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Tales of the Night (Les contes de la nuit)

Directed by: Michel Ocelot

Cast: Julien Bermis, Marine Griset

Running Time: 1 hour 25 mins

Rating: Not Rated

Showtimes at Piff: Sunday 2/12 5:30pm at Whitsell Auditorium, Wednesday 2/15 6:15pm at Whitsell Auditorium, Saturday 2/18 1:00pm at World Trace Center Theater Complete Piff Schedule

Plot: A group of animated actors act out a series of folktales from around the world.

Who’S It For? Fans of folktales and fairy tales who appreciate stylish animation.

Overall

Ocelot, director of 1998′s Kirikou and the Sorceress, directs another film about folktales and fables. This time, a man and woman in a theater act out the parts from a series of stories about princes, princesses, good and evil. The stories were interesting, and all new to me. I got very caught up in some of them. But the most remarkable feature of the film is the animation styles.

Each year the Sitges Film Festival commercial spot is almost as eagerly awaited by the general public as its lineup, and Rafa Antón, creative director of the China agency and the man responsible for its campaigns over the last ten years, has presented this year’s commercial, entitled "Alter Ego". In addition, the preliminary lineup for the Festival has been revealed, but it's not complete by any means. More will be announced throughout the month.

Antón presented the commercial at the Velodrome, property of the brand, along with Festival director Angel Sala and one of Sitges 2011’s partners Moritz Beer.

As explained at the presentation of the Sitges 2011 posters, artificial intelligence is this year’s central theme, represented through the geminoids created by professor Ishiguro in Japan. For the commercials, Rafa Antón stated that he’d “continued with the same commemorative leitmotif of the tenth anniversary of Artificial Intelligence (Steven Spielberg...

From the 12th to the 27th of October the 55th BFI London Film Festival brings its annual box of delights to the capital. Earlier today the full programme was announced, and it look like being another fine year.

We already know that Fernando Meirelles’ latest 360 will open proceedings on the 12th and fifteen days later Terence Davies’ The Deep Blue Sea will bring the festival to a close but there are many more great films to come and see in London this October.

There was a familiar feeling creeping across the audience this morning that a lot of the films had, like last year, already played elsewhere but this is only a small consideration when you consider the scope of the festival’s remit. To bring a vital, fresh and horizon-expanding series of features, shorts and documentaries is no easy task, and while the more well known films have played...

It may be a holiday here in the States, but it's business as usual for the rest of the world, as evidenced by the news breaking today regarding the 2011 Sitges Film Festival, held 6-16 October on the Catalan coast of Spain. We have for you info on the fest's opening film as well as a programme preview.

From the Press Release: Sitges 2011 delves into the concept of artificial intelligence, examining how it’s been discussed in film and what its future prospects are in regard to fiction and reality.

With the tenth anniversary of A.I. (Steven Spielberg, 2000) as a point of contact, the Festival will consider the questions that inspired Kubrick and Spielberg for this project: the emotional intelligence of machines and communication between synthetic intelligences.

China, The Festival’s advertising agency, has developed this year’s posters based on the geminoids created by Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro in Japan. According to Rafa Antón,...

Here’s a new stunning trailer for Michel Ocelots Les Contes de la Nuit (Tales of the Night) that (even) I would love to enjoy in 3D just to see how they managed to combine the “new” technology with traditional silhouette animations. The film premiered during this years Berlinale in February and will open in French theaters in July.

Synopsis:

Every night, a boy, a girl and an elderly technician meet in a closed, rather dilapidated old cinema. But the old picture palace harbours a secret. If truth be known, the cinema is a magical place where the three friends enjoy rummaging about, fantasising, dressing up and playing parts in make-believe stories which, at night, become all too real for the three friends. For this is the time when sorcerers and elves take over in the auditorium, courageous stable hands long for beautiful princesses, werewolves howl and hard-hearted ladies swish their heavy silk skirts.

French animator Michel Ocelot should need no introduction around these parts, the creator of Kirikou and Azur And Asmar being a long time favorite.Ocelot's latest feature - Les Contes De La Nuit - is a spin off from his recent television series Dragons And Princesses and the first time the cut-out, lightbox style of animation he explored in his early television work has made it to the big screen. It's also the first time Ocelot has worked in 3D and if the fusion of cut out animation and 3D technology is surprising to you, well, you're not the only one. But you can take a look at the trailer below to get a taste of what he's doing with the technology.Les Contes De La...