Eight feature films selected for the Annecy Mifa Pitches
– Happy ending by Marie Amachoukeli and Vladimir Mavounia-Kouka is one of the 32 projects pitched at the international animated film market
Happy ending by Marie Amachoukeli and Vladimir Mavounia-Kouka
A few days before the world’s biggest animation event, the next Annecy Festival (from June 13 to 18), unveils its official selection, the 32 projects (chosen from 472 files) which will be pitched during Mifa online‘s market have now been unveiled. Among them, eight feature film projects, including Happy endingwhich marks the French talent Marie Amachoukelithe first steps of in the world of animation, after having co-directed the winning film at the Caméra d’Or in Cannes in 2014 party girl [+see also:
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film profile]and recently shot his second fiction feature film Ama Gloria – read our article).
Marie Amachoukeli also wrote the screenplay for Happy endingwhich she will co-lead with Vladimir Mavounia-Kouka who is also responsible for the graphic design of the film. For the record, the duo had already been nominated for the César for best animated short film in 2018, courtesy of I want Pluto to be a planet again. Target an adult audience, Happy ending revolves around an interesting idea: what if death disappeared overnight? And what of the world and Bertha King, a former career soldier now deeply suicidal and devastated by this development? Production is managed by Emmanuel-Alain Raynal behalf Miyu Productions (who are preparing to unveil Pierre Foldes‘ Blind willow, sleeping woman).
Two other French projects stand out in the 2022 Mifa Pitches selection: The Fire Keeper by Jeanne Irzensky (supervised by Gao Shan Pictures – read our news) and The dancing heart by Pierre LeCouviour and Amine El Ouarti. Produced by Long live Monday!, the latter is aimed at children and families, with a story that takes us back to 1918 in Douarnenez, land of fishermen and legends. Venaig’s father is fighting at the front. To bring him back, she decides to organize a party that they and the inhabitants of the Breton port loved before the war. But the adults of the city don’t feel like dancing anymore.
Equally eye-catching is an animated documentary aimed at adults and young adults: Pour the water as I’m leaving (Prospi Vode Za Mnom) by the Bosnian director (living in the USA) Daniela Meals. Written by Seen Phamthe story returns to how the brave survivors of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s, who are now in the diaspora, give advice to two characters trying to flee the same war zone.
Target a family audience, Frank MosvoldThe Norwegian project The Legend of Magnus the Good see Denmark (A.Film Production A/S), Norway (Kool Production AS) and the Netherlands (Phanta Vision Film International) joining the production forces. Written by the director alongside Rob Sprackling and John Smith, this action-comedy follows the immature Magnus, a Viking prince who escapes his evil, macho uncle by traveling back in time from the year 1030 to present-day Norway. Here, he meets three drag queens who teach him a thing or two about courage…
Also worth mentioning is a project called igi by Georgia Natya Nikolashvili (also a producer via her company 20 steps). Adapted from Jemal Kharchkhadze‘s novel of the same name, the story takes us back to prehistory and in the company of a primitive tribe that still walks on all fours. Igi is a young man who looks like others but whose inner thoughts and feelings set him apart. He is the first to get up, and huge changes take place in his mind, and in his relationship to society…
The two other feature film projects selected for the Mifa Pitches (taking place on June 15 and 16) are Mexico The Ballad of the Phoenix and Zimbabwe Tribebut the selection also includes Short Film Pitches, Special Series and TV Pitches and Digital Experience Pitches, all taking place alongside Partner Pitches which will highlight talents from a specific country or category (in particular the Switzerland via GIFF, which is dedicated to digital experiences, and Spain via ICEX).
The selected projects are:
The dancing heart – Pierre LeCouviour – Amine El Ouarti (France)
Production: Long live Monday!
Tribe – Tendayi Nyéké (Zimbabwe)
Production: Ndiani Productions PTY LTD, Triggerfish Animation Studios (PTY) LTD.,
igi – Natya Nikolashvili (Georgia)
Production: 20 steps
Happy ending – Marie Amachoukeli, Vladimir Mavounia-Kouka (France)
Production: Miyu Productions
The Ballad of the Phoenix – Arturo Ambriz, Rodolfo Ambriz (Mexico)
Production: Cinema Fantasma
The Fire Keeper – Jeanne Irzensky (France)
Production: Gao Shan Pictures
Pour the water as I’m leaving (Prospi Vode Za Mnom) – Daniela Meals (Bosnia and Herzegovina/USA)
Production: Shrine13, Yellow Inc.
The Legend of Magnus the Good – Frank Mosvold (Denmark/Norway/Netherlands)
Production: A.Film Production A/S), Kool Production AS, Phanta Vision Film International
Short films
Arbor – Valentino Lasso (Mexico)
Hot water bolsita – Yuliana Paula Brutti (Argentina)
The little white queen – Mathieu Georis, Théo Hanosset (Belgium)
Producer: Ozu Productions
The sorrow of the sunflowers – Lea Krawczyk (France)
Producer: The Astronauts
Petra and the ground – Stefania Malacchini, Maria Luisa Furche (Chile)
Shokoladi – Fabian Guamaní Aldaz, Medea Sharikadze (Ecuador/Georgia)
super silly – Veronica Martiradonna (France)
Production: Sacrebleu Productions
The day I smoked a cigarette with my father – Robin Vouters, Sameh Alaa (France)
Production: The Valseurs
Digital experiences
motel at sunset – Gilles Jobin (Switzerland/France)
Directed by: CIE Gilles Jobin, Nadasdy Film SARL, Floreal Films
Mary Dwie – Wioletta Sowa (Poland)
Production: Likaon SP. ZOO
Orbis – Eric Serre (USA/France)
Production: Lucid Realities, Ink Stories, Lucid Camera
The Backwind Horde – Morgane Schmitt Giordano (France)
Production: Small Bang, Studio NEB (Association Blend Awake), Studio Manette, Cosmotone
Anouschka and the braid of time – Tamara Shogaolu (Netherlands/USA)
Production: Ado Ato Pictures
Incredible monster! – Raphael Penasa (France/Switzerland)
Production: Wowl, small creation
Melancholy – Stephane Hueber-Blies, Nicolas Blies (France/Luxembourg)
Production: Lucid Realities, A_BAHN
Series and specials
Magic Mission in Mexico – Hefang Wei (France)
Production: Kazakh productions
Greetings from the Apocalypse – Maryka Laudet, Quentin Camus Durand (US/UK)
Realization: Management 360, Pictures Passion
my superhero husband – Alex Tagali (Greece)
Production: Addart
Polo without bobo – Sophie Castaignede (France)
Production: large company
Grandpa and Grandma made the revolution – Agnès Patron, Sophie Nivelle-Cardinal (France)
Production: Silk Drum Films
yukon – Martin Engh, Jakob Thommessen (Norway)
Production: Imaginary Film
The Thoughts of Jupiter – Jupiter Moumouni Sodre (Burkina Faso/France)
Production: Komadoli Studio
tiger and pig – Liang Huang (China)
Produced by: Uyoung Culture & Media Co LTD.
Love – Anna Mantzaris (UK/Sweden)
Production: Passion Pictures
(Translated from French)
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