Michel Ocelot introduces the 20th anniversary screening of his beloved film, Kirikou and the Sorceress. The film enchanted audiences worldwide and marked a turning point in the industry, unleashing a renewed interest for original and audacious animated filmmaking in France.

Using his gorgeous trademark silhouetted style, Michel Ocelot conjures far-away lands of Indian palaces and Slavic castles in this film, named after a figure from Russian folklore.

A special homage to the late Isao Takahata, renowned filmmaker and co-founder of Japan’s famed Studio Ghibli, Only Yesterday will be introduced by Animation First’s Guest of Honor Michel Ocelot.

Inspired by the life of his mother, Funan by Denis Do is a beautiful story of resilience in the face of unspeakable hardship. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Denis Do.

Jacques Colombat offers a poetic, whimsical, and original take on the Daniel Defoe classic, Robinson Crusoe.

Based on the novel by Jack London, this elegantly-animated adaptation follows a young wolf-dog pup through a series of encounters in the Yukon Territory during the 1890s gold rush.

Sensual, naughty, poetic, and risqué works that celebrate passion, desire, and fantasy through sublimely creative and unconventional filmmaking.

This program features student-made documentary shorts from Angouleme-based EMCA school of animation and the prominent CREADOC university program.

Enjoy a collection of notable films straight from the 2018 edition of the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, the biggest animated film festival in the world.

The pinscreen instrument produces beautiful and lyrical black and white short films. See the early films by pinscreen inventors Alexandre Alexeïeff and Claire Parker, alongside later films by Jacques Drouin, Michèle Lemieux, and Justine Vuylsteker.

Followed by Q&A with filmmakers Alexandre Rockwell and Michèle Lemieux, and from CNC, Jean-Baptiste Garnero and Sophie Le Tétour, .

This collection of spooky, imaginative, gripping, and out-of-this-world works expand the science fiction and suspense genres in animation.

See eclectic shorts selected by Animation First 2019 guest of honor, Michel Ocelot, highlighting films that have nourished his own career as a filmmaker.

See a diverse selection of comedic shorts featuring witty, burlesque, absurd, and darkly humorous works.

This special closing night program will celebrate some of the best short animated films from the past year, four shorts in the running for the 2019 César Award for Best Animated Short.

This extract from a documentary series detailing the formative experiences of master filmmakers making their first films captures Michel Ocelot discussing the process behind Kirikou and the Sorceress. The 26-minute clip will loop throughout the weekend.

Legendary director Michel Ocelot will discuss his career from the critical success of Kirikou and the Sorceress to his most recent feature, Dilili in Paris, which premiered in France in June 2018.

Special guests from Atari and Ubisoft will discuss the history of video games, current trends, and predictions for the industry. They will address the various steps in making a video game, and skills needed to work in the industry.

Join Canadian filmmaker Michèle Lemieux and representatives of France’s national agency for cinema (CNC) for an in-depth conversation on the pinscreen instrument.

Emmanuel Linot and Jean-François Szlapka from the French-based virtual production studio SolidAnim will discuss techniques that they used to create visually stunning effects for the film White Fang and other projects.

Co-directors Zabou Breitman and Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec, and actress Hiam Abbass present an intimate behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Swallows of Kabul, a film based on the bestselling novel by Yasmina Khadra.

Play a selection of exciting video games and check out new demos developed by Bordeaux-based studios as well as Ubisoft in Montreal.

This exhibition presents the work of Angouleme-based students from their final year at EMCA, one of the top animation schools in France.

Head to the FIAF Gallery to experience thrilling virtual reality works from France and francophone countries. Discover digitally created worlds imagined, past, present, and future.

See artist Vergine Keaton’s powerful I was crying out at life (2009) on synchronized electronic billboards throughout Times Square nightly from 11:57 to midnight.

French entrepreneurs at the forefront of the digital animation industry—Aymeric Castaing, Emmanuel Linot, and Olivier Palmieri—will speak about the latest cutting-edge digital technologies and techniques used as storytelling tools in the entertainment and cultural sectors, and beyond.

Children and adults will discover the magic of pulling and pushing pins on the screen to create their own images through shadows and light and animate them through stop motion.

Alexandre Noyer will lead eight participants in the creation of a collective short film using a pinscreen instrument.

During Animation First 2019, FIAF will offer masterclasses and discussion with leading filmmakers from France at educational institutes around New York City.

Directed by French animation legend Michel Ocelot, this beautiful film has a strong message about tolerance, respect for women, and the need for compassion.