Mermaid to open the event
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE SUMMITS OF ANIMATION CINEMA
Still from the film Mermaid
The festivities begin Monday with Mermaid by Sepideh Farsi, a drama set during the war between Iran and Iraq in 1980 which is reminiscent of the classic Waltz with Bachir. This initiatory tale about a teenager who seeks to make a difference is full of dark areas marked by violence and desolation, but also bright moments where resistance and solidarity are in the spotlight. Contrasts that we find within the refined drawings which combine 2D and 3D, and the formidable soundtrack which brings together the jazz of Erik Truffaz and the theme of Goldorak. The director will be present for the presentation on May 6.
May 6 at 6:30 p.m. and May 7 at 6 p.m.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE SUMMITS OF ANIMATION CINEMA
Still from the short film Table
Short films for everyone
Short film screenings are the manna of the Animated Cinema Summits. Between a selection of queer films, productions dedicated to experimentation (under the name Grand Angle) and creations noted in Annecy (the Mecca of animated cinema), there is something for all tastes. Canadian Competition 2 contains some impressive gems, including two world premieres. Pin screen specialist, Michèle Lemieux revisits with her magnificent Table a portrait of Queen Marie-Anne of Austria painted by Velázquez. For his part, Arash Akhgari is interested in mass media with his flamboyant Surfacewhich perfectly deciphers the spirit of the times.
May 7 at 8:30 p.m. and May 10 at 6:30 p.m.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE SUMMITS OF ANIMATION CINEMA
Still from the film Adam is slowly changing
Adam is slowly changing
Anyone who grew up in the 1990s will immediately recognize themselves in this outrageous portrait. Adam, 15, is the bully of those around him, seeing his body change depending on the teasing and negative comments he receives. Using an aesthetic Beavis and Butt-Head, Quebecer Joël Vaudreuil brilliantly alternates between satire and unease, drawing on a deliberately typical humor to bring out an often unsuspected darkness of the situations and characters. Adolescence is far from being a long, quiet river and this first feature film, which won the Grand Prize at the Niigata International Animated Film Festival, in Japan, is a clear reminder of that.
May 8 at 5 p.m. and in theaters from June 7
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE SUMMITS OF ANIMATION CINEMA
Still from the film White Plastic Sky
White Plastic Sky
What first catches the eye in this luxurious Hungarian production directed by Tibor Bánóczki and Sarolta Szabó is the breathtaking quality of the rotoscope animation. She brings extra soul to this ambitious odyssey taking place in a dystopian future where the planet is dying and human beings cannot exceed the age of 50. The reflection on love, time, and life may not be new, but it benefits from rich ecological and metaphysical considerations that constantly raise the stakes. The contemplative pace and climate of melancholy make it the best science fiction film since Dune: Part Two.
May 9 at 4:45 p.m. and May 10 at 7 p.m.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE SUMMITS OF ANIMATION CINEMA
Theodore Ushev retrospective presents eight short films by the filmmaker.
Retrospective Theodore Ushev
For 25 years, Theodore Ushev has revolutionized Quebec animation with his unique style. For the occasion, we will be able to see or rewatch eight short films by the filmmaker of Bulgarian origin. A retrospective which includes some older essays (the always impactful Tower Bawher And Drux Flux), the impressive Lipsett’s journals in homage to Canadian experimental filmmaker Arthur Lipsett, as well as the touching Physics of sadness which masterfully mixes spleen and poetry. The fun continues with the exhibition The matter of memorywhich is being presented as a Canadian premiere at the Cinémathèque québécoise until September 22, and which brings together more than 200 original works.
May 10 at 5:30 p.m.
Engrave the man: focus on Pierre Hébert
The Animation Cinema Summits end with the presentation of this very beautiful documentary by Loïc Darses (The end of the land). For more than 50 years, Pierre Hébert has been erecting a monumental work, he who specialized in engraving on film. Free and radical, creation flows in his veins. It is precisely this inspiration and this persistence that this revealing project attempts to illustrate, the form of which, fluid and fragmented, follows the approach of its subject. The intimate and personal effort tends to reach the universal in its way of recalling the importance of art in everyday life.
May 11 at 7:30 p.m. and on display from May 12
Visit the Animated Cinema Summits website