Fresh from the Festivals: March 2001's Film Reviews
Within the world of animation, most experimentation occurs within short format productions, whether they be high budgeted commercials, low budgeted independent shorts, or something in between. The growing number of short film festivals around the world attest to the vitality of these works, but there are few other venues for exhibition of them or even written reviews. As a result, distribution tends to be difficult and irregular. On a regular basis, Animation World Magazine will highlight some of the most interesting with short descriptive overviews.
This Month:
La Danse des Asperges Sarrasines (The Dance of the Saracen Asparagus) (1999), 4.5 min., directed by Christophe Le Borgne, France. Info: Cartooneurs Associes, 162 rue du Chateau, 75014 Paris, France. Tel: 33-1-45422356. Fax: 33-1-43206470.
Fur & Feathers (2000), 5.5 min., directed by Maria Vasilkovsky, USA. Info: Maria Vasilkovsky, P.O. Box 31035, Los Angeles, CA 90031, USA. Tel: 323-221-3797. E-mail: mvasilkovsky@yahoo.com.
Og møllen Drejer (Run of the Mill) (2000), 8 min., directed by Borge Ring, Denmark/Netherlands. Info: A.Film, Aase Moresco, Tagensvej 85 F, DK 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark. Tel: 45-35-82-70-60. Fax: 45-35-82-70-61. Email: mail@afilm.dk. URL: http://wwwafilm.suite.dk.
Ring of Fire (2000), 15 min., directed by Andreas Hykade, Germany. Info: GAMBIT, Alexander Funk, Konigsale 43, D-71638 Ludwigsburg, Germany. Tel: 49-7141 125-179. Fax: 49-7141-125-175. E-mail: a.funk@gambit-film.de. URL: http://www.gambit-ringoffire.de/.
Still Life with Animated Dogs (2001), 27 min., directed by Paul Fierlinger, USA. Info: Susan Senk PR, Susan Senk, 18 East 16th Street, New York, NY, USA. Tel: 212-206-8974. Fax: 212-229-0266. Email: SusanSenkPR@msn.com.
If you have the QuickTime plug-in, you can view a clip from each film by simply clicking the image.
The Dance of the Saracen Asparagus
The Dance of the Saracen Asparagus, directed by Christophe Le Borgne. © Christophe Le Borgne.
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In this humorous first work, director Christophe Le Borgne goes inside the brain of a psychotherapy patient as he confronts the vegetative demons from his childhood. Pictured as a downtrodden figure in a prison suit alone in a barren black and white landscape, the protagonist -- guided by the clinical, soothing voice of the therapist -- must deal with the incursions of an increasingly hostile environment. Eruptions and sinkholes gradually give way to the eponymous hordes of asparagus, which wreak their vengeance in a variety of multi-hued forms. Yet the little man survives the assault and, shaken but triumphant, prepares for the next step toward his liberation.
Le Borgne's film, made with pencil and aquavel on paper, again demonstrates the ability of simple drawings to create a very particular world and to serve as a powerful tool in dealing with sometimes recondite subject matter (and threatening vegetables). The Dance is helped immeasurably by a carefully synchronized score composed by Agnès Alouges and performed by a small chamber group of winds, strings and percussion, and by the voice of Catherine Mouchet.
The director studied engineering at the Ecole Centrale de Lyon and, since 1996, has been a member of Cartooneurs Associés, where he has worked on several series for French TV. He also publishes his cartoons in magazines. The Dance of the Saracen Asparagus was screened at Annecy 2000 and a number of other festivals.
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