Mosaic – the hit animated films of the year are coming to Anim’est

This year, the Mosaic section, presented by Cinemagia.ro, returns to Anim’est International Animation Film Festival with a unique selection of the hottest animation titles of the moment, short and feature length films awarded and selected at the most important international film festivals, winners or nominees at the Oscar, Bafta or César awards.

The Anim’est audience will get to attend the Romanian premieres of feature film hits like Metropia, A Town Called Panic, King of Thorn, Boogie the Slickster or The Illusionist, opening the fifth edition of Anim’est on Friday. October 8 2010, starting 7 p.m., at Patria Cinema. The Bucharest audience will also have the opportunity to attend a Romanian cinema premiere - Fantastic Mr. Fox, directed by Wes Anderson, starring the likes of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman or Bill Murray. The short films selection in the Anim’est hit-films section is also exciting: the Oscar winners for Best animated short film  in 2009, and 2010, The House of Small Cubes (dir. Kunio Katô, Japan, 2008) and Logorama (dir. François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy, Ludovic Houplain, France, 2009); the nominee for the same category in 2010 and winner of Best short film at the Stockholm Festival, The Lady and the Reaper (dir. Javier Recio Gracia, Spain, 2009); Please say something (dir. David O'Reilly, Germany – Ireland, 2009), Golden Bear winner for Best short film at the 2009 edition of the prestigious Berlin Film Festival; one of the most successful animated French films of 2009, The Man in the Blue Gordini (dir. Jean-Christophe Lie, France, 2009), selected in the official competition at Cannes Film Festival, Best debut film winner at the Annecy Festival and Audience Award winner at the important Animadrid Animation Festival, the latest films from reputed animators like Bill Plympton or Juan Pablo Zaramella, special guests at the previous Anim’est editions, are all just some of the 48 multi-award winning short films to be screened this year in Mosaic section, also competing for the Anim’est Audience Award offered by Cinemagia.ro.

The seven Mosaic feature films have been applauded by numerous audiences and own an impressive award record.

Boogie the Slickster (dir. Gustavo Cova, Argentina, 2009), selected for the Annecy Festival Official Competition, is the story of Boogie, the most feared paid assassin in town, a cold blooded man with his own set of rules. Women, alcohol, gunshots… it’s got it all! The inspired screenplay combines dark humour, amazing 2D sets and 3D graphics, offering a deadly dose of irony and extreme violence, in an irresistibly humorous style.

King of Thorn (dir. Kazuyoshi Katayama, Japan, 2009) is the definition of Japanese Sci-fi with an apocalyptic premise: Medousa is a deadly virus affecting the entire planet. With the hope that the future will bring a cure, 160 people are put into a capsule, in an ancient castle, where they will be left on cryostats. When the seven survivors wake up, they must fight monsters. The Japanese feature film is actually a hit of the most important fantasy film festivals: it is the Audience Award winner at the 2009 Montreal Fantasia Film Festival and it was selected in the 2009 Sitges International Film Festival competition.

Fantastic Mr. Fox (USA – Great Britain 2009), the eccentric animated film by Wes Anderson, Oscars, BAFTA, Golden Globes nominee and Annie Award winner for Best feature film screenplay, brings together the voices of Hollywood superstars  the likes of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman or Bill Murray in a hilarious and ironic parable. Mrs. and Mr. Fox live in a quiet home, with their son Ash and their grandson Kristofferson. After twelve peaceful years, their idealist existence begins to set its toll on Mr. Fox and his savage animal instinct. He soon goes back to his old habit, that of steeling chickens.

Vincent Gallo, Udo Kier, Stellan and Alexander Skarsgård are part of the cast of Nordic super-production, Metropia (dir. Tarik Saleh, Sweden-Denmark-Norway, 2009), grand prise winner at the 2009 Sitges International Fantasy Film Festival and Best Original Score in a movie winner at the Stockholm International Film Festival. The near future illustrates Europe when the world petrol reserve has been exhausted and societies have come together, creating an authentic underground network. Roger is from the suburbs of Stockholm and he constantly hears an unfamiliar voice in his head. To escape it, he turns for help to Nina.

Another Mosaic title you should absolutely not miss is A Town Called Panic (dir. Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar,  Belgium-France-Luxemburg 2009), the animated feature film that made a splash at the biggest film festivals around the world in 2009, selected at Cannes, Sarajevo, Toronto, awarded at the Austin Fantasy Film Festival and at the important Cinanima Animation Film Festival (Portugal). The story’s heroes are two absurd characters, making for a royal humour treat: the cowboy and the Indian are masters of catastrophe, even if they are mere plastic toys. While trying to throw an anniversary party for their friend, Cheval (Horse), instead of a gift, they manage to tear up his house. The three of them set off on a trip to the Centre of the World which triggers the beginning of an unbelievable adventure.

Despicable me (dir. Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin, USA, 2010), one of the hit animated films of the  moment, with famous cast members like Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Miranda Cosgrove or Julie Andrews, is a favourite at the Oscar and Golden Globes nominations for Best animated feature film. The film is the irresistible story of an impossible robbery: in a serene suburb surrounded with white picket fences and rose bushes, a grim looking house is deserted in the middle of an unattended lawn. This house hides a terrible secret none of the neighbours suspect. Backed up by an army of little people, evil Gru plans out a huge, astronomical robbery, the robbery of the century. They shall steal the moon!

The Illusionist (dir. Sylvain Chomet, Great Britain – France, 2010), the Anim’est 2010 opening film, completes the line-up for the celebrity-section of Anim’est. Jacques Tati and Sylvain Chomet’s screenplay focuses on an old magician, who becomes friends with a girl convinced of his supernatural powers. Forced by the obsolete nature of his craft to live a traveller’s life, illusionist Eisenheim meets young Alice during one of his shows, in the tavern of a remote village in Western Scotland. Alice is so impressed by the old man's tricks, that she travels alongside him all the way to Edinburgh, in what appears to be a magical adventure in itself. The film promises to win over the Romanian audience as well, after being extremely well received at every festival it showed at so far: Berlin, Karlowy Vary, Edinburgh, and Toronto 2010.