Turtle [pictured]; Guillermo del Toro and Aardman to give masterclasses.
Annecy International Animation Film Festival, running June 13-18 this year, has unveiled its line-up.
New Zealand director Leanne Pooley’s documentary 25 April, about the Battle of Gallipoli; Canadian film-makers Jean-François Pouliot and François Brisson’s 3D hit Snowtime! (La Guerre des Tuques 3D); Claude Barras’s Cannes-screener My Life As A Courgette, and Sundance discovery Nuts! are among the titles in the feature-length competition.
The festival will open with Michaël Dudok de Wit’s The Red Turtle, which will premiere first in Official Selection at Cannes.
Other highlights include a preview screening of Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney’s The Secret Life Of Pets, in the presence of the directors. Andrew Stanton will also attend the festival, accompanying Finding Dory.
First images of Ron Clements and John Musker’s upcoming film Moana and Michael Thurmeier’s [link...
Annecy International Animation Film Festival, running June 13-18 this year, has unveiled its line-up.
New Zealand director Leanne Pooley’s documentary 25 April, about the Battle of Gallipoli; Canadian film-makers Jean-François Pouliot and François Brisson’s 3D hit Snowtime! (La Guerre des Tuques 3D); Claude Barras’s Cannes-screener My Life As A Courgette, and Sundance discovery Nuts! are among the titles in the feature-length competition.
The festival will open with Michaël Dudok de Wit’s The Red Turtle, which will premiere first in Official Selection at Cannes.
Other highlights include a preview screening of Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney’s The Secret Life Of Pets, in the presence of the directors. Andrew Stanton will also attend the festival, accompanying Finding Dory.
First images of Ron Clements and John Musker’s upcoming film Moana and Michael Thurmeier’s [link...
- 4/28/2016
- ScreenDaily
How To Train Your Dragon 2 was the big winner at the annual Annie Awards, which are held to celebrate achievement in animated media.
The DreamWorks Animation project picked up six awards, including Best Animated Feature and Best Director for its writer/director Dean DeBlois. It also won awards for character animation, editing, music and storyboarding.
The Lego Movie, which notably failed to secure an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Film, picked up the Best Writing award for writers and directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.
The Boxtrolls won two awards, for production design and for voice acting for Ben Kingsley's character Archibald Snatcher.
Disney's Big Hero 6 picked up the award for animated effects while five-minute film Feast, which was created to precede Big Hero 6's theatrical screenings, won Best Animated Short Subject.
The Book of Life was rewarded for character design, while Dawn of the Planet of the Apes...
The DreamWorks Animation project picked up six awards, including Best Animated Feature and Best Director for its writer/director Dean DeBlois. It also won awards for character animation, editing, music and storyboarding.
The Lego Movie, which notably failed to secure an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Film, picked up the Best Writing award for writers and directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.
The Boxtrolls won two awards, for production design and for voice acting for Ben Kingsley's character Archibald Snatcher.
Disney's Big Hero 6 picked up the award for animated effects while five-minute film Feast, which was created to precede Big Hero 6's theatrical screenings, won Best Animated Short Subject.
The Book of Life was rewarded for character design, while Dawn of the Planet of the Apes...
- 2/1/2015
- Digital Spy
DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon 2 took Best Animated Feature top honors at the 42nd Annual Annie Awards held Saturday, January 31 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
The film, produced by Bonnie Arnold, also won Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Feature Production – Fabio Lignini, Outstanding Achievement, Directing – Dean DeBlois, Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated Feature – John Powell, Jónsi, Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding – Truong “Tron” Son Mai, Outstanding Achievement, Editorial in an Animated Feature Film – John K. Carr.
Read my interview with John Powell Here.
The Best Animated Special Production was awarded to ‘Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey’ (Voyager Pictures LLC); Best Animated Short Subject Feast (Walt Disney Animation Studios); Best Animated TV/Broadcast Commercial ‘Flight of the Stories’ (Aardman Animations); Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children ‘Tumble Leaf’ (Amazon Studios); Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Children’s Audience ‘Gravity Falls’ (Disney Television Animation...
The film, produced by Bonnie Arnold, also won Outstanding Achievement, Character Animation in a Feature Production – Fabio Lignini, Outstanding Achievement, Directing – Dean DeBlois, Outstanding Achievement, Music in an Animated Feature – John Powell, Jónsi, Outstanding Achievement, Storyboarding – Truong “Tron” Son Mai, Outstanding Achievement, Editorial in an Animated Feature Film – John K. Carr.
Read my interview with John Powell Here.
The Best Animated Special Production was awarded to ‘Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey’ (Voyager Pictures LLC); Best Animated Short Subject Feast (Walt Disney Animation Studios); Best Animated TV/Broadcast Commercial ‘Flight of the Stories’ (Aardman Animations); Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Preschool Children ‘Tumble Leaf’ (Amazon Studios); Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production for Children’s Audience ‘Gravity Falls’ (Disney Television Animation...
- 2/1/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The 42nd Annual Annie Awards were handed out on a busy Saturday night in the awards world and "How To Train Your Dragon 2" was the big winner. The DreamWorks Animation blockbuster (it's true) took home six Annies including Best Animated Feature and Directing (Dean DeBlois). While the entire Academy votes on the Best Animated Feature category, this endorsement from the animation community can't hurt in a very competitive year. Other big winners included "The Simpsons," Amazon's "Tumble Leaf" and Oscar frontrunner "Feast" for the Best Animated Short Subject honor. "The Boxtrolls'" Sir Ben Kingsley took home the award for Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production and Phil Lord and Christoper Miller won for Writing in an Animated Feature for "The Lego Movie." A complete list of this year's honorees is as follows: Best Animated Feature "How to Train Your Dragon 2," DreamWorks Animation Directing in an Animated Feature Production Dean DeBlois,...
- 2/1/2015
- by Gregory Ellwood
- Hitfix
The International Animated Film Society, Asifa-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 42nd Annual Annie Award recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation.
Best Animated Features nominations include: Big Hero 6 (Walt Disney Animation Studios), Cheatin’ (Plymptoons Studio), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (DreamWorks Animation Skg), Song of the Sea (Gkids/Cartoon Saloon), The Book of Life (Reel FX), The Boxtrolls (Focus Features/Laika), The Lego Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures), and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Gkids/Studio Ghibli).
The Annie Awards cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Special Production, Commercials, Short Subjects and Outstanding Individual Achievements. The winners will be announced at a black tie ceremony on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
“We had a steady increase in submissions this year and I am excited to say it’s going to be a great awards ceremony,” remarked Asifa-Hollywood Executive Director,...
Best Animated Features nominations include: Big Hero 6 (Walt Disney Animation Studios), Cheatin’ (Plymptoons Studio), How to Train Your Dragon 2 (DreamWorks Animation Skg), Song of the Sea (Gkids/Cartoon Saloon), The Book of Life (Reel FX), The Boxtrolls (Focus Features/Laika), The Lego Movie (Warner Bros. Pictures), and The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (Gkids/Studio Ghibli).
The Annie Awards cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Special Production, Commercials, Short Subjects and Outstanding Individual Achievements. The winners will be announced at a black tie ceremony on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
“We had a steady increase in submissions this year and I am excited to say it’s going to be a great awards ceremony,” remarked Asifa-Hollywood Executive Director,...
- 12/1/2014
- by Melissa Thompson
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Monday morning, the International Animated Film Society, Asifa-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 42nd Annual Annie Awards, recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation. Leading the pack with 13 nominations, including a nod for Best Animated Feature, is Laika Animation's "The Boxtrolls." Dreamworks Animation's "How to Train Your Dragon 2" followed with 10 nominations, joining "Boxtrolls" in the Character Animation, Animation Effects, and Best Feature categories. Rounding out the organization's big prize are "Big Hero 6" (seven nominations), "Cheatin'" (three), "Song of the Sea" (seven), "The Book of Life" (five), "The Lego Movie" (six), and "The Tale of Kaguya" (three). The Annie Awards also announced nominations in TV, video game and short subject categories. “We had a steady increase in submissions this year and I am excited to say it’s going to be a great awards ceremony,” remarked Asifa-Hollywood Executive Director, Frank Gladstone. “We added a new category...
- 12/1/2014
- by Matt Patches
- Hitfix
The Annie Awards cover 36 categories including features, commercials and the newest and 36th category, Best Character Animation in a Video Game. The winners will be announced on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at UCLA's Royce Hall. As expected, Best Animated Features nominations include: big leader "The Boxtrolls" (Focus Features/Laika) followed by "How to Train Your Dragon 2" (DreamWorks Animation Skg), "Big Hero 6" (Walt Disney Animation Studios) and "The Lego Movie" (Warner Bros. Pictures), as well as "The Book of Life" (Reel FX), "The Tale of The Princess Kaguya" (Gkids/Studio Ghibli), "Song of the Sea" (Gkids/Cartoon Saloon) and "Cheatin'" (Plymptoons Studio). The jury awards honoring career achievement and exceptional contributions to animation include three Winsor McCay recipients: animators Didier Brunner, Don Lusk and...
- 12/1/2014
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Academy has announced the new class of invited members for 2014 and, as is typical, many of which are among last year's nominees, which includes Barkhad Abdi, Michael Fassbender, Sally Hawkins, Mads Mikkelsen, Lupita Nyong'o and June Squibb in the Actors branch not to mention curious additions such as Josh Hutcherson, Rob Riggle and Jason Statham, but, okay. The Directors branch adds Jay and Mark Duplass along with Jean-Marc Vallee, Denis Villeneuve and Thomas Vinterberg. I didn't do an immediate tally of male to female additions or other demographics, but at first glance it seems to be a wide spread batch of new additions on all fronts. The Academy is also clearly attempting to aggressively bump up the demographics as this is the second year in a row where they have added a large number of new members, well over the average of 133 new members from 2004 to 2012. As far as...
- 6/26/2014
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 271 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.
Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2014.
“This year’s class of invitees represents some of the most talented, creative and passionate filmmakers working in our industry today,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Their contributions to film have entertained audiences around the world, and we are proud to welcome them to the Academy.”
The 2014 invitees are:
Actors
Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”
Clancy Brown – “The Hurricane,” “The Shawshank Redeption”
Paul Dano – “12 Years a Slave,” “Prisoners”
Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave,” “Shame”
Ben Foster – “Lone Survivor,” “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”
Beth Grant – “The Artist,” “No Country for Old Men”
Clark Gregg – “Much Ado about Nothing,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine,...
Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy’s membership in 2014.
“This year’s class of invitees represents some of the most talented, creative and passionate filmmakers working in our industry today,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “Their contributions to film have entertained audiences around the world, and we are proud to welcome them to the Academy.”
The 2014 invitees are:
Actors
Barkhad Abdi – “Captain Phillips”
Clancy Brown – “The Hurricane,” “The Shawshank Redeption”
Paul Dano – “12 Years a Slave,” “Prisoners”
Michael Fassbender – “12 Years a Slave,” “Shame”
Ben Foster – “Lone Survivor,” “Ain’t Them Bodies Saints”
Beth Grant – “The Artist,” “No Country for Old Men”
Clark Gregg – “Much Ado about Nothing,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Sally Hawkins – “Blue Jasmine,...
- 6/26/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Michael Fassbender and Lupita Nyong’o of 12 Years a Slave were two of the 271 artists and industry leaders invited to become members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which determines nominations and winners at the annual Oscars. The entire list of Academy membership—which numbers about 6,000—isn’t public information so the annual invitation list is often the best indication of the artists involved in the prestigious awards process. It’s worth noting that invitations need to be accepted in order for artists to become members; some artists, like two-time Best Actor winner Sean Penn, have declined membership over the years.
- 6/26/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Pop quiz: What do Chris Rock, Claire Denis, Eddie Vedder and Josh Hutcherson all have in common? Answer: They could all be Oscar voters very soon. The annual Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences invitation list always makes for interesting reading, shedding light on just how large and far-reaching the group's membership is -- or could be, depending on who accepts their invitations. This year, 271 individuals have been asked to join AMPAS, meaning every one of them could contribute to next year's Academy Awards balloting -- and it's as diverse a list as they've ever assembled. Think the Academy consists entirely of fusty retired white dudes? Not if recent Best Original Song nominee Pharrell Williams takes them up on their offer. Think it's all just a Hollywood insiders' game? Not if French arthouse titans Chantal Akerman and Olivier Assayas join the party. It's a list that subverts expectation at every turn.
- 6/26/2014
- by Guy Lodge
- Hitfix
Oscar 2014 winners and nominees (photo: Oscar winners Lupita Nyong’o and Jared Leto chat at the 2014 Oscar ceremony) Best Picture: American Hustle, Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison, Jonathan Gordon; Captain Phillips, Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca; Dallas Buyers Club, Robbie Brenner, Rachel Winter; Gravity, Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman; Her, Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze, Vincent Landay; Nebraska, Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa; Philomena, Gabrielle Tana, Steve Coogan, Tracey Seaward; 12 Years a Slave, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Steve McQueen, Anthony Katagas; The Wolf of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, Joey McFarland, Emma Tillinger Koskoff. Best Foreign Language Film: The Broken Circle Breakdown, Belgium; The Great Beauty, Italy; The Hunt, Denmark; The Missing Picture, Cambodia; Omar, Palestine. Best Actress: Amy Adams, American Hustle; Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine; Sandra Bullock, Gravity; Judi Dench, Philomena; Meryl Streep, August: Osage County. Best Actor: Christian Bale, American Hustle; Bruce Dern, Nebraska; Leonardo DiCaprio,...
- 3/4/2014
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
After a lengthy awards season that lasted three long months, the race for the Oscars came to a conclusion tonight at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
This year’s 86th Academy Awards saw a split between Best Picture and Director. 12 Years A Slave won three, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong’o.
Backstage, producer/actor Brad Pitt said, “ I love this movie. I ‑‑ just as a film, as a lover of film, the filmmaking, the ‑‑ this heroic story of a man in this inhumane situation trying to get back to his family. I love this film. I love the filmmaking. It’s counterintuitive to the way we’re making films today. It’s a real achievement by Mr. McQueen here. I love this movie. I think it’s important. I think it’s important because it deals with our history that we haven...
This year’s 86th Academy Awards saw a split between Best Picture and Director. 12 Years A Slave won three, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress for Lupita Nyong’o.
Backstage, producer/actor Brad Pitt said, “ I love this movie. I ‑‑ just as a film, as a lover of film, the filmmaking, the ‑‑ this heroic story of a man in this inhumane situation trying to get back to his family. I love this film. I love the filmmaking. It’s counterintuitive to the way we’re making films today. It’s a real achievement by Mr. McQueen here. I love this movie. I think it’s important. I think it’s important because it deals with our history that we haven...
- 3/3/2014
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
And in the end, it was a predictable Oscar night! The frontrunners were true frontrunners with "12 Years a Slave" taking home the Best Picture trophy while "Gravity" won all technical awards. In the acting categories, Cate Blanchett won Best Actress, Matthew McConaughey was awarded the Best Actor trophy, while Jared Leto and Lupita Nyong'o received the Supporting Actor and Actress awards, respectively.
I think Ellen did a great job hosting the award, and the best musical performer for me was Pink singing "Over the Rainbow" in tribute to "The Wizard of Oz."
And here are the winners of the granddaddy of the Awards Season -- the 2014 Oscars:
Actor in a Leading Role
Christian Bale in .American Hustle.
Bruce Dern in .Nebraska.
Leonardo DiCaprio in .The Wolf of Wall Street.
Chiwetel Ejiofor in .12 Years a Slave.
Winner: Matthew McConaughey in .Dallas Buyers Club.
Actor in a Supporting Role
Barkhad Abdi in...
I think Ellen did a great job hosting the award, and the best musical performer for me was Pink singing "Over the Rainbow" in tribute to "The Wizard of Oz."
And here are the winners of the granddaddy of the Awards Season -- the 2014 Oscars:
Actor in a Leading Role
Christian Bale in .American Hustle.
Bruce Dern in .Nebraska.
Leonardo DiCaprio in .The Wolf of Wall Street.
Chiwetel Ejiofor in .12 Years a Slave.
Winner: Matthew McConaughey in .Dallas Buyers Club.
Actor in a Supporting Role
Barkhad Abdi in...
- 3/3/2014
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
Another year has gone by with some simply fantastic movies and yes, it’s the night of the Oscars yet again. We’ll be up throughout the night tweeting from @HeyUGuys and we’ll be updating this post as we go throughout the night.
If you miss a winner, fear not as they’ll all be here as we go or if you’re reading this in the UK in the morning, welcome and we’re no doubt asleep!
The Tally:
Gravity: 7 Dallas Buyers Club: 3 12 Years a Slave: 3 The Great Gatsby: 2 Frozen: 2 Blue Jasmine: 1
—————————
Best Picture
“American Hustle” Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon, Producers “Captain Phillips” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers “Dallas Buyers Club” Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers “Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman, Producers “Her” Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers “Nebraska” Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa,...
If you miss a winner, fear not as they’ll all be here as we go or if you’re reading this in the UK in the morning, welcome and we’re no doubt asleep!
The Tally:
Gravity: 7 Dallas Buyers Club: 3 12 Years a Slave: 3 The Great Gatsby: 2 Frozen: 2 Blue Jasmine: 1
—————————
Best Picture
“American Hustle” Charles Roven, Richard Suckle, Megan Ellison and Jonathan Gordon, Producers “Captain Phillips” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca, Producers “Dallas Buyers Club” Robbie Brenner and Rachel Winter, Producers “Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman, Producers “Her” Megan Ellison, Spike Jonze and Vincent Landay, Producers “Nebraska” Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa,...
- 3/3/2014
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
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