Annecy’s MIFA Feature Pitches 2023: Five Projects That Caught Our Eye
Another year means another exciting set of Annecy’s MIFA Feature Pitches from filmmakers with dreams of getting their personal, unique projects made.
This year’s eight pitches spanned grounded depictions of 1960s India, magical filters placed on Congolese culture, anthropomorphic watches, and almost everything in between. Diversity was not only found in the stories but in their countries of origin, with Asia, Africa, Europe, and North and South America all represented.
Each pitch displayed high potential through experimental ideas and techniques which audiences are increasingly craving. While the room seemed to be entranced by each story shown, here are five that stood out to us.
Heirloom
Country: India
Director: Upamanyu Bhattacharyya
Producer: Arya Menon
Looking for: Compositors, broadcasters, distributors, producers, and co-producers.
Based in 1960s Ahmedabad, India, Heirloom aims to take the viewer through the intricacies of the Indian textile industry. Similar to the work of those in the industry, Heirloom finds a painful, emotional story through the art of embroidery, a tale told through thread. That principle forms the basis of one of the film’s animation styles. Using frame-by-frame embroidery, the film recontextualizes characters who are introduced to us through 2d computer animation by literally placing them inside the fabrics with which they spend their lives.
The majority of the teaser shown during the pitch takes place outside of the fabric, where the world is dominated by sketch lines and color. Realism is sacrificed for vibrancy, creating packed frames with bold colors that reflect the loudness of India and the intensity of the story’s conflict. Director Upamanyu Bhattacharyya described a marriage in which the two parties drift apart in their life goals. One seeks comfort and the other expansion, eventually causing a collapse.
The Day Ewan McGregor Introduced Me to His Parents
Country: Spain
Director: Marta Puig
Producers: David Matamoros, Angeles Hernandez
Looking for: Broadcasters, distributors, producers, and co-producers.
Marta Puig was quick to mention that The Day Ewan McGregor Introduced Me to His Parents doesn’t actually feature the actor himself, but is instead directly inspired by Marta’s quest for motherhood and her journey through IVF. She spoke passionately about her fears of reaching 40 without achieving this goal and her fruitless quest to find a partner worthy of raising a child with (or even worthy of giving her an orgasm). Eventually, she shared the heartwarming revelation that she finally found parenthood, and is mother to a one-and-a-half-year-old girl.
While she spoke, a swirling sizzle reel of animation ran past our eyes displaying the soft pink and white color scheme. The animation is basic in a way that makes the story feel more personal and intimate, as if each frame is drawn by Marta herself. The teaser smoothly transitioned Marta through different stages of this process, every chapter feeling like a diary entry, something only achievable through an art style like this.
Mfinda
Country: Congo, United States, Japan
Directors: Gisaburo Sugii, Arthell Isom
Producers: Masao Maruyama, Christiano Terry, Shin Koyamada, Eric Beckman
Looking for: distributors, producers, co-producers & directors
The pitch for Mfinda was delivered in unfortunate circumstances as the creators of the film were unable to make it to Annecy. Instead, a more truncated presentation was delivered by producer GKIDS producer Eric Beckman and Don Hewitt, the film’s writer who had worked on the English-language translations of Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle. This fact is significant, as Mfinda was described as an Afro-anime. From the mind of Congolese-American creator Patience Lekien, Mfinda follows two young Congolese girls who trek through a forest of gods, spirits, and ancestors.
Lekien was set on having this representation of African culture be viewed through the lens of anime and recruited Gisaburo Sugii (Astro Boy) and Arthell Isom (Star Wars: Visions) to direct the film with Masao Maruyama (Perfect Blue) on board to produce it. From the stills that were shown, Mfinda looks to be a gorgeous odyssey through magical realms. The frames are detailed and comforting with green leaves perpetually basking in the background.
On the Run
Country: France
Director: Julien Bisaro
Producer: Claire Paoletti
Looking for: Broadcasters, distributors, producers, and co-producers.
From Schooom’s Oddysey director Julien Bisaro, the second pitch focusing on a quest for parenthood differed greatly from The Day Ewan McGregor Introduced Me to His Parents. First off, the main character of On the Run, La Petite Cavale in its native French, is a male penguin. He comes across an echidna egg and sees it as an opportunity to nurture a life in a way he has never been able to do. Cookie, the penguin, has lived his whole life domesticated in a New Zealand city. Through fatherhood, he learns to find freedom.
Producer Claire Paoletti was keen to focus on that theme of freedom. She talked about the film’s commentary on the relationship between humans and animals, on the morality of domestication, and what freedom can look like for animals in a human-dominant world. Standing out from the short teaser shown were not only the soft, pastel-like visuals but the lack of anthropomorphism. Cookie and the echidna are not given more human-like features, nor do they communicate through any human language. Chirps and squeals communicate all that is necessary.
Ogresse
Country: France
Directors: Cécile McLorin Salvant, Lia Bertels
Producers: Emmanuel-Alain Raynal, Pierre Baussaron, John Carlin
Looking for: Broadcasters, distributors, producers, and co-producers.
Of the eight pitches shown, Ogresse had the most unique backstory. The idea for the film manifested from Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Cécile McLorin Salvant. When playing at her piano, lyrics manifested in the form of this story about a female ogre, residing in a forest and eating villagers from a nearby settlement. Animation came to her mind when thinking over the best ways to express this story, causing her to reach out to Lia Bertels.
Few images were shown, but the world of Ogresse looks simple and enchanting. The stills were overwhelmingly colorful, boasting a glistening green forest and a silky stream of water. They were matched by an effervescent McLorin Salvant. She walked the audience through the first act of the story, almost performing it like a stage play or a guided meditation. Her captivating tone communicated her passion for this story and her excitement at realizing it through animation.
