In the first trimester of 2023, the international press highlighted French animation works. We present here a selection of interviews and reviews published in the past few months. The articles can be accessed by clicking on the publication title links in each brief.
Interviews
Alberto Vázquez was interviewed by Graffica 28 magazine and mentioned that “Animation is the most poetic way to talk about reality."
Animation World Network also published a fine interview with Alberto Vázquez about his film Unicorn Wars.
Pierre Földes revealed to Skwigly the secrets behind the genesis of Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, "an adaptation of Haruki Murakami's short stories [that] follows characters trying to make sense of disaster."
The same director reflected on his use of music in Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman for Animation Magazine.
Variety interviewed Sepideh Farsi, director of the The Siren, about her film and her vision of Iran.
João Gonzalez, director of the multi-award-winning short film Ice Merchants, talked about his graphic style in an article published in CartoonBrew.
CartoonBrew also published an interview with the directors of the animated short films shortlisted for the Oscar for Best Short Film, including João Gonzalez and Čadež Špela.
In terms of the audiovisual sector, French television animation professionals expressed themselves in the foreign press:
Juliette Béchu, an international seller and buyer at Superights, talked about the company's acquisition strategy in Señal News.
Morgann Favennec, head of distribution at Xilam Animation, spoke in particular about her co-production strategy in Señal News.
In Germany, TV Movie focused on the success of the series Jade Armor and published an interview with its co-director Chloé Miller.
SeñalNews published an interview with Baptiste Jaquemet, director of Behind the Beats.
Four not-to-be-missed interviews with directors of French series published in Animation Week:
- Dan Creteur and Sophie Audoin Mamikonian, directors of the series Tara Duncan. Click here.
- Cédric Frémeaux, director of the series 50/50 Heroes. Click here.
- Baptiste Jaquemet, about Behind the Beats. Click here.
- Chloé Miller and Patricia De Wilde, on Jade Armor. Click here.
Reviews
The international press reported on French animation films released in theaters or selected for festivals.
In Italy, Mymovies.it highlighted the good results generated by the theatrical release of Yakari, A Spectacular Journey, "an animation film tailor-made for children."
Mymovies.it also explored the background to the film Argonuts, which has been a big hit in this country: more than 100,000 admissions to date!
In Portugal, the daily Jornal de Notícias wrote: "Children around the world adore Ernest and Célestine," following the release of the film Ernest and Célestine : A Journey in Charabia in this country.
Ernest and Célestine : A Journey in Charabia was also the subject of another article on the Italian website Cinematografo.it.
It also featured in Le Journal de Montréal in Quebec: "this delicate animated adventure which familiarizes children with the notion of liberty."
In Spain, Animacionparaadultos.es put the spotlight on Arnaud Demuynck's 20-year career, and his latest feature, Yuku and the Flower of the Himalayas, "an excellent outing for all younger viewers."
In Germany, EDP wrote about Little Nicholas - Happy as Can Be: "Little Nick must not seek happiness, he can witness it."
And in the Czech Republic, Total Film published a glowing article about the same film: "Let us stress how beautiful it is."
Where Is Anne Frank was released at the beginning of the year in Germany. Kino-zeit.de said of Ari Folman's film: "It is by far the film which approaches the story with the greatest courage and which relates Anne Frank's fate with current events concerning Syrian, Afghan, and Ukranian refugees."
The Spanish daily Público presented an excerpt, as a premiere, from My Sunny Maad, released in Spain on March 17.
In Greece, the weekly Athinorama described Vic the Viking and the Magic Sword as "an innocent and amusing coming-of-age story."
In the United States, the short film Ice Merchants was presented on the New Yorker's Screening Room.
Variety published a fine review of The Siren for the world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival 2023.
In Spain, Animacionparaadultos.es said of the feature film project L’Ours et l’Ermite: “The teaser made us laugh several times, with practically no dialog, which is a very good sign."
And regarding Merry Christmas, Monsieur Hulot, this same media highlighted the "Character conception, visual propositions, and the ecological and humanist message."
A brief word about Cartoon Movie 2023
France established itself as the leading country in terms of the number of projects presented at Cartoon Movie 2023. This didn't go unnoticed by the international press:
Cineuropa mentioned several French projects among those that stood out during the 2023 edition.
Six French projects featured among the "Cartoon Movie’ 23 Sampler" published by Animation Magazine.
CartoonBrew presented an exclusive excerpt from Mars Express, directed by Jérémie Périn, in conjunction with film's sneak preview presetnation.
Skwigly highlighted the presentation of Yakari 2, directed by Xavier Giacometti and produced by Ellipse animation.
Écran Total announced the upcoming animation film adaptation of the famous character Cyrano directed by Guillaume Gallienne.
The same publication also announced that Camélia Jordana will be Carmen in the feature film project Prends garde à toi, directed by Sébastien Laudenbach.
