The Cartoon Forum: More Advancements for Europe
Other Announcements The Golden Cartoon
At Syros, Cartoon also filled its role as industry platform announcing
that there would be a Cartoon Forum for feature films to galvanize that sector
of the industry. The event will bring together investors specifically interested
in the theatrical market and will probably take place in Germany, Italy, or
France, all of whom have offered to play host to the event which is likely
to take place next year.
The other big announcement was the establishment of the European Federation
of Animation Producers which was proposed by the four European syndicates
and producers associations of France (SPFA), Spain (AEPA), Cartoon Italia
(Italy), and PACT (UK). Each of these organizations has and is separately
organizing to promote its country's animation industry, but sees the need
for a Europe wide alliance to provide a cohesive structure and platform to
address issues that are of concern to European producers, such as the issue
of subsidy. For the first year this will be headed up by Paco Rodriguez, president
of the Spanish producers association, AEPA.
The finale of Cartoon was the awarding of the Cartoon d'Or which went
to Folimage's L'Enfant au Grelot (Charlie's Christmas). It's a double blessing for Folimage who
had previously won the coveted award for The Monk and the Fish in 1995.
L'Enfant au Grelot, a 26-minute film made by Jacques-Rémy Girerd,
recounts the story of Charlie, a little orphan found by a Jacques Tati-like
postman, who discovers he is the son of Father Christmas. A graduate of the
Ecole des Beaux Arts (Lyon), Rémy Girerd created the Folimage studio
in 1984 with a small group of like minded people. He's an author, director
and producer of shorts and TV series and a member of the Academie des Arts
et Techniques du Cinema. His illustrious career has included several awards;
in 1988 he was awarded the César for Le Petit Cirque de Toutes les
Coleurs, and now, ten years after directing children's short films, he's
venturing into longer films like L'Enfant au Grelot. Currently, he's
working on the script for a feature film The Frog's Prophecy, a project
which gives a modern perspective to the Biblical story of the flood.
Charlie's Christmas was up against stiff competition
for the Cartoon d'Or with one of the most favored contenders being Piet Kroon's
T.R.A.N.S.I.T.; made on cels and
with pencil on paper, the film presents a classic Twenties love tragedy as
a puzzle for the audience to unravel. Also up for the award was Joanna Quinn's
Famous Fred which, amongst other prizes, won the BAFTA Children's Award,
the 1996 Best Animation Prize and the Grand Prize for Best TV Special at the
Annecy Festival 1997. Meanwhile Charlie's Christmas, which won the
prize for Best Film for Young People at the Stuttgart Festival and the prize
for the Best TV Special at the Annecy Festival 1998, is being theatrically
released in France and Belgium starting on October 14, 1998.
Printer-friendly version
Post new comment