Animation Is Film Returns: Screening 'Belle', 'Flee', 'Summit Of The Gods', 'The Mitchells Vs The Machines' and More
Animation Is Film was designed to bring the international animation festival experience to America. A joint venture between GKIDS Films, Annecy International and Variety, the inaugural event took place in October 2017. Alas, last year's festival had to be cancelled- you don't need me to tell you why- but it's coming back for 2021.
The festival kicks off on Friday, October 2022 with the acclaimed French animation drama Summit Of The Gods, which will be accompanied by an in-person Q&A with director Patrick Imbert (The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales). Anime comedy Pompo The Cinephile from director Takayuki Hirao and new studio CLAP will also screen on opening night.
World-renowned anime house Studio 4°C will have two films screening at the festival: Poupelle Of Chimney Town and Fortune Favours Miss Nikuko. The former includes a virtual Q&A with director Yusuke Hirota (Children Of The Sea) and screenwriter Akihiro Nishino. Also on anime, Production IG's fantasy epic The Deer King, Shonen Jump spin-off My Hero Academia: World Heroes' Mission will also be playing. The real must-see from the festival's Japanese offerings has to be Mamoru Hosoda's eagerly anticipate Belle, however, which is screening on the Saturday, complete with an in-person Q&A with the director himself.
China is represented this year by Haipeng Sun's CG feature I Am What I Am. Nahuel And The Magic Book represents Ibero-America and is a Chile-Brazil co-production. Europe is well represented too with docu-drama Flee (Denmark-France-Norway-Sweden) glass-painted feature The Crossing (France-Germany-Czechia), the acclaimed true-life story Josep (France-Spain-Belgium) and the new film from Ari Folman- Israeli director of Waltz With Bashir -Where Is Anne Frank? (Israel-Belgium- Netherlands-Luxembourg).
The festival will also offer the chance to catch three major Hollywood animated movies on the big screen that had their releases shifted to streaming mid-Pandemic (and one that a hybrid release). Disney's Raya And The Last Dragon Pixar's Luca and Sony Pictures Animation's The Mitchells Vs The Machines and Vivo will all be shown. The Mitchells screening will be accompanied by an in-person Q&A with Phil Lord and Chris Miller (producers), Kurt Albrecht (producer), Jeff Rowe (co-director) and Lindsey Olivares (production design/lead character design), and Vivo with Kirk DeMicco (director), Brandon Jeffords (co-director), Erika Dapkewicz (editor), Wendell Dalit (art director), Carlos Romero (story artist),
Walt Disney Animation Studios will be on hand to offer a Making Of session, for their Holiday 2021 movie Encanto. Last but by no means least, a Best Of Annecy panel will put the Spotlight On Women Directors.
The festival will run from October 22 to Sunday October 24 at the world-famous Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Proof of vaccination of a negative test result will be required for all screenings and events.
Visit the festival website for more details and to book your tickets.
Save 25% on your tickets using the promo code ANIMATIONFORADULTS.
