Cinema Oh La La!

The filmmaking community is strong in France. After the U.S., France is the next country we receive the most submissions from almost every year and they are always a joy to consider. This year’s selected shorts contain a wide variety of narratives. Several animations were inspired from the poems of Andrée Chedid (GIRLS OF THE WIND and TRAILS OF THE MORNING). Another tells the story of a spider who overcomes her fear of humans. Last but not least is the award-winning MUM IS POURING RAIN which conveys the beautiful story between “Granny Onions” and her granddaughter.

CALL AND RESPONSE – A top jazz figure is coming to town in search of the next great performer. Two auditioning rivals find that combining their talents creates a colorful performance that could win the judges’ attention. (2021 / 6 mins / France / dirs. Morgane Duprat-Peter, Daphné Kutnowski, Yoann Bouabré, Sélena Aledji, Anthony Okoko, Laura Sadi Honniball / in French w/English subtitles / ages 8+)

MUM IS POURING RAIN (Maman Pleut des Cordes) – Jane is looking forward to spending Christmas with her mom, but she’s sent to her grandma’s instead. She’s disappointed about the change in plans but makes lots of friends who help Jane inspire her mom to get back on her feet. (2021 / 26 mins / France / dir. Hugo De Faucompret / in French w/English subtitles / ages 8+)

HUNGRY (La Fringale)– An authoritarian schoolteacher reprimands rule-breaking children before joining them in bending the rules. Inspired by a poem by Andrée Chedid. (2021 / 3 mins / France / dir. Raphaelle Martinez / in French w/English subtitles / ages 8+)

HOW I OVERCAME MY FEAR OF HUMANS (Comment j’ai vaincu ma peur des humains) – Dedaliah is a spider. Near-death, she wonders: if she hadn’t been so afraid of humans, could she have gone to New York with her best friend? (2020 / 6 mins / France / dir. Hélène Ducrocq / in French w/English subtitles / ages 8+)

GIRLS OF THE WIND (Les Filles du vent) – A young girl with an independent streak searches for freedom, when the Daughters of the Wind visit to encourage her rebellious ways. Inspired by a poem by Andrée Chedid. (2021 / 3 mins / France / dir. Heloise Ferlay / in French w/English subtitles / ages 8+)

THE SLEEPING PRINCE – Tom’s dad is too busy to tell him a story, so he invents one himself with all of his favorite characters — pirates, knights, cowboys, dragons and a T-rex! This animated mash-up of genres turns the typical fairy tale on its head. (2020 / 5 mins / France / dir. Nicolas Bianco-Levrin / in French w/English subtitles / ages 8+)

THE SEAGULLS (Les Mouettes) – A young woman recalls a day she spent on the pond with her grandfather. Sometimes just one day in your childhood stands out for the subtlest of reasons. Inspired by a poem by Andrée Chedid. (2021 / 3 mins / France / dir. Lara Mattelart / in French w/English subtitles / ages 8+)

TRAILS OF THE MORNING (Épreuves du matin)– When the sun oversleeps, it falls to a little girl to wake him up. A touching tale of celestial friendship. Inspired by a poem by Andrée Chedid. (2021 / 3 mins / France / dir. Masa Avramovic / in French w/English subtitles / ages 8+)

KIKI THE FEATHER – Kiki the canary longs to be free. One day, he gets his chance when his cage is left open. After one scary night, a fellow feathered friend takes him under his wing. (2021 / 6 mins / France / dirs. Nicolas Bianco-Levrin, Julie Rembauville)