Close to 900 animation professionals will soon be setting off for Bordeaux where the 22nd edition of Cartoon Movie is due to kick off tomorrow, with 66 feature film projects hailing from 20 European countries on the bill, all at different stages of development (28 in concept, 27 in development, six in production and five in "sneak-preview" form) and aimed at varying audiences (37 for families, 14 for young adults and above, 10 for children, three for teenagers and two for preschoolers). Scheduled to unfold between 3 – 5 March, the event has only been very mildly impacted by the coronavirus, with just a few Chinese, South Korean and Italian attendees pulling out of the trip.

On the topic of "sneak preview" extracts on the agenda, the platform will feature The Crossing [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by France’s Florence Miailhe, Calamity, a Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Henri Magalon
scheda film] by her compatriot Rémi Chayé (who made quite an impact with his previous opus Long Way North), Raggie [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Estonian director Meelis Arulepp and Danish filmmaker Karsten Kiilerich, The Elfkins – Baking the difference [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Germany’s Ute von Münchow-Pohl, and Ella Bella Bingo by Norwegian directors Frank Mosvold and Atle Blaskseth.

A heavy presence of animations hailing from the Old Continent is on the cards, with 23 projects (plus six minority co-productions) representing France this year. Standing especially tall amongst these are a number of enticing titles currently in development, one of which being The Legendaries by Guillaume Ivernel (produced by Pan-Européenne, Belvision and Maybe Movies), which sees the director of Dragon Hunters try his arm at a "high fantasy", 3D film, adapted from the famous comic book series of the same name.

Other French projects in development include Detective Kibbles, the first feature-length animation by Benoît Delépine (who was very recently awarded the Golden Bear at the 70th Berlinale for his work Delete History [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Jacques-Rémy Girerd |
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Catching our eye amongst the various films “in concept” are Melvile by Romain Renard (overseen by Belgian group Need Productions and Paris’s Les Films d’Ici), The Character of Rain by Liane Cho-Han (an adaptation of Amélie Nothomb’s eponymous novel whose production is entrusted to Maybe Movies and Ikki Films) and The Horn Quartet: Go to the Sacred Cow Country by Arnaud Demuynck and Benjamin Botella (steered by Vivement Lundi! alongside Belgium’s La Boîte Productions).

Last but not least, shining bright in the category of “in production” is My Neighbors' Neighbors [+leggi anche:
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Spain is on the rise with nine projects in the showcase, including film in development They Shot The Piano Player [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Javier Mariscal, Tono Erra…
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Germany is continuing its tradition of solid animation production, offering up a total of six projects, with works in development including The Amazing Maurice by Tobias Genkel and Florian Westermann (produced by Ulysses Filmproduktion alongside Ireland’s Cantilever Media) and The Last Whale Singer by Reza Memari (steered by Telescope Animation in league with Czech firm PFX and Canada).

Denmark will also boast a presence with five projects, including two works in development: I Am Helena by Karla von Bengtson (produced by Copenhagen Bombay) and Panda Bear in Africa by Karsten Kiilerich and Richard Claus (produced by Dutch outfit Cool Beans and Danish group A. Film Production).

Italy is likewise in the game, bringing three projects to the table, including work in production Yaya e Lennie - The Walking Liberty [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Alessandro Rak
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intervista: Alessandro Rak
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Other films in production worth a mention are The Island [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Romania’s Anca Damian (an Aparte Film production made in league with Belgian firm Take Five) and Even Mice Belong In Heaven [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by the duo Denisa Grimmová - Jan Bubenícek (a production steered by Czech group Fresh Films alongside Slovakia’s CinemArt, France-based Les Films du Cygne and Poland’s Animoon).

“In concept” films drawing our gaze include Lala – A Fairy’s Heart by Hungary’s Attila Gigor (steered by Mythberg Films and Librecine) and the Austrian project Hikari by Santiago López Jover (Digital Light Factory Spezialeffekte and Aichholzer Filmproduktion), whilst those in development chiefly include The Shrew of Destiny by Poland’s Marcin Wasilewski (based upon Tomasz Samojlik’s graphic novels – produced by EgoFILM, Grupa Szacznego/GS Animation, Paris/Hendzel CO.Studio and PRL, alongside Bulgarian group Studio Szmei) and A Winter’s Journey by Alex Helfrecht (whose acquisition was announced in Berlin by international sales agent mk2 Films – read our news).

This year’s edition of Cartoon Movie event will shine a light on Luxembourg, a territory from which two projects have been selected: work in development Molesworth by Uli Meyer (co-produced by Mélusine Productions alongside British firm Lupus Films and Uli Meyer Studios) and work in production Ooops! The Adventure Continues…) by Sean McCormack and Tobias Genkel (co-produced by La Fabrique d’images alongside German outfit Ulysses Filmproduktion and Ireland’s Moetion Films).

Since 1999, Cartoon Movie has helped to secure funding for upwards of 364 films. The event is organised by Cartoon with the support of Creative Europe - Media, the CNC, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region, Bordeaux Métropole, INVEST Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Bordeaux City Hall and Pôle Image Magelis.