The three nominees in the new category EFA Animated Feature Film talk about their movies
There’s a new kid on the block – and it’s animated! For the first time the European Film Academy will present an award in the category EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY ANIMATED FEATURE FILM in this year’s European Film Awards.
A jury consisting of EFA Board Members Per Holst (producer, Denmark) and Antonio Saura (producer, Spain) as well as representatives of CARTOON, the European Association of Animation Film, Agnès Bizzaro (program consultant/ editor, France/Germany), Enzo d’Alo (director, Italy) and Joanna Quinn (director, UK) decided to nominate the following three films
MIA AND THE MIGOO (Mia et le Migou, France 2008) by Jacques-Rémy Girerd, the story of a young girl’s journey in search of her father who is working at the building site of a luxury hotel in the middle of a hidden forest. Deep in the woods, she encounters the mysterious creature Migoo.
NIKO & THE WAY TO THE STARS (Niko - Lentäjän poika, Finland/Germany/Denmark/Ireland 2008) by Michael Hegner & Kari Juusonen, an adventure tale about the young reindeer Niko who is still learning how to fly. He sets out for a quest to find his father, a famous member of the legendary Santa Flying Forces.
THE SECRET OF KELLS (Brendan et le Secret de Kells, France 2009) by Tomm Moore, set in the 9th century in the remote parts of Ireland where the fortified Kells Abbey is threatened by the Vikings: Twelve-year-old Brendan explores the art of illuminating the darkness and discovers the means of protection against the raids of the barbarians.
French director Jacques-Rémy Girerd describes the style of his film MIA AND THE MIGOO: “It is a 2D animation film. The movie was created with 500 000 hand-made drawings. The traditional methods had a significant role to play in the creation process; every drawing has then been finalized on computer, to improve the quality of each picture. The movie clearly depicts the synthesis between traditional handmade methods and modern technologies in creation of the animation. We then use the most efficient part of each method.”
For Michael Hegner it’s the story that makes his film NIKO & THE WAY TO THE STARS unique: “The film deals with relations, and questions if the traditional family is the only right way. Something a lot of kids with divorced parents and rather advanced family structures know about these days. I guess this makes it a bit unique, since it is at the same time an animated adventure for the whole family… any kind of family.”
Finnish co-director Kari Juusonen adds: “The story challenges the traditional model of a perfect home for a child and suggests that the most important thing is love. Every kid deserves to feel like he is appreciated and loved, and this feeling he can have with anyone who is willing to commit and really be part of his life.“
And Irish director Tomm Moore emphasises the specific historical artwork that is the basis of his film THE SECRET OF KELLS: “My film tells the story of a young boy, Brendan, and his quest to complete the Book of Kells. The Book of Kells is Ireland's national treasure, an amazingly intricate illuminated manuscript created around 800 AD by artist-monks in Iona, Scotland and Ireland. I think it’s unique in a number of ways; the art style we chose is very unusual, a flat 2D look based on art from The Book of Kells and art from the Middle Ages in general. The story is a universal one but also very unique to Irish culture.”
European Animation in the Spotlight
Asked about the importance of a European animation award, Marc Vandeweyer, General Director of CARTOON, points out: “The creation of a category for animated feature films is a great recognition of the European creativity and quality of animation. The award will allow to put European animation in the spotlight and furthermore increase its visibility, which will be a good impulse.”
The nominees agree. “This is a real gratitude for our profession and for all the European artists and technicians who are working in the cinema industry”, says Jacques-Rémy Girerd. For him, “this is proof that genres of cinema are getting closer. In fact, there is only one cinema which takes a lot of forms. The only important thing is the quality of a film. I would like to congratulate the EFA initiative which bears a modern vision of the cinema.”
Kari Juusonen thinks that the award „shows that European animation is recognised as an important part of European cinema and culture. On the other hand, it is not all that important for me to emphasise [the different] categories inside the art of cinema. It is all make-believe, like David Mamet has said. “
For Tomm Moore, “animation can be used to create films in any genre, thriller, comedy, drama, anything! We have more feature films being produced here now, in an amazing array of styles with so many varied subject matters. Awards help draw attention to this.” And he adds: “For me personally it’s a great honour, of course, to be nominated in the first year of [the] EFA animation award!“
Michael Hegner underlines that animation can be used as a choice of expression for any genre. “European animation is very diverse, so I hope the award will actually help some of the best, and most original, animated movies from Europe to reach further, and to be seen by more people. If the award can do that, we, the creators, will get better opportunities to make more films. I think this is the most important purpose of the award.”
Their movies may be diverse and multi-faceted but the nominees all agree on one thing: that European animation is unique and different from both the American animation blockbusters and Japanese Anime: “Not just in the fact that our European stories are unique but also in how we think about film, how we tell stories and how we see the world”, says Tomm Moore. And Jacques-Rémy Girerd adds: “Because of our rich graphic, literary and pictorial heritage, we are able o create original designs and original stories.” Kari Juusonen agrees: “We have a wonderful tradition of philosophy, art and culture in Europe. Now Europe is changing rapidly, and art and culture has to follow, but we should not lose ourselves or try to invent any artificial opinions or identities. If we are true to our history and talk with our own voice about present-day issues, we can make unique European films.“
