Animation First On Tour 2023

Available through December 2023
Across the US



“France may be famous for its wine but it has another renowned export… that specialty, animated films, will be honored… by the French Institute Alliance Française.” — The New York Times, February 2, 2023

Following the success of the sixth edition of Animation First, the only US festival dedicated to French-speaking animation, FIAF is thrilled to launch Animation First On Tour.

Since its 2018 inception, Animation First has captivated New York audiences with its one-of-a-kind films and programs, including features, shorts, VR, AR, and video games. Animation First On Tour offers US cinemas, universities, and organizations the opportunity to present to their audiences films that are currently unavailable through traditional distribution channels. For the inaugural edition of Animation First On Tour, FIAF’s curatorial team has selected three feature films and two short film programs in collaboration with the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

The film program below is currently available to screen in the US at pre-negotiated rates. À la carte program selections are also available. Please consult these guidelines for additional details.

FILM SELECTION

Feature Film

Archipelago

Dir. Félix Dufour-Laperrière, 2021, Canada, Color. 72 min.
In French with English subtitles
Mature Audiences

2021 Rotterdam International Film Festival – Official Selection
2021 Annecy Internation Animation Film Festival – Official Selection – Contrechamps Jury Mention

  • Read More

    • Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s Archipelago offers a contemplative and poetic travelogue along the St. Lawrence River. It expands into a semi-fictional odyssey through the filmmaker’s native province: Quebec, captured in surprising, creative animation using a wide range of techniques. It is an imaginary documentary — linguistic, political, real and dreamt.

      Archipelago is a film made of drawings and speeches to tell the story of its inhabitants.

      “Through a lyrical, mainly animated journey along the Saint Lawrence river, this beguiling but nebulous film taps into the soul of a home land.” – Wendy Ide, Screen International

Feature Film

No Dogs or Italians Allowed

Interdit aux chiens et aux italiens

Dir. Alain Ughetto, 2021, France, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal, Color. 70 min.
Voiced by Ariane Ascaride and Alain Ughetto
In Italian and French with English subtitles
Ages 5 & up

2022 Annecy International Animation Film Festival — Jury Award
2022 Locarno Film Festival – In Competition

  • Read More

    • Told as a fictional dialog between Alain Ughetto, the filmmaker, and Cesira, his grandmother, this charming stop-motion film is a deeply personal, yet universal account of the hard-working Italian immigrants who fled poverty and fascism at the turn of the 20th Century. Wide-eye puppets face hardship with resilience and courage in a world where trees are broccoli, mountains are pieces of charcoal, and bricks are sugar cubes.

      While based on the personal tale of Ughetto’s family, the themes of the strength and courage it takes to immigrate and assimilate to a new culture will resonate with anyone who has been a new person in a new place.

Feature Film

The Island

L’île

Dir. Anca Damian, 2021, Romania, France, Belgium, Color. 84 min.
In English
Ages 10 & up

2022 Annecy International Animated Film Festival – Nominee, Best Feature Film
2022 Rotterdam International Film Festival – Big Screen Competition

  • Read More

    • One of the most remarkable artists working in animation today, Anca Damian, is back with an “upside-down” version of Robinson Crusoe, with an infusion of magic from The Little Prince and humor from Monty Python.

      In The Island, Robinson chooses his own exile on an island and Friday is the only survivor of a migrant boat that sunk in the Mediterranean. The two will share a desire to find freedom in a surreal world populated by outcasts and mermaids.

      Set to a score composed by the Balanescu Quartet, The Island is a visually rich and layered film, both a musical comedy and a surrealist tale where ecological concerns collide with the migrant crisis in a comic observation of a world that doesn’t quite “go round.”

      “This year, the brilliant auteur (Anca Damian) is back with a new movie that is ready to shake up the status quo, deliver eye-popping visuals and offer some clever insights about the human condition in the modern world.” — Animation Magazine

Shorts

Best of Annecy 2022

Mature Audiences

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival is the biggest animation film festival in the world. Straight from the 2022 edition, this program includes a series of notable international award-winning shorts selected by the Annecy Festival team. The program of 8 shorts is preceded by a tailor-made sequence created by students from Gobelins, l’École de l’Image (Paris).

8 shorts, 75 min

  • View Program
      • Watch Closely, Dir. Bertil Svanekiaer, Daria Skripka, Julia Grupińska, Poornima Subramaniam, Yuan Liu, and Yufan Chen.
      • Persona, Dir. Sujin Moon, South Korea, 2022, 6 min 45.
      • Terra incognita, Dir. Pernille and Adrian Dexter, Denmark, France, 2021, 20 min. In English.
      • The Record, Dir. Jonathan Laskar, Switzerland, 2022, 8 min 44. In French with English subtitles.
      • Steakhouse, Dir. Spela Cadez, Slovenia, Germany, France, 2021, 9 min 30. In Slovenian with English subtitles.
      • Of Wood, Dir. Owen Klatte, USA, 2022, 6 min 59.
      • Anxious Body, Dir. Yoriko Mizushiri, France, Japan, 2021, 5 min 47.
      • Amok, Dir. Balazs Turai, Hungary, Romania, 2022, 14 min 17.

Shorts

Best of Annecy Kids 2022

Ages 5 & up

Straight from the 2022 edition of the world famous Annecy International Animation Film Festival and curated by the Annecy Festival team, this program brings together some of the best animated shorts for children that will be a delight for parents and kids alike. The program of 7 shorts is preceded by a tailor-made sequence created by students from Gobelins, l’École de l’Image (Paris).

7 shorts, 55 min

  • View Program
      • Renouveau, Dir. Daniel Cuervo, Jiaxin Li, Jae Yeon Kim, David Cisneros, Zixiao Yue, Lwazi Msipha.
      • Luce and the Rock, Dir. Britt Raes, Belgium, France, Netherlands, 2022, 13 min.
      • Franzy’s Soup-Kitchen (La Soupe de Franzy), Dir. Ana Chubinidze, France, Georgia, 2021, 8 min 30.
      • A Story for 2 Trumpets (Histoire pour 2 trompettes), Dir. Amandine Meyer, France, 2021, 5 min 26.
      • Cat and Moth, Dir. India Barnardo, Canada, United Kingdom, 2021, 7 min 20.
      • Bellysaurus, Dir. Philip Watts, Australia, 2021, 7 min 49.
      • The Queen of the Foxes (La Reine des renards), Dir. Marina Rosset, Switzerland, 2022, 8 min 50.