Viva Carmen!, A Spectacular Animest.21 Opening Night Inspired by Bizet's Music

This year's festival edition will officially kick off with the premiere of Viva Carmen!, Sébastien Laudenbach's feature film presented in 2026 at Cannes as part of the Quinzaine des Cinéastes and selected in the official competition at Annecy.

Known to animation aficionados for films such as The Girl Without Hands and the multi-award-winning Chicken for Linda, Laudenbach returns with a bold animated feminist reframing of Georges Bizet's masterpiece.

Drawn in free and fluid strokes by graphic artist Cyril Pedrosa together with Éléa Gobbé-Mévellec and Elodie Remy, the impressionistic moving painting visual style lends Amine Bouhafa and Isabelle Laudenbach's soundtrack a special force, beautifully complemented by artist Camélia Jordana's voice in the role of the protagonist.

Set in the bustling Seville of 1845, Viva Carmen! follows young Salvador, a knife grinder's apprentice gifted with the mystical ability to glimpse the future in sharpened blades. Discovering that the fascinating Carmen is doomed to a tragic end at the hands of the soldier José, Salvador musters an eclectic band of misfit street kids, led by the spirited Belén, to defy the course of fate and save Carmen, thus overturning the classic tragedy.

This thrilling animated adventure turns Seville into a dramatic backdrop as the courage of youth collides with the shadows of destiny, ultimately offering audiences of all ages a timeless story about passion, freedom and sacrifice.

Where: Peasant Museum Cinema

When: Friday, October 2, 2026, 7 PM

Trailer: Watch the teaser on YouTube

Tickets: Buy your ticket on Eventbook