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Rai Fiction Brings Mifa Star 'Calimero' to Annecy

Two titles co-produced by Rai Fiction have been selected for competition in the International Animation Film Festival held in Annecy, France, with a third title, Calimero, will be the star of the gala opening night at the Mifa animation film market.

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Two titles co-produced by Rai Fiction have been selected for competition in the International Animation Film Festival held June 10-15, 2013 in Annecy, France:  the animated series Mofy, and the animated feature Pinocchio by Enzo d’Alò. While a third title, currently under production, will be the star of the gala opening night at Mifa, the animation film market, one of the world’s most important events in the animation sector alongside the festival itself. We’re talking about Calimero, who will be officially celebrating his 50th birthday in Annecy.

Born in 1963, a product of the imagination of Nino and Toni Pagot and Ignazio Colnaghi, who created the character for a famous advertisement on the Italian television show Carosello, the cult black chick will soon be returning to TV screens with 104 11-minute 3D episodes coproduced by French company Gaumont Animation and Rai Fiction, together with Studio Campedelli, Calidra, TF1 and Disney Junior.

In Annecy, for this special occasion, established and emerging artists will paint their new interpretations of the iconic character on replicas of the eggshells Calimero has famously worn to cover his head. These eggshells will then become part of a travelling exhibition taking off in Paris to reach all the main European capitals where the programme is scheduled to be aired. Finally, at the end of the tour, the paintings will be auctioned to raise funds for Les Toiles Enchantées, a charity set up in 1997 and represented by French actor and director Alain Chabat, which offers hospitalized children and teenagers the opportunity to see all the latest film in hospital. Before Calimero the charity has been helped by artists of the calibre of Tim Burton, Vanessa Paradis, Céline Dion and Jodie Foster.

Mofy, a female bunny rabbit who lives in a puffy cotton ball, is the heroine of the TV series, directed by Francesco Misseri, Monica Fibbi and Gian Maria Misseri, based on the books by Japanese illustrator Aki Kondo, and already a huge publishing success in her country,  produced by Rai Fiction with Misseri Studio and Sony Creative Products.

Aimed at pre-school children, Mofy will be competing for the best TV series award with another 24 animated productions from around the world. Rai TV’s first ever Italian/Japanese coproduction, Mofy is entirely made in Italy using an original cotton animation technique. The never aired before series feature 26 5-minute episodes with a second season already under production.

Enzo d’Alò’s Pinocchio, on the other hand, is already in movie theatres. Written with Umberto Marino, featuring the drawings of internationally renowned illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti and music by the late Lucio Dalla, this animated feature retells the adventures of the cult wooden puppet created by Collodi. Produced by Cometafilm, Iris Productions, Walking the Dog, 2D-3D Animation, in cooperation with Rai Fiction, Pinocchio by Enzo d'Alò is the crowning of an artistic and productive dream which began many years ago. The pilot for the film, a three-minute short produced by Turin’s Lanterna Magica and Rai TV, won in Annecy itself in 2001. Today the full-length feature version, after praises from audiences and critics alike, is competing alongside another 8 films for the prestigious Cristal Award, the prize for best animated feature.

Finally, on Wednesday, June 12, Luca Milano, Rai Fiction’s marketing and animation manager, will be the speaker at a meeting on coproduction and pre-purchase opportunities, featured as part of the new section organized by Mifa, entitled “Share with,”to offer potential partners a preview on Rai’s investment strategies in the animation sector.

PROGRAM OF EVENTS

Monday, June 10

2:00pm screening of Mofy (Décavision Salle 2)

2:00pm screening of Pinocchio (Décavision Salle 1)

Tuesday, June 11

2:00pm screening of Pinocchio (Décavision Salle 2 e 3)

Wednesday, June 12

4:00pm “Share with” Luca Milano, Rai Fiction marketing and animation manager (Salon Haendel B – 5th floor, Impérial Palace)

8:00pm screening of Mofy ( Salle Pierre Lamy)

8:30 pm screening of Pinocchio (MJC Novel)

Thursday, June 13

2:00 pm screening of Pinocchio (MJC Novel)

6:00 pm screening of Pinocchio (La Turbine)

Saturday June 15

10:30 am screening of Pinocchio (Les Haras)

10:30 am screening of Pinocchio (Salle des haras)

Source: Rai Fiction

Jennifer Wolfe's picture

Formerly Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network, Jennifer Wolfe has worked in the Media & Entertainment industry as a writer and PR professional since 2003.

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