Animation First First-Ever French Animation Festival in United States Launches

For Immediate Release

French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)

presents

Animation First

First-Ever French Animation Festival in United States Launches with 12 US and New York Premieres

Friday, February 2–Sunday, February 4 

FILMS ∙ VIDEO GAMES ∙ VIRTUAL REALITY ∙ TALKS ∙ WORKSHOPS

all at FIAF

 

New York, NY, January 5, 2018—Celebrating France’s rich tradition as a pioneer of animation, the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF), New York’s premiere French cultural center, is thrilled to launch Animation First, the first-ever French animation festival in the United States, which will take place Friday, February 2 through Sunday, February 4.

 

With 12 US and New York premieres, the festival presents ambitious, innovative, and award-winning animated feature and short films, virtual reality, video games, and more, coming out of France’s most exciting studios and art schools. Animation First features special screenings and events for all ages, putting audiences in the front seat of 3D animation, works in progress, interactive workshops on drawing and sound effects, gaming demonstrations, and panel discussions with leading artists and studio executives.

 

The festival will present a preview of Terry Gilliam and Tim Ollive’s latest project 1884: Yesterday’s Future; a rare Q&A and presentation of Oscar-nominated The Red Turtle with celebrated animator Michael Dudok de Wit, the festival’s guest of honor; and the US Premiere of En sortant de l’école, a collection of animated short films inspired by the poems of surrealist author Robert Desnos. International superstar and César-nominated actor Jean Reno (Léon: The Professional), who lends his voice to The Day of the Crows (Le jour des corneilles), screening at the festival, will be in attendance for the film’s Q&A along with bestselling French novelist and festival patron Marc Levy (If Only It Were True and film adaptation Just Like Heaven).

 

The Opening Night celebration, for all ages, is a special 3D screening of the beloved film Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants, followed by a kick-off party at FIAF. After the kids are asleep, stay for a nightcap as the festival presents Erotic Animation, where animators let their imaginations run wild. Sensual, erotic, naughty, poetic, or risqué, these fanciful and unconventional shorts celebrate passion, desire, and fantasies.

 

Highlights of the film program include Michel Fuzellier and Babak Payami’s feature Iqbal, a Tale of a Fearless Child (Iqbal, l’enfant qui n’avait pas peur). Inspired by the life of Iqbal Masih, a Pakistani boy who became a spokesperson against child slavery, the film takes an imaginative, inspiring approach to a pressing contemporary issue; and Loulou and Other Wolves (Loulou et autres loups), a program of shorts based on the bestselling children’s book by writer and illustrator Grégoire Solotareff. Serge Elissalde, director of the short Loulou, will also be present for a Q&A after the film. Other programs include 3D Animated Short Films with 3D festival programmer and director François Serre; the classic 1973 Cannes Film Festival winning Fantastic Planet (La planète sauvage) by animation legend René Laloux; and Pioneers of French Animation, a ciné-concert with a live piano performance.

 

An exceptional partnership with the City of Angoulême, Grand Angoulême, Department of Charente, and Magelis will highlight the unique animation ecosystem thriving in the Aquitaine region of France. A significant number of the films in this year’s edition of the festival were produced in the region, which is home to several of France’s top-rated animation schools and studios. In collaboration with SolidAnim, a French leader in virtual production, Augmented Reality (AR) will be used in all promotional material created for the festival, which marks one of the first times AR has been conceived for a major cultural project.

 

Animation First is co-curated by Delphine Selles-Alvarez, FIAF’s Film Curator, and Catherine Lamairesse, Director of Special Projects at FIAF, who said, “French animation has enjoyed increasing success worldwide in recent years, from the Oscar-nominated Triplets of Belleville to recent hits The Red Turtle and My Life as a Zucchini. With Animation First we are excited to offer New York audiences of all ages the opportunity to explore the breadth and diversity of animation in France, and discover an abundance of creativity across genres and techniques, past and present.”

 

About French Animation

Animation has a rich history in France. Since its early beginnings in the late 19th century when Émile Reynaud projected his Pantomimes Lumineuses at the Musée Grevin in Paris, French filmmakers and artisans have experimented with puppets, cutouts, and stop motion, inventing important techniques along the way. Notable animated films have peppered the history of French cinema, from Émile Cohl’s Fantasmagorie (1908), depicting a stick figure moving through space, to Ladislas Starewich’s influential stop-motion Le Roman de Renard (1930), the first French animated feature film. Other acclaimed works have included the experimental Une nuit sur le mont chauve (1933), using a pinscreen machine invented by Alexandre Alexieff and Claire Parker; La Demoiselle and Le violoncelliste (1965), films that launched the career of Jean-François Laguionie (Louise en hiver, 2016); as well as Fantastic Planet (René Laloux, 1973), Le Roi et l’Oiseau (Paul Grimault, 1980), and Kirikou and the Sorceress (Michel Ocelot, 1998).

 

Today, France is Europe’s largest producer and the world’s third largest exporter of animated film. Renowned for stylistic innovation and an often artisanal approach, French animation continues to garner awards worldwide and spans a diversity of genres, from independent art-house successes The Triplets of Belleville, and more recently The Red Turtle, to films for mature audiences like Renaissance, as well as big-budget blockbusters Ballerina and the Franco-American Despicable Me franchise. Beyond films, France has carved out an important space in animated TV programs, web series, video games, and the rapidly developing fields of virtual reality and new technologies.

Festival program follows. For full screening and events schedule, visit fiaf.org/animation.

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New York Premiere

Iqbal, a Tale of a Fearless Child (Iqbal, l’enfant qui n’avait pas peur)

Friday, February 2 at 11am

DCP

Dir. Michel Fuzellier, Babak Payami, 2015. 87 min. Color.

In French with English subtitles.

One night, little Iqbal slips out of his family’s home with his goat Raja to go find cough medicine for his brother in the big city. But Iqbal falls into the hands of a criminal who enslaves children and forces them to weave rugs for him. Determined to escape, Iqbal promises his fellow prisoners he will come back to rescue them. Inspired by the life of Iqbal Masih, a Pakistani boy who became a spokesperson against child slavery, Iqbal takes an imaginative, inspiring approach to a disturbingly important issue, spinning a tale that is a joy for the whole family.

A Q&A with a representative of UNICEF will follow the screening.

Presented as part of FIAF’s Young Audience Program for school groups. For information contact Clémentine Guichat at cguinchat@fiaf.org.

Ages 9 & up

Venue: FIAF, Florence Gould Hall

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  OPENING NIGHT 3D SCREENING & PARTY

Minuscule: Valley of the Lost Ants (Minuscule – La vallée des fourmis perdues)

Friday, February 2 at 7pm

DCP 3D

Dir. Thomas Szabo, Hélène Giraud, 2013. 89 min. Color.

No dialogue.

A young ladybug gets caught in the middle of a war between red and black ants fighting over the remains of a picnic. While the characters are pint-sized, critics have favorably compared Minuscule to mega-blockbusters like Raiders of the Lost Ark and Star Wars. It is certainly spectacular: shot in widescreen 3D, with a jaw-dropping mix of digitally animated characters and live-action backgrounds filmed in two of France’s most scenic national parks, Minuscule provides a surprisingly realistic look at the insect world. Told without a word of dialogue, it is a rip-roaring environmental fable for viewers young and old.

“A film full of ideas, tender, burlesque, eco-friendly, and poetic.”—Le Figaroscope Winner of the 2015 César Award for Best Animated Film.

Ages 8 & up

Venue: FIAF, Florence Gould Hall

Screening followed by the Opening Night Party at 8:30pm in FIAF’s Tinker Auditorium.

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OPENING NIGHT SCREENING & PARTY

US & New York Premieres

Erotic Animation

Friday, February 2 at 10pm

Digital

Total running time: 78mins.

Sensual, erotic, naughty, poetic, or risqué, take pleasure in these fanciful and unconventional shorts that celebrate passion, desire, and fantasies.

• Tempête dans une chambre à coucher, Laurence Arcadias et Juliette Marchand, 2011. 11mins. No dialogue. New York Premiere.
• Braise, dir. Hugo Frassetto, 2012. 7mins. In French with English subtitles. US Premiere.
• Tram, dir. Michaela Pavlátová, 2012. 7mins. No dialogue. New York Premiere.
• Des câlins dans les cuisines, dir. Sébastien Laudenbach, 2004. 8mins. No dialogue. US Premiere.
• Daphné ou la belle plante, dir. Sylvain Derosne, Sébastien Laudenbach, 2015. 15mins. In French with English subtitles. US Premiere.
• Fol’Amor, dir. Augustin Clermont, Gilles Cortella,2013. 2mins. No dialogue. US Premiere.
• Qui j’ose aimer, dir. Laurence Deydier et Hugo Frassetto, 2015. 7mins. No dialogue. US Premiere.
• Chaud Lapin, dir. Flora Andrivon, Soline Bejuy, Maël Berreur, 2014. 5mins. No dialogue. New York Premiere.
• Shéhérazade, dir. Florence Miailhe, 1993. 16mins. In French with English subtitles. US Premiere.

Mature audiences.

Venue: FIAF, Florence Gould Hall

Opening Night Party preceding the screening at 8:30pm in FIAF’s Tinker Auditorium.

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Loulou and Other Wolves (Loulou et autres loups)

Saturday, February 3 at 11:30am

DCP

Total running time: 55 min.

All in French with English subtitles, except Marika et le loup and Micro loup, which have no dialogue.

Based on the bestselling children’s book by writer and illustrator Grégoire Solotareff, Loulou turns the stereotype of the big bad wolf on its head by introducing children to Loulou, a sensitive little wolf who finds himself alone in the world. Adopted then rejected by a community of rabbits, Loulou must learn to be himself, sending a powerful message about identity, diversity, tolerance, and friendship. This featurette is accompanied by four exuberant short films about unusual wolves, including a supermodel wolf, a tiny wolf in New York, and a wolf who helps Little Red Riding Hood find her grandma.

• Loulou, dir. Serge Elissalde, 2003. 28 min. Color.
  Marika et le loup (Mari Ka and the Wolf), dir. Marie Caillou, 2003. 6 min. Color.
• Micro loup (Micro Wolf), dir. Richard McGuire, 2003. 7 min. Color.
• Pour faire le portrait d’un loup (To Draw a Wolf’s Portrait), dir. Philippe Petit Roulet, 2003. 5 min. Color
• T’es où Mère-Grand? (Where are you Grandma?), dir. François Chalet, 2003. 7 min. Color.

“Little gems with beautiful animation which play on the myth of the wolf. Perfect program for the young ones… and their parents.”—Les Inrockuptibles

Followed by a Q&A with Serge Elissalde.

 Ages 6 & up

Venue: FIAF, Florence Gould Hall

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FEATURE & SHORT

The Red Turtle (La Tortue Rouge)
Saturday, February 3 at 2pm

DCP

Dir. Michael Dudok de Wit, 2016. 80 min. Color. No dialogue.

After washing ashore on a desert island, a shipwrecked man is prevented from leaving by a mysterious red turtle. He attacks the turtle and leaves it to die, only to see it reappear as a woman. Told entirely without words, in a breathtaking flow of hand-drawn and digital animation, The Red Turtle is a powerful metaphor for life on earth and a stirring tribute to the natural world. This landmark work of contemporary animation is the fruit of a rare collaboration between the Japanese masters at Studio Ghibli, French powerhouse Wild Bunch, and Academy Award-winning animator Michael Dudok De Wit, and was  produced in Angoulême  by Studio Prima Linea.

“The story has a wide-eyed, mutedly whimsical charm, with a light washing of eco-mysticism…The Red Turtle practices a minor, gentle magic.”—New York Times

Winner of the Special Jury Prize, Un Certain Regard, 2017 Cannes Film Festival

Nominated for the 2017 Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film

PRESENTED WITH:

The Monk and the Fish (Le moine et le poisson)

Dir. Michael Dudok de Wit, 1994. 6 min. No dialogue.

Oscar-nominated short The Monk and The Fish follows a monk’s frantic attempt to catch a fish to no avail. The short was made using brush, Indian ink, and watercolor.

Winner of the César for Best Short Film

Nominated for the 1995 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film

Screening will be introduced by director Michael Dudok de Wit.

Ages 8 and up.

Venue: FIAF, Florence Gould Hall

Related Event:

Conversation with Director Michael Dudok de Wit

Making of The Red Turtle: A Success Story from Japan to Hollywood, via Angoulême

Saturday, February 3 at 4pm

See section Conversation & Panel Discussion below for details.

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3D Animated Short Films with François Serre

Saturday, February 3 at 4:30pm

DCP 3D

Total running time: approximately 45 min. No dialogue.

Discover the best recent shorts in 3D and how the technology can enhance different animation techniques, from CGI to drawings. Films feature acrobatic animals, playdough characters, and a trip inside a village clock among others. Curated by François Serre, director of the festival Courant 3D, Short Films in 3D and VR in Angoulême and programmer of new technologies for the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and Interfilm Berlin.

• Time Out, dir. Yannick Violin, 2015. 6 min. Color.
• Ghost Cell, dir. Antoine Delacharlery, 2015. 6 min. B&W.
• 5m80 (5 mètres 80), dir. Nicolas Deveaux, 2013. 5 min. Color.
• Hublot, dir. Laurent Witz, Alexandre Espigares, 2013. 11 min. Winner of the 2014 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film
• Table Bob, dir. Victor Haegelin. 3 min.
• The Little Blond Boy with a White Sheep (Le petit blond avec un mouton blanc), dir. Eloi Henriod, 2013. 9 min.

Mature audiences

Followed by a Q&A with François Serre.

Venue: FIAF, Florence Gould Hall

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Ciné-Concert

Pioneers of French Animation (Autour des pionniers de l’animation)

Saturday, February 3 at 6:45pm

35mm

Silent with live piano. Intertitles in French with English subtitles.

Total running time: approximately 60 minutes.

In this Ciné-Concert with live piano, meet the pioneers of animation and the fascinating and unusual stories they tell. Cutout animation, animated puppets, cartoon, and stop motion are a few of the techniques used by the pioneers of animation of the silent era.

This program invites viewers to discover the inventions that came before the cinematograph. It provides an opportunity to meet several major figures in the history of French animation and appreciate the fruits of their labor on the big screen. These ten films follow the odyssey of animated cinema through documentaries and fiction films created using a wide variety of techniques. They reveal the world of these extraordinary artists in all its originality.

• Autour de Will Day, 1997. 4 min. B&W. A montage of films by Will Day illuminating the use of the praxinoscope.
• Paris-Cinéma, dir. Pierre Chenal, 1929. 7 min. B&W.
• Bécassotte à la mer, dir. Marius O’Galop, 1920. 6 min. B&W.
• Les Locataires d’à côté, dir. Émile Cohl, 1920. 3 min. B&W.
• Quelques croquis de gosses, dir. Hy Mayer. 1923. 7 min. B&W.
• Sculpteur moderne, dir. Segundo de Chomón, with Julienne Mathieu, 1908. 4 min. Color.
• Affaires de CÅ“ur, dir. Émile Cohl, 1909. 3 min. B&W.
• La tuberculose menace tout le monde, dir. Robert Lortac, Jean Comandon, 1918. 2 min. B&W.
• Les déboires d’un piéton, dir. Robert Lortac, Landelle, 1922. 1 min. B&W.
• Gulliver chez les lilliputiens, dir. Albert Mourlan, Raymond Villette, 1923. 22 min. Color.

Program courtesy of the French Film Archives at the National Center for Cinema (CNC).

Ages 13 & up

Venue: FIAF, Florence Gould Hall

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FEATURE & SHORTS

René Laloux: Fantastic Planet (La Planète Sauvage)

Saturday, February 3 at 8:45pm

This program pays homage to the great artist René Laloux with his counterculture classic Fantastic Planet (1973), his first feature film, and three shorts that marked his career: Monkey’s Teeth (1960) which marks his debut in filmmaking when he experimented with animation while working with patients at a mental institution; The Snails (1965), a surrealist short he made in collaboration with Roland Topor; and How Wang-Fô was Saved (1987), based on the short story by Marguerite Yourcenar. 

Fantastic Planet (La Planète Sauvage)

Dir. René Laloux, 1973. 72 min. DCP restored. Color. In French with English subtitles.

Welcome to Ygam, a far-flung planet where humans are kept as pets by giant blue creatures known as Draags. In this science fiction allegory, legendary illustrator and writer Roland Topor joins René Laloux to tell the story of Terr, a human boy who escapes from his Draag owner. Laloux’s visionary cutout animation brings Topor’s surreal sensibility to life, while composer Alain Goragues blends psychedelic, funk, and jazz sounds to create an immersive experience. One of the first French animated features, Fantastic Planet is a mind-bending spectacle for children and adults, as provocative and spellbinding today as it was four decades ago.

“Original, thoughtful, often strong (but tasteful) animation.”—New York Times

Winner of the Special Prize at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival

PRESENTED WITH:

The Snails (Les Escargots)

Dir. René Laloux, 1966. 13 min. DCP restored. Color. No dialogue.

Giant snails wreak havoc on human society and a farmer waters his crop with his tears in Laloux and Roland Topor’s masterpiece of surreal animation.

Monkey’s Teeth (Les Dents du Singe)

Dir. René Laloux, 1960. 13 min. 35 mm. Color. No dialogue.

Inspired by a workshop in a psychiatric clinic, Laloux’s first film is the trippy tale of a monkey who chases down an evil dentist.

How Wang-Fô was Saved (Comment Wang-Fô fut sauvé)

Dir. René Laloux, 1983. 16 min. DCP restored. Color. In French with English subtitles.

In this sumptuous homage to classical Chinese painting, the master painter Wang-Fô is punished by the Emperor for making him believe life was as beautiful as his paintings.

Mature audiences

Venue: FIAF, Florence Gould Hall

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  The Day of the Crows (Le jour des corneilles)

Sunday, February 4 at 1:30pm

DCP

Dir. Jean-Christophe Dessaint, 2012. 95 min. Color.

French voices by Jean Reno, Lorànt Deutsch, Isabelle Carré, and Claude Chabrol

In French with English subtitles

A boy grows up alone in the forest with his ogre of a father. When his father breaks his leg, the woodland ghosts that look out for the boy show him the way to a village, where he discovers that the world extends beyond the forest and that he and his father are not the only people on earth. While his father is treated by a doctor, the boy meets a little girl…and realizes he would like to stay among his fellow humans. This modern-day fairy tale tackles a boy’s discovery of love and loss with a wonderfully tender, poetic touch.
“The pictorial quality of the sets, with many sensorial and poetic effects, is of unexpected beauty.”

—Cahiers du Cinéma

Screening followed by a Q&A with Jean Reno moderated by Marc Levy

Ages 6 & up

Venue: FIAF, Florence Gould Hall

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US Premiere

En sortant de l’école: Poems by Robert Desnos

Sunday, February 4 at 4pm

Digital

Various filmmakers, 2015. In French with English subtitles.

Running time: approximately 39 minutes total, 3 minutes each.

France’s most talented new animators bring the poems of surrealist author Robert Desnos to life in 13 playful shorts.

• Bonsoir tout de monde, dir. Kathleen Ponsard (L’Atelier)
• Couchée, dir. Débora Cheyenne Cruchon (Les Gobelins)
• Couplet de la rue de Bagnolet, dir. Quentin Guichoux (L’Atelier)
• Dans un petit bateau, dir. Charlotte Cambon (La Poudrière)
• Demi-rêve, dir. Gabrielle Sibieude (L’Atelier)
• Il était une feuille, dir. Anaïs Scheek-Lauriot (Ensad)
• J’ai tant rêvé de toi, dir. Emma Vakarelova (La Poudrière)
• La Grenouille aux souliers percés, dir. Juliette Cuisinier (Emca Angoulème)
• Le Salsifis de Bengale, dir. Raphaëlle Stolz (Les Gobelins)
• Le Zèbre, dir. Viviane Boyer Araujo (Emca Angoulème)
• Les Quatre sans cou, dir. Alix Fizet (Le Poudrière)
• Papier buvard, dir. Marine Laclotte (Emca Angoulème)
• Paris, dir. Justine Vuylsteker (Esaat)

About Robert Desnos

Robert Desnos (1900–1945) was a French poet who played a key role in the Surrealist movement of his day. He was close to André Breton and the Dada group until he broke away from the Surrealists due to political disagreement, joining forces with writers Georges Bataille, Jacques Prévert, and Raymond Queneau. During World War II Desnos joined the resistance, was arrested by the Gestapo in 1944, and died of typhoid in the Theresienstadt concentration camp shortly after its liberation. Desnos’ poetry has been set to music by composers including Francis Poulenc and Henri Dutilleux, and Joan Miró published an illustrated book with texts from Robert Desnos.

Screening will be followed by a discussion with Xavier Kawa-Topor, founder of Nouvelles Ecritures pour le film d’animation (NEF), a platform dedicated to screenwriting for animated films and animation film criticism.

Ages 8 & up

Venue: FIAF, Le Skyroom

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Renaissance

Sunday, February 4 at 4:30pm

DCP

Christian Volckman, 2006. 105 min. B&W.

In French with English subtitles

A wildly original noir science fiction film in black and white. In 2054, Paris is a labyrinth where all movement is monitored and recorded. Casting a shadow over everything is the city’s largest company, Avalon, which insinuates itself into every aspect of contemporary life to sell its primary export, youth and beauty. In this world of stark contrasts and rigid laws, the populace is kept in line and accounted for.

Winner of the Cristal Award at the 2006 Annecy International Animated Film Festival

Mature audiences

Venue: FIAF, Florence Gould Hall

Screening followed by Closing Night Drinks at 6pm in Tinker Auditorium.

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They Won! Award-Winning French Shorts

Sunday, February 4 at 7:15pm

Digital

Total running time: approximately 103 minutes.

This selection features shorts that have won some of the most important awards in France and the US. Discover the Oscar and César winners of the past five years, along with French shorts that won the Cristal for best short film at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, one of the world’s leading festivals in the field.

• He Who Has Two Souls (Celui qui a deux âmes), Fabrice Luang-Vija, 2016. 16 min. Color.

US Premiere. César for Best Animated Short Film, 2017 

• Sunday Lunch (Le repas dominical), Céline Devaux, 2015. 13 min.

César for Best Animated Short Film, 2016

 

• The Little Stones (Les petits cailloux), Chloé Mazlo, 2014. 15 min.

US Premiere César for Best Animated Short Film, 2015.

• Kiki of Montparnasse (Mademoiselle Kiki et les Montparnos), Amélie Harrault, 2013. 15 min.

César for Best Animated Short Film, 2014 

• Hublot, dir. Laurent Witz, Alexandre Espigares, 2013. 11 min.

Oscar for Best Animated Short Film, 2014

• Logorama, François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy, Ludovic Houplain, 2009. 16 min.

Oscar for Best Animated Short Film, 2010; César for Best Animated Short Film, 2011

• The Head Vanishes (Une tête disparaît), Franck Dion, 2016. 8 min.

New York Premiere. Cristal Award for Short Film, Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2016

• Man on the Chair (L’homme sur la chaise), Dahee Jeong, 2014. 7 min.

Cristal Award for Short Film, Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2014 

• Pixels, Patrick Jean, 2010. 2 min.

Cristal Award for Short Film, Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2014

Mature audiences

Venue: FIAF, Florence Gould Hall

Screening followed by Closing Night Drinks at 6pm in Tinker Auditorium.

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Lastman, Episodes 1–6

Saturday, February 3 at 8pm

Digital

Dir. Jérémie Périn, 2016. 70 minutes total. Color.

In French with English subtitles.

Paxtown is a capital under the influence of drugs and corruption. Here, trouble lurks at every corner. In this depraved metropolis, Richard Aldana grew up to be a cunning young man, without attachments or ambitions. In his spare time, he boxes. For Aldana, boxing is neither a sport nor a passion; it’s just a way to keep annoyances at bay. When his friend Dave is murdered Aldana becomes the protector of his friend’s orphaned daughter, Siri. Those who killed Siri’s father are now targeting her. They call themselves The Order of the Lion. They are a religious sect who believe Siri is the key to their “other world”. Aldana and Siri are drawn into a quest that overwhelms them, one in which the words “Valley of the King”—a mythological land of magic and demons—keep popping up.

Lastman is one of the first animated TV series for adults produced in France. This program features the first six episodes.

Ep. 1 – You’re an Asshole, Aldana (T’es un abruti Aldana), 13 min.
Ep. 2 – You’re Just Saying That ‘Cause I Have a Grenade (Tu dis ça parce que j’ai une grenade), 11 min.

Ep. 3 – I Have a Thing for Mustaches (Tu sais, moi, les moustachus…), 11 min.

Ep. 4 – Get Outta My Mom (Sors de me mère), 11 min.

Ep. 5 – Squares Inside of Squares (Des carrés dans des carrés), 11 min.

Ep. 6 – The Teeth, The Teeth, The Teeth (Des dents, des dents, des dents), 11 min.

“A nice mix of inspiration, from the best spaghetti westerns, like The Good the Bad and the Ugly, to blockbuster thrillers, such as Die Hard“—Télérama

Mature audiences

Venue: FIAF, Le Skyroom

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Work in Progress

Terry Gilliam & Tim Ollive’s 1884, Yesterday’s Future

Sunday, February 4 at 12:15pm

Approximately 1 hour. In English

Check out Terry Gilliam and Tim Ollive’s new project in the making!

Discover the process of making 1884: Yesterday’s Future, an absurdist historical recreation of the future in 1884, made in 1848 at a time when motion pictures hadn’t yet been made. A mix of live action puppets, with computer-generated heads featuring filmed eyes and mouths, the film also boasts a yet unnamed voice cast that will include former members of Monty Python.

Terry Gilliam is the project’s creative adviser and Tim Ollive, his frequent collaborator (the two worked together on The Life of Brian, The Meaning of Life, as well as The Fisher King and The Brothers Grimm) will direct. France’s 2d3D Animations and the UK’s Steam Driven Films are co-producing the film.

Ages 13 & up

Venue: FIAF, Le Skyroom

Animation First: Conversation & Panel Discussion••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Conversation with Director Michael Dudok de Wit

Making of The Red Turtle: A Success Story from Japan to Hollywood, via Angoulême

Saturday, February 3 at 4pm

The Red Turtle, Michael Dudok de Wit’s first feature film, won the Special Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival, was nominated for the 2017 Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film, and received great critical acclaim upon its release. In this conversation, Dudok de Wit will discuss the creation of The Red Turtle, the partners who collaborated on it—including the famed Studio Ghibli in Japan, who reached out to Dudok de Wit after seeing his Oscar-nominated short film The Monk and the Fish—the artistic choices involved in creating the film, and the success that the film has achieved. Michael Dudok de Wit will also discuss his career as a director of animated films.

Venue: FIAF, Le Skyroom

Related Event:

FEATURE & SHORT

The Red Turtle (La Tortue Rouge)

Presented with The Monk and the Fish (Le moine et le poisson)
Saturday, February 3 at 2pm

See section Cinema above for details.

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Panel Discussion

The French Touch: Franco-American panel of animators and studio heads

Co-presented with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy

Saturday, February 3 at 6pm

Approximately 1 hour.

 

With Michael Dudok de Wit, director of The Red Turtle; Christophe Jankovic, co-founder of Studio Prima Linea and producer of The Red Turtle; and Kristof Serand, Head of Character Animation at DreamWorks Animation. Additional panelists to be announced.

French animation is known worldwide for its creativity and professional talent. As France has become Europe’s largest producer, and the world’s third largest exporter, of animated film, several of its animation schools now rank among the top worldwide. The panel will explore how animation grew to be such a dynamic sector in France, with discussions of the history of animation and its recent successes, its animation schools and production system. Panelists will also explore how French co-productions and collaborations around the globe have succeeded at creating engaging and beautiful films that delight young audiences and adults alike.

Venue: FIAF, Le Skyroom

Animation First: Virtual Reality•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

All Virtual Reality programs are co-presented with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.

Temptation of St. Anthony (Tentation de Saint Antoine)

Saturday, February 3 & Sunday, February 4

From 11am to 6pm

VR

The 360° experience of Temptation of St. Anthony explores the creative madness of the famous painter Hieronymus Bosch. In 2016, 500 years after the death of the Dutch painter, its triptych becomes a virtual space which we discover in a totally new way: a dive into one of the major works of the Middle Ages.

Ages 14 & up

Venue: FIAF, Gallery

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Las Meninas of Velázquez (Les Ménines de Diego Velázquez) 

Saturday, February 3 from 11am to 6pm

VR

Carlos Franklin (director), Thomas Cheysson (author), 2017.

Diego Velázquez stared at us behind his easel. His gaze invites us. We pass to the other side of this mirror painting and burst into the heart of the work to submerge along with the painter in the vertigo and the enigmatic echoes that he won’t stop playing. Between illusion and reality, Velázquez seizes our senses and endlessly questions our reason.

Ages 14 & up

Venue: FIAF, Gallery

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Invisible Hours

Saturday, February 3 & Sunday, February 4

From 11am to 6pm

VR

Produced by Tequila Works

A totally immersive cinematic experience. One Murder. Seven Suspects. Seven Stories. The Invisible Hours is a richly detailed, real time narrative VR experience where you choose whom to watch, what to hear and where to explore, on your way to solving the most unique murder mystery ever created.

Ages 14 & up

Venue: FIAF, Gallery

Animation First: Workshops•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Workshops to be announced shortly.

Animation First: Video Games••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Video game program to be announced shortly.

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LISTING SUMMARY

 

What:	Animation First
When:	Times and titles detailed above.
Where:	French Institute Alliance Française Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street Tinker Auditorium, 55 East 59th Street Le Skyroom, 22 East 60th Street FIAF Gallery, 22 East 60th Street (Between Park and Madison Avenue)
Admission:	Films: $14 Adults; $10 Kids Workshops: $10 Adults; $7 Kids Conversation & Panel Discussion: Free and open to the public Opening Night: Minuscule, Erotic Animation & Party: $20 FIAF Members, $40 Non-Members Opening Night: Minuscule & Party: $20 Adults; $15 Kids Opening Night: Erotic Animation & Party: $20 Adults 5-Pack: $60 (includes 5 films & 2 workshops) Full Festival Pass: $100 FIAF Members; $120 Non-Members (free admission for one to all festival events) Box-Office Only Promotion: Buy 2 film tickets, get a free workshop (only valid for purchases made in person at the FIAF Box Office)
Tickets:	800 982 2787 | fiaf.org
Information:	 212 355 6160 | fiaf.org Â
Transportation:	4, 5, 6, N, R and Q to 59th Street & Lexington Avenue
	F to 63rd Street & Lexington Avenue; E to 53rd Street & 5th Avenue

Animation First: ACKNOWLEDGMENTS••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Animation First is made possible thanks to the generous support of the following sponsors and partners:

Presenting: Pôle Image Magelis (Angoulême)

Lead: Atari, City of Angoulême, Departement de la Charente, Grand Angoulême

Supporting: Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Institut Français, JCDecaux, Samsung, Unifrance

Animation First is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

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About Animation First

Celebrating France’s rich tradition as a pioneer of animation, the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) launches New York City’s first French animation festival with award-winning films, shorts, virtual reality, and more! Special screenings and events give you a front seat view of the extraordinary talent and innovation coming out of France’s studios and art schools. Experience 3D animation, interactive workshops, gaming demonstrations, and panel discussions. And don’t miss a work-in-progress screening of Terry Gilliam’s latest project, 1884: Yesterday’s Future. fiaf.org/animation

About the Animation First Poster in Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality (AR) is used for the Animation First poster and other promotional materials created for the festival, which marks one of the first times AR has been conceived for a major cultural project. The poster is based on an image from the film The Red Turtle. After downloading the #FIAFAnimation App on their cell phone (iPhone or Android), users can point the App at the image to view the Animation First trailer in Augmented Reality. For details visit fiaf.org/animation.

About FIAF

FIAF’s mission is to create and offer New Yorkers innovative and unique programs in education and the arts that explore the evolving diversity and richness of French cultures. FIAF seeks to generate new ideas and promote cross cultural dialogue through partnerships and new platforms of expression. www.fiaf.org

 

Twitter: @FIAFNY

Instagram: @FIAFNY

Facebook: Like facebook.com/fiafny

 

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