During the 23rd MFF Etiuda&Anima opening gala we are going to display “Louise in winter” – most recent movie by Jean-François Laguionie, one of the greatest masters of French animation, whose career started in 1960’s.

Born in 1939, Languionie made his debut in cinema in 1965 with a short film “La Demoiselle et le violoncelliste” (“The Maid and the Cellist”), that got awarded with a Grand Prix in Annecy International Animation Film Festival. This surreal story of cellist, who lets the storm loose with intensity of his music, then rescues a lady from the sea depths, has all the characteristics of Languionie’s style, like painterliness and elegiac mood of the stories. Next two Linguionie’s short movies „L'Arche de Noé” („The Noah’s Ark”) oraz „Une bombe par hasard...” („A Random Bomb”) were honoured with the Golden and the Silver Dragon in the Cracow Film Festival. „La Traversée de l'Atlantique à la rame” („Rowing across the Atlantic”) from 1978 was rewarded with the Golden Palm in Cannes Film Festival in 1978.

In 1980’s Languionie started working on full-lenght movies – so far he has made five ones. What’s interesting, music for his “A Monkey’s Tale” from 1999 was arranged by Alexandre Desplat – one of the most valued composers in Hollywood now and little-known creator of film music then. However, Languionie tends to keep off fame – in spite of numerous awards he stands outside the mainstream and concentrates on his artistic working.

So far movie Languionie’s „The Painting” from 2011 was his the most notorious one. Incredible story of creatures living in the undone painting. There are also some social divisions caused by being more or less completed. The fraction of the Allduns comes to power and tries to exterminate the Halfies and the Sketchies. “The Painting” is both visually beautiful and full of sociological, political overtones and existential questions of the Creator. The Halfies and the Sketchies goes out to find the Painter and force him to finish his piece.

Five years later he created another film „Louise in Winter”, which made very interesting processing of Robinson’s Crusoe story – the main character is an old lady on a seacoast, who has to fight for life all by herself. Her only companion were a talking dog that were voiced by the director.

Oskar Wanat

Louise in winter
Louise en hiver
(directed by Jean-François Laguionie, France/Canada 2016, 75’)

OPENING CEREMONY
22nd November (Tuesday), 7:00 PM
Małopolski Ogród Sztuki – Large Hall