Dir. Michel Ocelot, 2022, France, Belgium, Color. 83 min.
In French with English subtitles
In competition, 2022 Annecy International Animation Film Festival
French author Michel Ocelot is back with an exquisite collection of humanist tales celebrating courage and the will to fight injustice. Audiences will be transported to three worlds, during three different periods in history.
In Ancient Egypt, a young king becomes the first black pharaoh to marry the woman he loves. During the French Middle Ages, a mysterious orphan steals from the rich to give to the poor. In 18th century Turkey, a prince of pastries and a princess of roses escape the palace to live their love. With his trademark animation and ingenious use of color, illuminations, cut paper, and shadow puppets, Ocelot transports us into a memorable world of great beauty and universal fables.
Voiced by Aïssa Maïga, Oscar Lesage, and Claire de La Rüe du Can.
“The film is visually exquisite and could only be the work of Ocelot.” – Screen Daily
“Michel Ocelot’s animated films are tales of staggering beauty, which chant, in a fantastic tone, desire, love and cruelty of the trials of reality and threatening death.” – Positif
Trailer
About Michel Ocelot
In 1998, the public discovered director Michel Ocelot with his first feature Kirikou and the Sorceress.
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His other animated features include Princes and Princesses (2000), a fairy tale told through silhouettes, and Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (2005), co-directed with Bénédicte Galup. His fourth feature film Azur & Asmar: The Princes’ Quest (2006), set on the banks of the Mediterranean Sea, was selected by the 2006 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Directors’ Fortnight. His short films include The Three Inventors (BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film, London, 1980), and The Legend of the Poor Hunchback (César Award for Best Animated Short, Paris, 1983). His latest feature, The Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princes (2022), transports audiences to three worlds, during three different periods in history.
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