Yahoo Movies Top Latin American Toon Showcase Animation! WIPs Unveiled by Ventana Sur, Annecy Festival (EXCLUSIVE)
Organized alongside the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and its MIFA market, Ventana Sur’s Animation! has announced the five Latin American titles that will comprise its 2022 Works in Progress strand, unspooling Nov. 28-Dec. 2 in Buenos Aires.
The section curates feature-length animation projects from Latin America and, since 2020, has expanded its platform, hosting productions from Spain and Portugal.
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Brazen animation auteur Brazil’s Otto Guerra and co-director Tania Anaya will present buzz title “The Son Of A Bitch.” Guerra is no stranger to the event: His feature project “City Of Pirates” was an Annecy Works in Progress selection in 2017. “The Son Of A Bitch” stands as the most provocative of the bunch, promising to push the boundaries, something Guerra does well.
Another anticipated selection is “Sultana’s Dream” from Spanish director Isabel Herguera (“La Gallina Ciega”), named a talent to track by Variety in 2017. Galician producer-turned-director Chelo Loureiro, who recently served as executive producer on the Alberto Vasquez award-circuit stunner “Unicorn Wars,” backs the project.
This year, themes range from the fantastic and fabled to the monstrous and nostalgic, with additional projects representing Spain, Argentina and Mexico. Adult themes of prostitution and an escape from an old folks’ home mingle comfortably among stories for all ages that bolster discussion of gender roles and honor native histories.
Selections will be available to guests in attendance, a play to showcase ever-burgeoning Latin American talent, allowing potential partners, sales agents and distributors to attend screenings and network with producers and directors.
ANIMATION! BY ANNECY WORKS IN PROGRESS
“ Sultana’s Dream,” (Isabel Herguera, Spain, Germany)
Young artist Inés struggles to dream before stumbling upon a book by Bangladeshi author Rokeya Hossain that reveals an alternate world called Ladyland, where women are at the helm and men live secluded. Fascinated by the story, Inés travels to India in search of the author and any remnants of her fabled feminist realm.
Fusing 2D, cut-out and Mehndi animation techniques, “Sultana’s Dream” presents a textured look at gender equality. The narrative borrows from Herguera’s own accounts and marks her animated feature debut. The project reps a fruitful co-production between Loureiro’s Abano (“Decorado”), El Gatoverde Producciones (“Homomaquia”), Sultana Films, Germany’s Fabian & Fred (“Däwit”), and Bilbao-based UniKo Estudio (“Birdboy”).
“Hanna And The Monsters,” (Lorena Ares, Spain, Belgium)
A parallel universe hides a world where monsters roam free, safe from pesky humans until five-year-old Hanna winds up there. Panic ensues as they try to return her to her rightful domain. Along the way, nefarious Cyclops and Gargoyle kidnap her to close the portal between the two worlds for good. Yeti, SheWolf, Closet, and Nessy set aside their differences and band together for a complicated rescue.
Produced by Barcelona-based Doce Entertainment and Mr. Miyagi Films, who also teamed for David Bisbano’s “Dalia And The Red Book,” alongside Belgium’s Animation Studio and Production Company, Fabrique Fantastique (“Juul”), the film mixes 2D and 3D animation to bring the rich and fantastic characters to life.
“Kiribati: An Old Adventure,” (Alejandro Carlini, Marcos Valdivia, Argentina)
On the tail of a lottery win but trapped behind the impermeable doors of a maximum security nursing home, Yermo, his grandson Luisito and a gang of his elderly peers hatch a haywire plan to skirt the grasp of callous headmistress Dora to help Yermo escape, cash in on his hefty earnings and fulfil his dreams that might finally deliver him to Kiribati.
A star-studded voice over cast led by beloved Argentine singer and actress Rita Cortese (“Relatos Salvajes”) and Pepe Soriano (“Nocturna Side A: The Great Old Man’s Night”) add vigor to the highly amusing narrative. Produced by Carlini, Valdivia and Agostina Salvarredi and Argentina’s Ideas Fijas (“Pintor Magico”) and San Luis Cine, the film uses vivid 3D animation to breathe life into a precocious cast of characters and the backdrops that carry them from scene to scene.
“The Son Of A Bitch,” (Otto Guerra, Tania Anaya, Brazil)
Ishmael is from the backlands of Minas Gerais, where his mother’s brothel business has him pegged around town as “the son of a bitch.” That title wears thin, and he flees to the city with his dog: an arduous journey ensues as he deals with situations that force him back toward the town he meant to leave for good. The film is crafted in 2D, with raw and gritty illustration.
Produced by Guerra and Anaya’s own Otto Desenhos Animados and Anaya Produções, Brazil’s Lança Filmes (“Megalobox”) handles distribution.
“The Mark Of The Jaguar” (Victor Mayorga Figueroa, México, Brazil, France)
Mayorga pays homage to Aztec mythology and heritage in the project that follows protagonist Xilacatzin, tasked with battling darkness with the help of his tight-knit community. While on this intense hero’s journey, he’ll learn to accept himself while honoring tradition, going to great lengths to save humanity from evil forces lurking under the surface.
The film includes a score that features “Las Abejas,” a group of indigenous musicians and survivors of the 1997 Acteal Massacre, lending further cultural depth to an already faithful reworking of ancestral lore.
2D Animation Techniques and saturated, striking color palettes that coincide with the cultural richness portrayed throughout the film, lend depth. The project was presented at Ventana Sur’s 2016 Animation! Pitching Sessions and is produced by Mexico’s Ocelotl Company (“El Que Vendrá”) and Bye Bye, Brazil’s Origem Productora (“Meu Tio José”) and Paris-based HeCat Studios (“Hadido And The Red Flower”).
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