Paris-based Kinology will handle international sales for “Ogresse,” a musical directed by Grammy winner Cecile McLorin Salvant and acclaimed animator Lia Bertels.
Helmed by Miyu Productions and adapted from a show Salvant has been touring since 2019, the animated fable combines digital 2D and stop-motion alongside a wealth of musical styles, ranging from ballads to jazz waltzes to baroque lamentos, which explore the fate of a misunderstood outsider who living alone in the forest and the heartache of a young knight sent to fatally win her heart.
After winning two awards at last year’s Mifa pitch session of the Annecy Animation Festival, the international co-production has become an industry buzz title, receiving support from the likes of Claude Barras, who will co-produce and stop-motion assistance through its Lausanne-based Helium Films banner.
Other production partners include the Belgian Umedia (“How to Have Sex”, “The Taste of Things”), the Luxembourgish Melusine Productions (“The Swallows of Kabul”) and the American music, animation and art world John Carlin.
“We are happy to finally collaborate with Miyu, who is without a doubt the most inspiring animation creator working today,” says Grégoire Mélin of Kinology. “And we are even more excited to participate in such a wonderful project. Everything we saw and heard in Cécile McLorin Salvant and Lia Bertels’ film was fascinating. We can’t wait to get started.”
“We are at a particularly exciting moment in animation,” says Emmanuel-Alain Raynal of Miyu. “Audiences, possibilities and stories are all opening up. This project originated as an American show, but was not as easily funded in the US. The fact that we were able to set up a film of this caliber as a European co-production is what our work is all about.
“By creating bridges we can support projects that might not otherwise see the light of day,” Raynal adds. “There is nothing more rewarding than combining our respective industries to support artists and bring their visions to the screen.”
