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| Wes Anderson selects David Hand’s Bambi |
Wes Anderson (Fantastic Mr. Fox, Isle Of Dogs and The French Dispatch) has selected four films that inspired him: David Hand’s Bambi (Disney, 1942), Martin Rosen’s The Plague Dogs (1982), and two shorts, Garry Trudeau’s A Doonesbury Special (1977), and Suzie Templeton’s Peter & The Wolf (2006) to screen during the French Institute Alliance Française Animation First Festival in New York, co-curated by Delphine Selles-Alvarez and Catherine Lamairesse.
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| Mathieu Amalric: Renaissance Man poster featuring Fantastic Mr. Fox and Julian Schnabel's The Diving Bell And The Butterfly Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze |
Michaël Dudok de Wit (The Red Turtle) was the honoured guest of the inaugural Animation First Festival in 2018, Michel Ocelot (Kirikou and the Sorceress) and Jean-François Laguionie (Gwen, The Book Of Sand) were the guests of honour in 2019 and 2020 respectively.
FI:AF President Marie-Monique Steckel: “This year's Animation First promises to be the richest in the Festival's history. We are delighted to have so many exciting new films, cult classics, and our first American special guest, Wes Anderson. It's particularly gratifying to offer, across the United States, at a very affordable price, the chance to discover the amazing world of French animation.”
Delphine Selles-Alvarez and Catherine Lamairesse: “This year's Animation First Festival is a treasure-trove that invites audiences to dive into the unbounded imaginations and creative worlds of today's animators and past pioneers. This year we are extremely proud to support the next generation of filmmakers through our first Student Film Competition. We're also honored that Wes Anderson contributed to the festival, allowing us to expand its vision beyond French animation."
The Plague Dogs, A Doonesbury Special, and Peter And The Wolf will screen virtually in the US throughout the French Institute Alliance Française Animation First Festival in New York which starts on Friday, February 5 and runs through Monday, February 15.
Bambi to screen virtually in French or Hindi with English subtitles from Friday, February 12 at 6:00pm to Sunday, February 14 at 6:00pm.
