Monster Distributes will bring the original half-hour model animated special APE to NATPE 2003. Set in New York and voiced by Alfred Molina, Dom Irrera and Michael McElhatton, APE tells the story of an orangutan who escapes from the zoo and, having learned to pass himself off as a man, goes on to become a famous chat show presenter, described as "a cross between Jay Leno and Tony Soprano." Written, directed and animated by Rory Bresnihan and produced by Robert Walpole and Paddy Breathnach of Treasure Entertainment, APE is an Ireland/UK co-production and was funded by RTEs IPU, RTE International, the Irish Film Board and the Film Council of the UK. APE premiered on RTE on December 26, 2002. Monster will also be offering the new series GIVE UP YER AUL SINS (7 x 5 minutes), including the Academy Award-nominated short of the same name, directed by Cathal Gaffney. Based on the 1960s recordings of young children telling Bible stories to their schoolteacher in a classroom, the series is being sold with a half hour "making of" companion documentary, which traces the history of the sound recordings and how they were rescued from the trash and ultimately brought to the Academy Awards forty years later. GIVE UP YER AUL SINS premiered on RTE Ireland on Christmas Day 2002 and is currently Irelands top selling video and DVD. At NATPE, Monster Distributes will be at the Ireland on Screen stand, booth 844.
