Jan 8, 2021

Cartoon Films: 5 promising projects from the first feature director

Just before Christmas, we profiled five projects due to be pitched at Cartoon Movie, Europe's leading co-production forum for animated features. Given the abundance of cool projects in the line-up, we're following up with a second preview of the event.

This list focuses on lesser-known filmmakers whose work has caught our eye over the years. The five films, which all mark their respective director's animated feature debut, are in various stages of development and production; Cartoon Movie will see them pitch their idea to European industry figures and try to secure new partners. As things stand, the event is due to be held in Bordeaux, France on March 9–11. Explore the full line-up here.

Director: Jola KudelaProducer: Nectarious Films (France); co-producer: Opus Film (Poland)Status: Concept

The Polish-born Kudela has an eclectic filmography: she has directed ads and music videos, composited on blockbuster franchises, and orchestrated murals in a range of cities. Her knack for mixing media comes through in this historical feature, which will combine 2d digital animation, painting, and live action. (Going by the image, so does her passion for street art.)

Director: Nadia MicaultProducer: Autour de Minuit (France); co-producers: Panique! (Belgium), Schmuby (France)Status: In development

Back in 2013, we were impressed by Micault's short film Sonata, an austere study of the movements of interpretive dance (watch it on Youtube). Shadows, a family-oriented fantasy about two young migrants (and based on the French graphic novel of the same name), projects a very different mood. Migration from Africa and Asia has been a live political issue in Europe for many years, and the subject is reflected in many projects at this year's forum.

Directors: Tibor Bánóczki, Sarolta SzabóProducer: Salto Films and Media Productions (Hungary); co-producer: Artichoke (Slovakia)Status: In production

Bánóczki and Szabó, the duo behind oddball festival darlings like the César-nominated Leftover, strike a characteristically bleak tone in their feature debut. White Plastic Sky is a dystopian eco-fantasy set in a future Budapest devoid of wildlife. The film combines 2d and 3d animation, harnessing rotoscoping; the artwork we've seen is atmospheric.

Director: Carol FreemanProducer: Paper Panther Productions (Ireland)Status: Concept

Paper Panther Productions, which Freeman co-founded, restlessly experiments with animation mediums, changing gear for each production. The studio made a splash with The Bird and the Whale, Freeman's handsomely realized paint-on-glass short; for her first feature, which she is also co-writing, Freeman turns to stop motion. She has form in children's storytelling, having illustrated a string of books for young readers. We're keen to see which way she steers this project.

Director: Catherine MaximoffProducer: Les Contes Modernes (France)Status: Concept

We're bending our own rule here: Maximoff has directed features before - just not in animation. Her background is in dance and the performing arts, the subjects of her various documentary profiles. For her animation debut, she's adapting Karel Capek's dark-as-night satirical sci-fi novel, which the Czech author wrote against the backdrop of Nazism's rise. It's an intriguing marriage about which we're keen to learn more.

Image at top: “War with the Salamanders”