To the Brigh Side
“TO THE BRIGHT SIDE” – XIYA LAN, NIANZE LI, YI ZHAO, GAOXIANG LIU, MAONING LIU, CHEN CHEN – (CHINA); The Chinese animation film “To The Bright Side”, directed by Lan Xiya, Li Nianze, Zhao Yi, Yu Kun, Liu Gaoxiang, Liu Maoning and Chen Chen, will premiere in Portugal, at CINANIMA, on November 7th, 6:30pm The work seeks to show the vision of seven directors from various animation schools from all over the country. The films are inspired by seven illustrated books where each theme is explored by different visual styles of animation, such as ink painting, paper cutting, watercolor and collage. This anthology film, composed of seven animated stories, portrays “love and emotion” and family and personal relationships in China, exploring themes such as mother and child relationships, sibling relationships, and good neighbor relationships. The work portrays various facets of everyday life in the country, such as family, food, and community. “To The Bright Side” offers a journey to China past and present, urban and rural, in contemporary or fantastic settings. All the stories are about love, growth, and maturation, although the protagonists are as diverse as a family of rabbits or a child with his grandmother in the countryside.
Dozens of Norths
“DOZENS OF NORTHS” – KOJI YAMAMURA – (JAPAN) The Japanese animation film “Dozens of Norths”, by Koji Yamamura, will premiere in Portugal at the 46th edition of CINANIMA, on November 8, 6:30 p.m., at Sala António Gaio. The work brings the dark vision of the world of the acclaimed animator, with desolate landscapes, based on a series of illustrations and texts that Yamamura had created following the great earthquake in Japan in 2011 The animator makes his feature film debut with his signature hand-drawn animations, with music by Willem Breuker. The dark and sinister worldview, but marked by black humor, is presented by the suffering caused by real world events, the absurdities and tragedies of our existence. The director warns that his memories of the “Norths” he has visited are fragmented and unclear.
No Dogs or Italians Allowed
The 46th session of CINANIMA features the national premiere of the film “No Dogs or Italians Allowed” by Alain Ughetto. The director’s personal story intersects with the portrait of a not-so-distant past Europe.
The international co-production (France, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, Portugal) premieres in Portugal at CINANIMA, on November 9, at Sala António Gaio, at 6:30 pm.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the Ughetto family faces severe hardship in their home village, Ughettera, in northern Italy. Luigi Ughetto pursues the job opportunity and crosses the Alps to France in search of new opportunities for the whole family. It is his grandson, Alain Ughett, who tells his story through conversation.
Cesira, the director’s grandmother, is the one who tells the story of Luigi. The second of eleven children, Luigi crosses the Alps to France in search of a new life, like so many Italians. It is while working on the road that crosses the Alps that Luigi falls in love with the foreman’s daughter, Cesira. The young couple makes their living in France and it is this story about the Europe of wars, hunger and fascism that intersects with the story of the couple and their descendants. Millions of Italians have ventured to the four corners of the world, taking their dreams and culture expressed in music and dance.
“At family dinners, my father used to tell us that there was a village in Piedmont, Italy, called Ughettera, where all the inhabitants had the same name as us. When he died, I went to see if this village existed. There was: Ughettera, the land of the Ughetto! My investigation started there, nine years ago, just like the film. In the cemetery, I didn’t find either my grandfather Luigi’s grave or that of my grandmother Cesira. What happened?” explains Alain Ughetto.
When he visited Ughettera, the director collected various everyday objects, such as coal, broccoli, chestnuts. “When I returned to my studio, with all the things I had gathered there, I composed a decoration. Broccoli turned into trees, coal turned into a mountain, sugars turned into bricks… In the heart of my workshop, with Jean-Marc Ogier and his team, we are rebuilding this disappeared world. We remember our father, our mother, a little bit of our grandparents, but beyond that not much: it’s black, it’s darkness, it’s the big story”, says the director.
My Grandfather’s Demons
The Demons of my Grandfather The Portuguese film “Os Demónios do Meu Avô”, by Nuno Beato, will be screened at CINANIMA, on November 10, in the António Gaio Room, at 6:30pm Inspired by the incredible clay figures of ceramist Rosa Ramalho, the film focuses its narrative and aesthetic bases on Portuguese culture Rosa’s life is entirely dedicated to her work, she is a top professional, highly rated in the business market and leads a demanding life. But the death of her grandfather, from whom she had distanced herself due to her work, puts her choices in doubt. Rosa decides to set out to find the place of her childhood memories, and ends up finding a group of clay demons modeled by her grandfather who seem, at times, to come to life, advising and guiding her and comforting her, as he would have done himself. Os Demónios do meu Avô is the first national feature film in puppet animation (stop motion).
Nayola
Nayola The animated feature film by José Miguel Ribeiro, “Nayola”, will be screened on November 11, at 6:30 p.m., at Sala António Gaio The film with a script by Virgílio Almeida is based on a play written by José Eduardo Agualusa and Mia Couto, and crosses three generations of women with the Angolan civil war as a backdrop. The story of Lelena, the grandmother, Nayola, the daughter, and Yara, the granddaughter, contains a heartbreaking secret, a reckless search, a battle song. Nayola sets out in search of her missing husband in the theater of war. Decades later, the country is at peace, but Nayola has not returned Yara has become a rebellious teenager and a subversive rap singer. Lelena tries to contain her for fear that the police will come to arrest her. One night, a masked intruder breaks into their house, armed with a knife. This encounter will change their lives.
