For the first time, Unifrance will be present from March 9 through 11 at Cartoon Movie to support, from the outset, the international promotion of French animated feature film projects.
Created in 1999, this major European coproduction forum is one of the most important professional events dedicated to animated film in the world. Cartoon Movie will take place this year entirely online due to the pandemic.
A genuine meeting point for animation professionals, Cartoon Movie allows project developers to connect with French and foreign coproducers, funders, broadcasters, and distributors. It is also an opportunity for participants to exchange and gather the points of view of foreign professionals currently developing and producing. Finally, for producers of completed films, it is an opportunity to enhance visibility of their titles a few months ahead of their release.
Once again this year, the French will be out in force with 27 projects presented (out of 55 in total) at different stages of development: 9 in the concept stage, 12 in development, 4 in production, and 2 in sneak preview. Of these, 11 are international majority or minority coproductions, and 16 are 100% French projects at this stage—although they could become international in the next phases of development.
In the producers department, we note three French companies renowned for their short films, each of whom will present two feature-length projects: Autour de Minuit with Les Ombres (coproduced by Panique ! and Schmuby), and The Midnight King (coproduced by micro_scope and Schmuby Productions); Miyu Productions with Saules Aveugles, Femme endormie (in coproduction with Cinéma Defacto, Doghouse Films, micro_scope, and Unité Centrale), and Le Parfum d’Irak (in coproduction with Nova Production); and lastly Tchack with Jungle Rouge (in coproduction with Dolce Vita Films, Intermezzo Films, and Nadasdy Film), and Maryam et Varto (in coproduction with Araprod and Bright Light Films).
In the creators department, this edition is an opportunity to meet directors of animated feature films already established on the French cinema scene, such as Anca Damian, Xavier Picard, Alexis Ducord, Denis Do, Ben Stassen, and Alexandre Heboyan. But it is also the place to discover the debut features from filmmakers renowned for their short animated works, such as Fabrice Luang-Vija, Nadia Micault, Maciek Szczerbowski, Chris Lavis, and many others.
We can also highlight the presence of many French projects (9 films) by women directors: projects by filmmakers already recognized in the short or feature film fields, such as Sarah Van Den Boom, Hefang Wei, Anca Damian, Nadia Micault, and Jola Kudela; but also a first film by comic book author Chloé Cruchaudet, who is directing the adaptation of her graphic novel La Poudre d'Escampette.
All the French projects, both minority and majority, at Cartoon Movie 2021:
In sneak preview
- The Island by Anca Damian (Aparte Film - Komadoli studio - Take Five – Amopix – Minds Meet)
- Flee by Jonas Poher Rasmussen (Final Cut For Real - Mer Film - MostFilm - Sun Creature - Vivement Lundi ! )
In production
- Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Pierre Földes (Miyu Productions - Cinéma Defacto - Doghouse Films - micro_scope - Unité Centrale)
- Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness by Ben Stassen and Benjamin Mousquet (nWave - Octopolis)
- My Grandfather's Demons by Nuno Beato (Sardinha em lata - Caretos Film - MIDRALGAR (Marmitafilms))
- Red Jungle by Juan José Lozano and Zoltán Horváth (Dolce Vita Films - Intermezzo Films - Nadasdy Film - Tchack)
In development
- Arco by Ugo Bienvenu (Remembers - Akaba)
- Le Parfum d'Irak by Léonard Cohen (Nova Production - Miyu Productions)
- Maryam et Varto by Gorune Aprikian and Alexandre Heboyan (Tchack - Araprod - Bright Lights Films)
- Séraphine by Sarah Van Den Boom (Little Big Story - JPL Films - TNZPV Productions)
- Les Ombres by Nadia Micault (Autour de Minuit - Panique ! - Schmuby Productions)
- Saba by Benjamin Massoubre and Alexis Ducord (Maybe Movies)
- Sorya by Denis Do (Special Touch Studio)
- La Métaphysique des tubes by Liane-Cho Han (Maybe Movies - Ikki Films)
- Le Gardien du Feu by Jeanne Irzenski (Gao Shan Pictures)
- Les Sciences Inexactes by Stefano Bessoni (Pilgrim - Les Contes Modernes)
- L'Étrange Collection by Benoît Razy, Fabrice Luang-Vija, Jean-Loup Felicioli, Hefang Wei, Alain Gagnol, Izù Troin, and Morten Riisberg Hansen (Folimage - Les Films du Tambour de Soie)
- Winnipeg, Seeds of Hope by Beñat Beitia and Elio Quiroga (Dibulitoon Studio - El Oltro Film - La Ballesta - MIDRALGAR (Marmitafilms))
In the concept stage
- La Porte de la Forêt by Jola Kudela (Nectarious Films - Opus Film)
- Les Oiseaux ne se retournent pas by Nadia Nakhlé (Special Touch Studios)
- La Poudre d'Escampette by Chloé Cruchaudet (Blue Spirit Productions)
- Isis et Osiris by Fabrice Luang-Vija (Fargo)
- Marie-Louise, ma petite princesse by Xavier Picard (Pictak)
- Ninn (TeamTO)
- The Midnight King by Maciek Szczerbowski and Chris Lavis (Autour de Minuit - micro_scope - Schmuby)
- Tsilili by Frédérick Chaillou (Les Films du Poisson Rouge)
- La Guerre des Salamandres by Catherine Maximoff (Les Contes Modernes)
Click here to find out more about Cartoon Movie 2021.
