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Desert Island Series....Independents on the shore!!!

It takes unique talent, persistence, and lots of creative confidence to be an independent filmmaker in today's animation global market, especially in the feature film arena.

I had a chance to catch up with some of the best for this month's island retreat--Bruno Bozetto (Allegro Non Troppo), Richard Williams (The Thief and the Cobbler [Arabian Knight]), R.O. Blechman (L'Histoire du Soldat) and Bill Plympton (The Tune).

Bruno Bozetto's top 10 picks if stranded on a desert island... "Personally, if I were stranded on a desert island I prefer taking Sharon Stone rather than 10...

It takes unique talent, persistence, and lots of creative confidence to be an independent filmmaker in today's animation global market, especially in the feature film arena.

I had a chance to catch up with some of the best for this month's island retreat--Bruno Bozetto (Allegro Non Troppo), Richard Williams (The Thief and the Cobbler [Arabian Knight]), R.O. Blechman (L'Histoire du Soldat) and Bill Plympton (The Tune).

Bruno Bozetto's top 10 picks if stranded on a desert island..."Personally, if I were stranded on a desert island I prefer taking Sharon Stone rather than 10 films."

Bruno Bozetto's Allegro Non Troppo.

8 1/2 by Frederico FelliniFantasia by Walt DisneyStagecoach by John FordThe Gold Rush by Charlie ChaplinAmarcord by Fredercio FelliniMr. Hulot's Holidays by JacquesTatiBambi by Walt DisneyStar Wars by George LucasThe Shining by Stanley KubrickDances with Wolves by Kevin Costner

"Working on an independent production taught me to give the right importance to the artistic ideas, never forgetting the commercial side of the matter. Sometimes it is exhausting to create under these conditions, because you are directly involved artistically and financially, but the liberty of action you have is absolutely invaluable".

Richard William's top 10 picks...Rashomon by Akira KurosawaSeven Samurai by Akira KurosawaIkiru by Akira KurosawaYojimbo by Akira KurosawaHigh and Low by Akira KurosawaThe Quiet Duel Akira KurasawaSnow White and the Seven Dwarfs by Walt DisneyDumbo by Walt DisneyCity Lights by Charlie ChaplinBabe by Chris Noonan

Funniest cartoon: King Size Canary by Tex AveryBest timing ever: One Froggy Evening by Chuck Jones.

Serigraph poster done by Blechman for exhibition at Gallery Bartsch and Chariau, Munich. © R. O. Blechman.

R. O. Blechman's top 10 picks ...

"This is probably a very incomplete list since 1) I haven't seen many films in the past several years and 2) I don't remember the names of some favorites (such as a Canadian film which came and went like a meteor. I saw it in The New York Film Festival several years ago, and it never found distribution. The Subject matter? A Canadian woman impregnated by an Italian tomato--I'm not making this up!) Anyway, here's my incomplete list..."

Citizen Kane by Orson WellesBreathless by Jean-Luc GodardHate by Mathieu KassovitzLamerica by Gianni AmelioWoman in the Dunes (Suma no Onna) by Hiroshi Teshigahara (after all, I am on a desert island so I'd like the company.)A Sort of Autobiography by Akira KurosawaThe Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann (It's set in Switzerland, so that's nice for desert reading)War and Peace by LeoTolstoy (The Simon & Schuster edition because it has a separate glossary of characters.)Ulysses by James Joyce (because I never finished it).The Idiot by Feodor Dostoyevsky (I read it years ago and loved it.)

Bill Plympton's top 10 picks ...This Is Spinal Tap by Rob ReinerArsenic & Old Lace by Frank CapraIt's A Wonderful Life by Frank CapraDr. Strangelove by Stanley KubrickBaby Doll by Elia KazanThe Producers by Mel BrooksReservoir Dogs by Quentin TarentinoAkira by Mamoru Oshii & Katsuhiro OtomoThe Beast of the City by Charles BrabinThe Tune by yours truly