Catch the Oscar-nominated 'My Life as a Zucchini' and other great films at this summer's French animation festival
You can check out the best films from France’s Annecy International Animation Festival right here in Hong Kong
The Ogre is a giant...who doesn't like being big.The Annecy International Animation Festival (Festival International du Film d’Animation d’Annecy) attracts thousands of filmmakers and movie-goers every year. Primarily a competition for animated films, the festival also holds special screening sessions for the public.
But for those who can’t jet off to France to see the films on offer, the Metroplex cinema in Kitec is hosting French Friday: Annecy from June 8 until August 3, during which it will show three award-winning films from the festival. Here’s what you can expect:
Best of Annecy 2017
The 75-minute opening film combines six international shorts from the festival: The Ogre, The Blissful Accidental Death, Negative Space, Grandpa Walrus, Wicked Girl and The Burden.
The Ogre focuses on a giant who feels uneasy about disguising his huge physique; The Blissful Accidental Death tells a story of a man who discovers a secret love letter in an antique shop ; Negative Space explores the relationship between a father and son.
Meanwhile, Grandpa Walrus tells of an unusual family loss; Wicked Girl recounts a young girl’s days in her grandparents’ village in Turkey; and finally The Burden is a musical about animals with apocalyptic undertones.
Three films with Chinese elements also feature: The White Snake, La Sieste, and Wu Qi Dao.
My Life as a Zucchini (Ma Vie de Courgette)
After losing his mother, grief-stricken nine-year-old Zucchini is sent to a children’s home, where he meets Simon, Ahmed, Jujube, Alice and Beatrice. He does not count on making friends with his new housemates – until he meets Camille, whom he can’t help but develop a crush on.
But just as Zucchini learns to love his newfound family, Camille’s aunt appears out of the blue and wants to claim custody of her.
Based on the French YA novel Autobiography of a Zucchini by Gilles Paris, this Oscar-nominated clay-mation beautifully portrays the adult world from the eyes of children.
The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales (Le Grand Méchant Renard et Autres Contes)
Featuring a host of colourful animal characters, this animation shows that the countryside isn’t as calm and peaceful as you might expect.
In the stories, an anxious pig, a silly rabbit and a duck who can’t swim embark on a mission to work out what to do with a baby that fell from a tree; a hungry fox tries to steal some eggs, only for the chicks to hatch and think he is their mother; and a group of animals getting ready for Christmas manage to accidentally kill Santa Claus.
Adapted from co-director Benjamin Renner’s graphic novels Le Grand Méchant Renard and Un Bébé à Livrer, this compilation of three half-hour TV specials is both funny and heart-warming.
Edited by Charlotte Ames-Ettridge