Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer will deliver a keynote address at the View Conference in Turin, Italy, in October. In addition to Zimmer, the conference has also lined up Cartoon Saloon’s Nora Twomey, director of last year’s Academy Award-nominated animated film “The Breadwinner.”
Zimmer has amassed a collection of awards including an Oscar for his work on “The Lion King,” two Golden Globes (“The Lion King” and “Gladiator”) and four Grammys (two for “The Lion King” plus wins for “Crimson Tide” and “The Dark Knight”). He received a Stephen Hawking Medal for his work on “Interstellar” and has more than 100 other awards and even more nominations across a number of organizations. His work can be heard in some of the biggest film and TV projects around the world. He was most recently nominated for an Oscar for his “Dunkirk” original score.
He is one of the most sought-after composers...
Zimmer has amassed a collection of awards including an Oscar for his work on “The Lion King,” two Golden Globes (“The Lion King” and “Gladiator”) and four Grammys (two for “The Lion King” plus wins for “Crimson Tide” and “The Dark Knight”). He received a Stephen Hawking Medal for his work on “Interstellar” and has more than 100 other awards and even more nominations across a number of organizations. His work can be heard in some of the biggest film and TV projects around the world. He was most recently nominated for an Oscar for his “Dunkirk” original score.
He is one of the most sought-after composers...
- 7/25/2018
- by Terry Flores
- Variety Film + TV
Denis Do’s Funan wins best feature.
Nora Twomey’s The Breadwinner received three prizes at the Annecy International Animation Festival (which ran June 11-16).
Scroll down for full list of winners
The film picked up the jury award and the audience award in the competition section, as well as the best original music for a feature film prize from the special awards. It is based on Deborah Ellis’ novel and follows a young Afghan girl living in a Kabul, a city under siege.
Best feature film went to Denis Do’s Funan, about a Cambodian family torn apart by...
Nora Twomey’s The Breadwinner received three prizes at the Annecy International Animation Festival (which ran June 11-16).
Scroll down for full list of winners
The film picked up the jury award and the audience award in the competition section, as well as the best original music for a feature film prize from the special awards. It is based on Deborah Ellis’ novel and follows a young Afghan girl living in a Kabul, a city under siege.
Best feature film went to Denis Do’s Funan, about a Cambodian family torn apart by...
- 6/18/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
A courageous girl seeks to save her father from the Taliban in Nora Twomey’s magical adaptation of Deborah Ellis’s novel
Further proof that we are living through a golden age of animation is provided by this Oscar-nominated marvel from Kilkenny’s Cartoon Saloon, the studio behind The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea. An Irish-Canadian-Luxembourgish co-production, adapted from Deborah Ellis’s much-loved Ya novel, it’s a tale of youthful fortitude in Taliban-era Afghanistan that has something of the defiant feminist spirit of the French-Iranian gem Persepolis.
Flitting between a mythical past and a down-to-earth present, the story is full of scary monsters – from fantastical demons to all-too-real landmines and brutal beatings. Yet The Breadwinner looks through the eyes of a resilient young girl whose courage is our guide. Along with the eerie beauty of the animation there is a salving streak of humour that softens this tale’s sharper edges,...
Further proof that we are living through a golden age of animation is provided by this Oscar-nominated marvel from Kilkenny’s Cartoon Saloon, the studio behind The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea. An Irish-Canadian-Luxembourgish co-production, adapted from Deborah Ellis’s much-loved Ya novel, it’s a tale of youthful fortitude in Taliban-era Afghanistan that has something of the defiant feminist spirit of the French-Iranian gem Persepolis.
Flitting between a mythical past and a down-to-earth present, the story is full of scary monsters – from fantastical demons to all-too-real landmines and brutal beatings. Yet The Breadwinner looks through the eyes of a resilient young girl whose courage is our guide. Along with the eerie beauty of the animation there is a salving streak of humour that softens this tale’s sharper edges,...
- 5/27/2018
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
MaryAnn’s quick take… Beautiful and startling, bursting with both brutality and hope, this animated adventure is too intense for young children, but the brains and bravery of its young heroine will inspire older kids and adults alike. I’m “biast” (pro): I’m desperate for movies about girls and women
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto) women’s participation in this film
(learn more about this)
Opportunity” means something radically different and simpler for 12-year-old Parvana (the voice of Saara Chaudry), growing up in Kabul under the Taliban in 2001, than what we in the West think of. When her father is unjustly arrested — the charge regards owning books and teaching his daughters to read, both heinous crimes under the harsh regime — her family is left with no male chaperone for her, her older sister,...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
I have not read the source material
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto) women’s participation in this film
(learn more about this)
Opportunity” means something radically different and simpler for 12-year-old Parvana (the voice of Saara Chaudry), growing up in Kabul under the Taliban in 2001, than what we in the West think of. When her father is unjustly arrested — the charge regards owning books and teaching his daughters to read, both heinous crimes under the harsh regime — her family is left with no male chaperone for her, her older sister,...
- 5/25/2018
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
How do you keep your family going in Kabul when the only male provider has been imprisoned? Parvana steps up in this delightful film
There’s a calmness and clarity to this engaging animation, exec-produced by Angelina Jolie, and directed by the Irish film-maker Nora Twomey, co-director of The Secret of Kells, which – like this – earned her an Oscar nomination for best animated picture. It is based on the Ya novel by Deborah Ellis. Saara Chaudry voices Parvana, a young girl in Kabul, Afghanistan, which after the Soviet war is under the brutal and woman-hating control of the Taliban. When Parvana’s free-thinking schoolteacher dad Nurullah (Ali Badshah) is imprisoned for the equivalent of thought crime, there are no working-age men left in Parvana’s family: just a mum, an older sister and a baby brother. So Parvana cuts her hair, pretends to be a boy and earns money by...
There’s a calmness and clarity to this engaging animation, exec-produced by Angelina Jolie, and directed by the Irish film-maker Nora Twomey, co-director of The Secret of Kells, which – like this – earned her an Oscar nomination for best animated picture. It is based on the Ya novel by Deborah Ellis. Saara Chaudry voices Parvana, a young girl in Kabul, Afghanistan, which after the Soviet war is under the brutal and woman-hating control of the Taliban. When Parvana’s free-thinking schoolteacher dad Nurullah (Ali Badshah) is imprisoned for the equivalent of thought crime, there are no working-age men left in Parvana’s family: just a mum, an older sister and a baby brother. So Parvana cuts her hair, pretends to be a boy and earns money by...
- 5/24/2018
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
The director on leaving school at 15, working with Angelina Jolie on her first solo feature The Breadwinner, and fighting cancer
Nora Twomey is a 46-year-old Irish animator and co-founder of the revered, Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon. She was co-director, with Tomm Moore, of 2009’s The Secret of Kells and head of story on Song of the Sea (2014), both of which were nominated for Academy Awards. Her first solo feature, The Breadwinner, is set in Kabul in 2001 and follows a young girl who disguises herself as a boy to support her family after her father is arrested by the Taliban. That, too, made this year’s shortlist for best animated film at the Oscars – not bad going for a woman who left school at 15 without completing her Leaving Certificate.
The Breadwinner was originally a 2000 novel by Deborah Ellis – you’ve said, after reading it, you felt compelled to make the film. What...
Nora Twomey is a 46-year-old Irish animator and co-founder of the revered, Kilkenny-based Cartoon Saloon. She was co-director, with Tomm Moore, of 2009’s The Secret of Kells and head of story on Song of the Sea (2014), both of which were nominated for Academy Awards. Her first solo feature, The Breadwinner, is set in Kabul in 2001 and follows a young girl who disguises herself as a boy to support her family after her father is arrested by the Taliban. That, too, made this year’s shortlist for best animated film at the Oscars – not bad going for a woman who left school at 15 without completing her Leaving Certificate.
The Breadwinner was originally a 2000 novel by Deborah Ellis – you’ve said, after reading it, you felt compelled to make the film. What...
- 5/20/2018
- by Tim Lewis
- The Guardian - Film News
Event was delayed due to the extreme weather in early March.
Nora Twomey’s animation The Breadwinner has received the audience award at Dublin Film Festival, in a closing to the event delayed by the severe weather in early March.
The film, which was nominated for best animation at the 2018 Oscars, had its Irish premiere in February at the festival. Based on Deborah Ellis’ novel, it depicts Parvana, an 11-year-old girl from the streets of Afghanistan whose family fights for a better life under Taliban rule.
Kilkenny-based studio Cartoon Saloon provided animation for the film, which will be released in...
Nora Twomey’s animation The Breadwinner has received the audience award at Dublin Film Festival, in a closing to the event delayed by the severe weather in early March.
The film, which was nominated for best animation at the 2018 Oscars, had its Irish premiere in February at the festival. Based on Deborah Ellis’ novel, it depicts Parvana, an 11-year-old girl from the streets of Afghanistan whose family fights for a better life under Taliban rule.
Kilkenny-based studio Cartoon Saloon provided animation for the film, which will be released in...
- 4/26/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
The Breadwinner (Nora Twomey)
In the Taliban-controlled Afghan city of Kabul, Nora Twomey’s debut film as sole director (she co-helmed Oscar nominee The Secret of Kells) depicts an eleven-year old girl facing the futility her future inevitably holds. Adapted by Anita Doron from the award-winning novel by Deborah Ellis, The Breadwinner delivers a heart-wrenching coming-of-age tale within a nation that’s lost its way. The shift was virtually...
The Breadwinner (Nora Twomey)
In the Taliban-controlled Afghan city of Kabul, Nora Twomey’s debut film as sole director (she co-helmed Oscar nominee The Secret of Kells) depicts an eleven-year old girl facing the futility her future inevitably holds. Adapted by Anita Doron from the award-winning novel by Deborah Ellis, The Breadwinner delivers a heart-wrenching coming-of-age tale within a nation that’s lost its way. The shift was virtually...
- 2/23/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Seeing her latest directorial outing, First They Killed My Father, selected as the Cambodian entry this year for Best Foreign Language Film, humanitarian and Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie has also been making the rounds of late in support of The Breadwinner, Nora Twomey's Oscar-nominated animated feature, which she produced. Based on a best-selling novel by Deborah Ellis, The Breadwinner tells the story of Parvana, a young Afghan girl whose father is sent to…...
- 2/21/2018
- Deadline
Irish animator Nora Twomey didn’t need Angelina Jolie to make the Oscar-animated “The Breadwinner.” The production was already fully financed by Cartoon Saloon in Kilkenny, Ireland, Aircraft Pictures in Toronto, and Melusine Productions in Luxembourg.
However, Twomey didn’t want Jolie’s name; she wanted her mind. This would be Twomey’s first outing as a solo director, and she recognized early on that she could use Jolie’s expertise on Afghanistan, where the U.N. Goodwill Ambassador has built schools for girls. Twomey wanted to tackle a sensitive drama about political oppression with adult sophistication and style; the story is based on Deborah Ellis’ 2000 Ya novel about a tough 11-year-old girl who dresses as a boy in order to feed her mother and sisters when her father is captured by the Taliban.
So Twomey reached out to Jolie through mutual friends Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer, the Egyptian...
However, Twomey didn’t want Jolie’s name; she wanted her mind. This would be Twomey’s first outing as a solo director, and she recognized early on that she could use Jolie’s expertise on Afghanistan, where the U.N. Goodwill Ambassador has built schools for girls. Twomey wanted to tackle a sensitive drama about political oppression with adult sophistication and style; the story is based on Deborah Ellis’ 2000 Ya novel about a tough 11-year-old girl who dresses as a boy in order to feed her mother and sisters when her father is captured by the Taliban.
So Twomey reached out to Jolie through mutual friends Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer, the Egyptian...
- 2/15/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Irish animator Nora Twomey didn’t need Angelina Jolie to make the Oscar-animated “The Breadwinner.” The production was already fully financed by Cartoon Saloon in Kilkenny, Ireland, Aircraft Pictures in Toronto, and Melusine Productions in Luxembourg.
However, Twomey didn’t want Jolie’s name; she wanted her mind. This would be Twomey’s first outing as a solo director, and she recognized early on that she could use Jolie’s expertise on Afghanistan, where the U.N. Goodwill Ambassador has built schools for girls. Twomey wanted to tackle a sensitive drama about political oppression with adult sophistication and style; the story is based on Deborah Ellis’ 2000 Ya novel about a tough 11-year-old girl who dresses as a boy in order to feed her mother and sisters when her father is captured by the Taliban.
So Twomey reached out to Jolie through mutual friends Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer, the Egyptian...
However, Twomey didn’t want Jolie’s name; she wanted her mind. This would be Twomey’s first outing as a solo director, and she recognized early on that she could use Jolie’s expertise on Afghanistan, where the U.N. Goodwill Ambassador has built schools for girls. Twomey wanted to tackle a sensitive drama about political oppression with adult sophistication and style; the story is based on Deborah Ellis’ 2000 Ya novel about a tough 11-year-old girl who dresses as a boy in order to feed her mother and sisters when her father is captured by the Taliban.
So Twomey reached out to Jolie through mutual friends Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer, the Egyptian...
- 2/15/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
When the Academy opened up voting for animated features to the membership at large and implementing preferential balloting, the balance of power shifted from indies to the big studios the first time in four years. This resulted in the final five nods for Pixar frontrunner “Coco,” GKids’ politically powerful “The Breadwinner,” the hand-painted “Loving Vincent,” and two surprising mainstream studio entries: “The Boss Baby” from DreamWorks and Blue Sky’s “Ferdinand.”
Indeed, one could argue that without the new rule changes and a Disney release last year, there likely would’ve been four indies joining “Coco.” Still, there were several positive takeaways: All five movies captured the zeitgeist in one way or another, and this marked the first time that two female directors were nominated in the same year: Nora Twomey for “The Breadwinner” and Dorota Kobiela for “Loving Vincent.” They joined previous nominees Marjane Satrap (“Persepolis”), Jennifer Yuh Nelson...
Indeed, one could argue that without the new rule changes and a Disney release last year, there likely would’ve been four indies joining “Coco.” Still, there were several positive takeaways: All five movies captured the zeitgeist in one way or another, and this marked the first time that two female directors were nominated in the same year: Nora Twomey for “The Breadwinner” and Dorota Kobiela for “Loving Vincent.” They joined previous nominees Marjane Satrap (“Persepolis”), Jennifer Yuh Nelson...
- 2/13/2018
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
With her film “The Breadwinner,” director Nora Twomey wants people “to see hope” in her film. Part of this she draws from the vast array of people who worked on the film, which was a co-production between Ireland and Luxembourg. In our exclusive new webchat (watch the video above), she says, “It’s an extremely hopeful thing to see so much creativity come together to create one film.” Twomey’s film and its message have definitely resonated. She earned her first Oscar nomination this year as Best Animated Feature and won the Annie Award for Best Independent Animated Feature.
SEE2018 Annie Awards winners: Complete list led by ‘Coco’ and ‘The Breadwinner’
The film produced by Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie centers on a young girl, Parvana, whose father is imprisoned by the Taliban. In order to provide for her mother, sister and infant brother, she dresses as a boy so...
SEE2018 Annie Awards winners: Complete list led by ‘Coco’ and ‘The Breadwinner’
The film produced by Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie centers on a young girl, Parvana, whose father is imprisoned by the Taliban. In order to provide for her mother, sister and infant brother, she dresses as a boy so...
- 2/13/2018
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
The Breadwinner, based on the children's book of the same name by Deborah Ellis, follows an 11-year-old Afghan girl named Parvana whose father has just been imprisoned. Under the Taliban regime in 2001, women were not permitted outside their homes without a man; Parvana disguises herself as a boy so that she can get work and feed her family.
Behind Gkids' critically acclaimed feature (which earned a Golden Globe nomination and 10 Annie nominations) are two women — director Nora Twomey and executive producer Angelina Jolie — who hope their story about a strong female protagonist...
Behind Gkids' critically acclaimed feature (which earned a Golden Globe nomination and 10 Annie nominations) are two women — director Nora Twomey and executive producer Angelina Jolie — who hope their story about a strong female protagonist...
- 1/9/2018
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Authenticity was the touchstone that Nora Twomey relied upon to create her animated film adaptation of Deborah Ellis' young adult novel The Breadwinner. The film, which indie distributor Gkids will release Nov. 17, follows Parvana, a determined 11-year-old girl growing up in 2001 under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. At that time, women were not permitted outside of their homes without a man, so when her father is arrested unjustly, Parvana cuts her hair and disguises herself as a boy in order to find work and feed her family.
Twomey, co-founder of Ireland's Cartoon Saloon — whose prior animated features...
Twomey, co-founder of Ireland's Cartoon Saloon — whose prior animated features...
- 12/5/2017
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Track my film passions of the past year and the result is this list. These are the films that wowed and moved me, that turned me into a rabid champion, that gave me hope that brilliant cinematic storytelling — and a rebel spirit — is alive and well. It turned out to be a strong year for women directors (five), romances (three), World War II dramas (two), Angelina Jolie movies (two), animation (one), and documentaries (one).
See More:The Best Movies of 2017, According to IndieWire Critic Eric Kohn 12. “The Breadwinner” (GKids)
Directed by Nora Twomey of Cartoon Saloon (“The Secret of Kells”) and executive produced by Angelina Jolie, Irish-Canadian “The Breadwinner” is based on Deborah Ellis’s Ya novel about 11-year-old Parvana (voiced by Canadian actress Saara Chaudry), a strong-willed Afghan girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family and save her father under threat from the Taliban.
See More:The Best Movies of 2017, According to IndieWire Critic Eric Kohn 12. “The Breadwinner” (GKids)
Directed by Nora Twomey of Cartoon Saloon (“The Secret of Kells”) and executive produced by Angelina Jolie, Irish-Canadian “The Breadwinner” is based on Deborah Ellis’s Ya novel about 11-year-old Parvana (voiced by Canadian actress Saara Chaudry), a strong-willed Afghan girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family and save her father under threat from the Taliban.
- 12/1/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Track my film passions of the past year and the result is this list. These are the films that wowed and moved me, that turned me into a rabid champion, that gave me hope that brilliant cinematic storytelling — and a rebel spirit — is alive and well. It turned out to be a strong year for women directors (five), romances (three), World War II dramas (two), Angelina Jolie movies (two), animation (one), and documentaries (one).
See More:The Best Movies of 2017, According to IndieWire Critic Eric Kohn 12. “The Breadwinner” (GKids)
Directed by Nora Twomey of Cartoon Saloon (“The Secret of Kells”) and executive produced by Angelina Jolie, Irish-Canadian “The Breadwinner” is based on Deborah Ellis’s Ya novel about 11-year-old Parvana (voiced by Canadian actress Saara Chaudry), a strong-willed Afghan girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family and save her father under threat from the Taliban.
See More:The Best Movies of 2017, According to IndieWire Critic Eric Kohn 12. “The Breadwinner” (GKids)
Directed by Nora Twomey of Cartoon Saloon (“The Secret of Kells”) and executive produced by Angelina Jolie, Irish-Canadian “The Breadwinner” is based on Deborah Ellis’s Ya novel about 11-year-old Parvana (voiced by Canadian actress Saara Chaudry), a strong-willed Afghan girl who disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family and save her father under threat from the Taliban.
- 12/1/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
More imaginative than “Coco,” more soulful than “Moana,” more everything than “Despicable Me 3,” Nora Twomey’s “The Breadwinner” cements Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon as an animation powerhouse worth mentioning alongside the likes of Pixar, Laika, and the great Studio Ghibli. A deeply anguished story that’s told with the same vivid style as Cartoon Saloon’s two previous features, “The Secret of Kells” and “Song of the Sea,” “The Breadwinner” triumphs with a sense of emotional sobriety that strikes far deeper than anything that passes for children’s entertainment in this part of the world — it may be aimed at (older) kids, but it’s certain to hit their parents twice as hard.
Executive produced by Angelina Jolie and adapted from Deborah Ellis’ 2000 novel of the same name, “The Breadwinner” is immediately set apart by its setting. The film begins in Taliban-controlled Kabul, where an 11-year-old girl named Parvana...
Executive produced by Angelina Jolie and adapted from Deborah Ellis’ 2000 novel of the same name, “The Breadwinner” is immediately set apart by its setting. The film begins in Taliban-controlled Kabul, where an 11-year-old girl named Parvana...
- 11/17/2017
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
‘The Breadwinner’ Director Nora Twomey On Life In An Imbalanced Society: “Inequality Hurts Everyone”
“It’s always relevant,” Irish director Norah Twomey says, reflecting on the treatment of women in society. Indeed, in light of myriad sexual abuse scandals that have rocked Hollywood over the last several months, it feels like there is no better time to see her animated feature The Breadwinner than the moment that’s transpiring right now. Based on a best-seller by Deborah Ellis, The Breadwinner follows Afghani adolescent Parvana, who sees her father unjustly torn from…...
- 11/16/2017
- Deadline
With her debut feature, “The Breadwinner,” which took home both Grand Prize and Audience awards at the inaugural Animation Is Film Festival, Irish director Nora Twomey has delivered a powerful animated movie that should yield GKids’ 14th Oscar nomination. The drama tackles a serious story of political oppression with sensitivity and hope.
Based on the popular Ya novel by Deborah Ellis, “The Breadwinner” concerns a strong-willed 11-year-old Afghan girl who poses as a boy to help her family survive under threat from the Taliban after her father is imprisoned as a dissident.
Balancing the Personal with the Political
The biggest storytelling challenge was respecting the time period that had passed between the publication of the novel in 2000 and the start of the project in 2014. “It was such an extraordinary time in the world,” Twomey said, “everything from 9/11 to the fall of the Taliban, the rise of Isis, and the resurgence of the Taliban.
Based on the popular Ya novel by Deborah Ellis, “The Breadwinner” concerns a strong-willed 11-year-old Afghan girl who poses as a boy to help her family survive under threat from the Taliban after her father is imprisoned as a dissident.
Balancing the Personal with the Political
The biggest storytelling challenge was respecting the time period that had passed between the publication of the novel in 2000 and the start of the project in 2014. “It was such an extraordinary time in the world,” Twomey said, “everything from 9/11 to the fall of the Taliban, the rise of Isis, and the resurgence of the Taliban.
- 11/14/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Last weekend’s inaugural Animation Is Film Festival at the Tcl Chinese 6 Theater should have a definite impact on the Oscar race, as GKids’ stirring indie, “The Breadwinner,” won both the Grand Prize and Audience Award. Another GKids contender, “The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales,” a lighthearted barnyard animal anthology (directed by “Ernest & Celestine” Oscar nominee Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert). took home The Special Jury Prize.
Directed by Nora Twomey of Cartoon Saloon (“The Secret of Kells”), and executive produced by Angelina Jolie, “The Breadwinner” follows a strong-willed young Afghan girl who poses as a boy to help her family survive under threat from the Taliban.
With new Academy rules now allowing all eligible members to vote for animated features using preferential voting, the timing couldn’t be better for “The Breadwinner” honors. The Ireland-Canada-Luxembourg co-production is now poised to secure GKids’ 10th Oscar nomination.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions:...
Directed by Nora Twomey of Cartoon Saloon (“The Secret of Kells”), and executive produced by Angelina Jolie, “The Breadwinner” follows a strong-willed young Afghan girl who poses as a boy to help her family survive under threat from the Taliban.
With new Academy rules now allowing all eligible members to vote for animated features using preferential voting, the timing couldn’t be better for “The Breadwinner” honors. The Ireland-Canada-Luxembourg co-production is now poised to secure GKids’ 10th Oscar nomination.
Read More:2018 Oscar Predictions:...
- 10/24/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Aiming to make an impact this Oscar season, the inaugural Animation Is Film Festival from GKids, the Annecy International Animation Festival, Variety, and Acifa-Hollywood launches October 20-22 at the Tcl Chinese 6 Theater.
The festival will present a selection of new animated feature films from Asia, Europe, South America, and North America, with juried and audience prizes and filmmakers attending most screenings. Additionally, the festival will feature studio events, special screenings, short film programs, and a Vr lounge.
Aif seems well timed: The Academy now allows all members to vote for animated features, using preferential voting. However, it remains to be seen what the dynamic will be in terms of mainstream versus indie nominees.
GKids, which has nine Oscar nominations (including this year’s “My Life as a Zucchini”), has seven movies in contention this season; four showcase in competition at Aif. The highlight is “The Breadwinner” (October 20), a coproduction of Ireland,...
The festival will present a selection of new animated feature films from Asia, Europe, South America, and North America, with juried and audience prizes and filmmakers attending most screenings. Additionally, the festival will feature studio events, special screenings, short film programs, and a Vr lounge.
Aif seems well timed: The Academy now allows all members to vote for animated features, using preferential voting. However, it remains to be seen what the dynamic will be in terms of mainstream versus indie nominees.
GKids, which has nine Oscar nominations (including this year’s “My Life as a Zucchini”), has seven movies in contention this season; four showcase in competition at Aif. The highlight is “The Breadwinner” (October 20), a coproduction of Ireland,...
- 9/21/2017
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
When a few hundred films stop by the Toronto International Film Festival, it’s certainly impossible to cover everything, but we were able to catch around 100 features — and, with that, it’s time to conclude our experience, following the festival’s own award winners. We’ve rounded up our favorite films seen during the festival, followed by a list of the complete coverage.
Stay tuned over the next months (or years) as we bring updates on films as they make their way to screens. One can also click here for a link to all of our coverage, including news, trailers, reviews, and much more. As always, thanks for reading, and let us know what you’re most looking forward to in the comments below.
The Breadwinner (Nora Twomey)
In the Taliban-controlled Afghan city of Kabul, Nora Twomey’s debut film as sole director (she co-helmed Oscar nominee The Secret of Kells...
Stay tuned over the next months (or years) as we bring updates on films as they make their way to screens. One can also click here for a link to all of our coverage, including news, trailers, reviews, and much more. As always, thanks for reading, and let us know what you’re most looking forward to in the comments below.
The Breadwinner (Nora Twomey)
In the Taliban-controlled Afghan city of Kabul, Nora Twomey’s debut film as sole director (she co-helmed Oscar nominee The Secret of Kells...
- 9/18/2017
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Our ongoing adventures at Tiff
One of the most exciting animation houses in the world is Ireland's Cartoon Saloon. In its early years its largely been a showcase for co-founder Tomm Moore who made Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea (both deservedly Oscar nominated). Now Nora Twomey, also a co-founder, steps into the director's chair for their third feature, another visual stunner. (If you haven't seen their films yet get to it. They're doing the consistently best non-Pixar derivative animation on earth now that Studio Ghibli has slowed way down.)
This time we depart Ireland for an adaptation of The Breadwinner, Deborah Ellis's bestseller about an Afghani girl who disguises herself as a boy to provide for her family when her father is imprisoned by the Taliban. Without a male relative to escort them around the city they're trapped in their home with no way to earn money or go shopping.
One of the most exciting animation houses in the world is Ireland's Cartoon Saloon. In its early years its largely been a showcase for co-founder Tomm Moore who made Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea (both deservedly Oscar nominated). Now Nora Twomey, also a co-founder, steps into the director's chair for their third feature, another visual stunner. (If you haven't seen their films yet get to it. They're doing the consistently best non-Pixar derivative animation on earth now that Studio Ghibli has slowed way down.)
This time we depart Ireland for an adaptation of The Breadwinner, Deborah Ellis's bestseller about an Afghani girl who disguises herself as a boy to provide for her family when her father is imprisoned by the Taliban. Without a male relative to escort them around the city they're trapped in their home with no way to earn money or go shopping.
- 9/14/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
In the Taliban-controlled Afghan city of Kabul, Nora Twomey’s debut film as sole director (she co-helmed Oscar nominee The Secret of Kells) depicts an eleven-year old girl facing the futility her future inevitably holds. Adapted by Anita Doron from the award-winning novel by Deborah Ellis, The Breadwinner delivers a heart-wrenching coming-of-age tale within a nation that’s lost its way. The shift was virtually overnight once the Taliban took over: women forced under hoods and trapped in houses, photographs and books outlawed, and men turned cruel as “protectors” of an extremist interpretation of a peaceful religion. The city’s former glory is immortalized only through stories of those who still remember. And as they perish to be replaced with new generations raised in hate, the past risks being forgotten forever.
Parvana (Saara Chaudry) is one of the lucky few that knows this former life thanks to her ex- schoolteacher...
Parvana (Saara Chaudry) is one of the lucky few that knows this former life thanks to her ex- schoolteacher...
- 9/13/2017
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Gkids has released the first teaser trailer for the upcoming animated feature The Breadwinner from Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon and executive produced by Angelina Jolie along with Gkids’ CEO/founder Eric Beckman and president David Jesteadt. A fall release is planned.
Based on the young adult novel by Deborah Ellis, The Breadwinner tells the story of Parvana, a young girl living under the Taliban regime, who cuts her hair and disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family after her father is imprisoned. It was helmed by Cartoon Saloon’s Nora Twomey, who was co-director of its...
Based on the young adult novel by Deborah Ellis, The Breadwinner tells the story of Parvana, a young girl living under the Taliban regime, who cuts her hair and disguises herself as a boy in order to provide for her family after her father is imprisoned. It was helmed by Cartoon Saloon’s Nora Twomey, who was co-director of its...
- 5/16/2017
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Angelina Jolie is throwing her support behind an animated movie with an important message.
The star is executive producer of The Breadwinner — a tale about a young girl living under the Taliban who risks it all to save her family.
“I am proud to be a part of this beautiful film with this timely and very important subject matter,” Jolie says of her involvement in the film. “Millions of girls around the world have to grow up before their time, working to provide for their families at a very young age and in difficult circumstances. They have the strength to...
The star is executive producer of The Breadwinner — a tale about a young girl living under the Taliban who risks it all to save her family.
“I am proud to be a part of this beautiful film with this timely and very important subject matter,” Jolie says of her involvement in the film. “Millions of girls around the world have to grow up before their time, working to provide for their families at a very young age and in difficult circumstances. They have the strength to...
- 5/16/2017
- by Ale Russian
- PEOPLE.com
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Song Of The Sea's Tomm Moore is working on a new film called Wolfwalkers. Here are the new pictures...
Cartoon Saloon and Tomm Moore’s The Secret Of Kells was a very beautiful, tender and exquisitely crafted feature film, but their follow up, Song Of The Sea (available now on DVD and Blu-ray), was on another level entirely. It was even more beautiful, more tender and even more exquisitely crafted, as well as being smarter, richer and more cogent, coherent and complete.
One was a very good film, the other was a genuine masterpiece. Maybe Cartoon Saloon will soon become as widely known and well-loved as Pixar and Studio Ghibli.
The studio’s next film is to be The Breadwinner, Norah Twomey’s adaptation of Deborah Ellis’ novel about a girl going undercover as a boy in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan so that she can provide for her family.
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Song Of The Sea's Tomm Moore is working on a new film called Wolfwalkers. Here are the new pictures...
Cartoon Saloon and Tomm Moore’s The Secret Of Kells was a very beautiful, tender and exquisitely crafted feature film, but their follow up, Song Of The Sea (available now on DVD and Blu-ray), was on another level entirely. It was even more beautiful, more tender and even more exquisitely crafted, as well as being smarter, richer and more cogent, coherent and complete.
One was a very good film, the other was a genuine masterpiece. Maybe Cartoon Saloon will soon become as widely known and well-loved as Pixar and Studio Ghibli.
The studio’s next film is to be The Breadwinner, Norah Twomey’s adaptation of Deborah Ellis’ novel about a girl going undercover as a boy in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan so that she can provide for her family.
- 11/11/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
The multi-hyphenate and her Jolie Pas Productions have joined the filmmaking team on the upcoming animation.
Jolie Pitt will serve as an executive producer on The Breadwinner, which is based on Canadian author Deborah Ellis’ Ya novel and scheduled to begin shooting in August for an early 2017 delivery.
Nora Twomey, who co-directed the Oscar-nominated The Secret Of Kells, will direct from Anita Doron’s script based on the screen story by Ellis about a young girl living under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan who must disguise herself as a boy and look after her family when her father is imprisoned unfairly.
Aircraft Pictures, Cartoon Saloon and Melusine Productions are producing English-language and Dari versions. CAA represents all three companies on the production.
Tomm Moore and Paul Young of the Cartoon Saloon produce with Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen of Aircraft Pictures and Stephan Roelants of Melusine Productions.
Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer – the filmmakers behind documentary The Square...
Jolie Pitt will serve as an executive producer on The Breadwinner, which is based on Canadian author Deborah Ellis’ Ya novel and scheduled to begin shooting in August for an early 2017 delivery.
Nora Twomey, who co-directed the Oscar-nominated The Secret Of Kells, will direct from Anita Doron’s script based on the screen story by Ellis about a young girl living under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan who must disguise herself as a boy and look after her family when her father is imprisoned unfairly.
Aircraft Pictures, Cartoon Saloon and Melusine Productions are producing English-language and Dari versions. CAA represents all three companies on the production.
Tomm Moore and Paul Young of the Cartoon Saloon produce with Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen of Aircraft Pictures and Stephan Roelants of Melusine Productions.
Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer – the filmmakers behind documentary The Square...
- 8/11/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Angelina Jolie Pitt will serve as an executive producer of the upcoming animated feature film, “The Breadwinner,” along with her Jolie Pas Production company. The film will be based on the young adult novel of the same name by Canadian author Deborah Ellis, and will be directed by Nora Twomey. Anita Doron is writing the screenplay. “The Breadwinner” follows the story of Parvana, a young girl living under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. She must disguise herself as a boy, and when her father is unfairly imprisoned, she must become the breadwinner of the family. Also Read: Angelina Jolie Pitt to Direct 'First.
- 8/11/2015
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Angelina Jolie Pitt and her Jolie Pas Productions today signed on with Aircraft Pictures, Cartoon Saloon and Melusine Productions for The Breadwinner, an animated feature based on the best-selling young adult novel by Canadian author Deborah Ellis. Nora Twomey (co-director, Oscar-nominee The Secret of Kells) will direct with screen story by Ellis and screenplay by Anita Doron. It’s the story of Parvana, an Afghan girl living under Taliban rule who disguises herself as a…...
- 8/11/2015
- Deadline
Captain Marvel
Finally, Mma fighting champ Ronda Rousey was recently asked which superhero she would like to play in a film during a Reddit Ama and her response was: "Well... a lot of the good ones have been taken, but I'd like to vie for Miss Marvel" which refers to Captain Marvel. At last report, Emily Blunt has been strongly linked to the role for the character's upcoming solo movie.
The Breadwinner
Angelina Jolie Pitt is set to produce "The Breadwinner," an animated feature based on the best-selling young adult novel by Canadian author Deborah Ellis. Nora Twomey ("The Secret of Kells") will direct from a screenplay by Anita Doron.
The story follows an Afghani girl living under Taliban rule who disguises herself as a boy to become the breadwinner of the family when her father is unfairly imprisoned. A cut of the film will be produced in Dari in...
Finally, Mma fighting champ Ronda Rousey was recently asked which superhero she would like to play in a film during a Reddit Ama and her response was: "Well... a lot of the good ones have been taken, but I'd like to vie for Miss Marvel" which refers to Captain Marvel. At last report, Emily Blunt has been strongly linked to the role for the character's upcoming solo movie.
The Breadwinner
Angelina Jolie Pitt is set to produce "The Breadwinner," an animated feature based on the best-selling young adult novel by Canadian author Deborah Ellis. Nora Twomey ("The Secret of Kells") will direct from a screenplay by Anita Doron.
The story follows an Afghani girl living under Taliban rule who disguises herself as a boy to become the breadwinner of the family when her father is unfairly imprisoned. A cut of the film will be produced in Dari in...
- 8/11/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Handcrafted animated magic. That’s the best way to describe Tomm Moore’s latest film “Song of the Sea,” which premiered at Tiff earlier this year and went on to screen AFI Fest this past November. In this astonishingly beautiful new film Tomm Moore revisits Irish folklore through the eyes of two young siblings, Ben and Saoirse. At the center of the story are the Selkies, mythical creatures that are human above ground and seals under water.
Reimagining these ancient stories for a new audience was a challenge that Moore was more than happy to face. Like with his Academy Award-nominated feature “The Secret of Kells,” this film is also filled with personal touches and with a heartwarming atmosphere that translates into the gorgeous visuals. It’s a rare treat to see a film that has been so delicately crafted in every aspect.
Above all, Tomm Moore is a fan of animation that loves the medium and his fellow creators dearly. Proof of this is his sincere excitement over a “selfie” he was able to take with animation legends John Lasseter and Hayao Miyazaki last month at the Governors Awards. Miyazaki in particular has made a great impact in the way Tomm Moore approaches his work. Inspired by his family and his cultural background, Moore has managed to create two films that are indelibly his own, and which set him apart from the financially driven crowd.
Distributed by Gkids, “Song of the Sea” recently received 7 Annie Awards nominations including Best Feature Film, Best Director, and Best Musical Score. The film also ranks high in several of the major film publications among the 20 animated features in the race for a Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination
I had the pleasure to sit down with Tomm Moore recently in Los Angeles to talk about his latest animated masterpiece, life after the Oscar nomination, and Cartoon Saloon’s next project. This was undoubtedly one of the most delightful chats this writer has had in recent memory.
Read More: "Song of the Sea" Tiff Review
Carlos Aguilar: When you were looking at Irish folklore for this film, how did you decide what stories or elements would work with the film you wanted to make, especially since you wanted to tale a story aimed at children?
Tomm Moore: When we first started looking at doing something with the Selkies, we noticed that in a lot of the stories the kids would often be a big part of them. The mother would disappear back into the sea, and sometimes they’d be a passage at the end of the story where the kids would go down to the sea and see a seal. They’d always wondered if that was their mother as a seal. That’s why I started thinking about the Selkies stories from the kids’ point of view.
We had lots of different folktales we were looking at. I was really passionate about using several different ones, but the script was getting too bloated and it was too much content. We decided to cut down to just the folklore that we could use to strengthen the family story. We had a lot of folklore, there was almost too much to pick from and as there always is with Irish folklore. There are so many versions of every story because every storyteller tells the story differently. We took a license and we said, “What folklore do we have in this draft that really strengthens what’s happening with the family?”
We came to the idea that the witch could be just an exaggerated version of the Granny, and then the shanachie was going to be a version of the kids’ grandfather but it became too complicated, so we decided against it. It was all about simplifying and boiling it down to make kind of a espresso of folklore so that we could have something really strong that would work internationally as well [Laughs].
Aguilar: Where did you find the folk story or stories that served as framework for “Song of the Sea”?
Tomm Moore: Everywhere. A lot of these stories I heard while growing up and others I read in a book called The People of Sea, lent to me by my friend Ross Stewart. He was the Art Director in “The Secret of Kells.” I went on a trip to the coast of Ireland when I had started working on the “The Secret of Kells,” and I’ saw these seals that had been killed by the sea. Then, when I was talking to the woman that we had rented the cottage from, she said that the fishermen had been killing the seals and blaming them for the drop in fish stocks. She said, “That wouldn’t have happened years ago because people had these beliefs that seals could be Selkies and that they contained the souls of people lost at sea.”
When I came back I talked to Ross Stewart and he loaned me the book I mentioned, which was a collection of stories from the 1920s. The author had gone around Ireland and England collecting all the different beliefs about seals. I was reading those and I was also reading some of Lady Gregory’s works. From the time of Lady Gregory and W.B. Yeats there was a big movement to try and capture the stories that had been just passed down in the oral tradition. But honestly, most folklore is only alive if you hear it, if it’s told, because if it’s written down it becomes kind of a gospel. If it’s written people think, “That’s it! That’s the right version! Don’t’ change it.” Folklore is always changing and evolving for new audiences. That’s how you keep it alive.
Aguilar: While “The Secret of Kells” is a gorgeous film in its own right, it seems like “Song of the Sea” had an even more ethereal and fluid look to it, almost like watercolors.
Tomm Moore: A big part of that is Adrien Merigeau, who was the main background artist in “The Secret of Kells.” When I was developing “ Song of the Sea” and working on conceptual stuff, we really tried to blend our styles. His natural style seemed very full of little idiosyncratic design motifs. We started looking at the rocks and carvings that I wanted to include, and we could see similarities between his work and those Pictish carving, so he started to incorporate that into it.
We started working really early, before we even had a script. We were working on evolving this style, and we were hoping it would be a bit more atmospheric than in “The Secret of Kells,” we wanted some of that damped atmosphere that you get in Ireland. Adrien is great with watercolors, and I had been playing a lot with watercolor as well. We felt it was the right approach. “The Secret of Kells” had a stained glass look, and we wanted “Song of the Sea” to feel more like watercolors, more like a mystical fairytale.
Aguilar: What sort of visual reference did you and your team have to create the beautiful patterns and details in the film?
Tomm Moore: It came from a lot of carving and rocks, and the mad sacred geometry in the way they are arranged. It’s amazing stuff. It’s all Celtic and Pre-Celtic from the Picts. The word “picture” comes from the Picts, they were an Irish tribe that used tattoo themselves with the images in all this carvings. When the Romans first found them, they realized they were called the Picts. The word comes from the name the Romans used to refer to the drawings the Picts had all over themselves.
Aguilar: Tell me about your approach in terms of character development. In this films character seem more delicate, perhaps more personal.
Tomm Moore: I based most of the characters on my family. Ben is based on my son. He was 10 when I started working to work on it, now he is 19 now. Time just flies when you are making animation [Laughs]. Cu was based on a dog we had. When Ben was younger we had a dog named Cu. My mother’s name is Bronagh, and she looked a lot like the character in the film. My characters are certainly very personal.
These films are so hard to get made or even get off the ground, then put the finance together, get the story right, that if you pack the film full of people that you love you can live with it longer. There is always a bit of nostalgia. My nephew does Ben’s voice, as you can see it’s a real family story. I knew the characters needed to be softer so I looked at films like “My Neighbor Totoro” and other Japanese animation. The characters in “ The Secret of Kells” are quite geometric, and for this one I wanted to get something a bit softer and fuller.
Aguilar: Was the relationship between Saoirse and Ben also inspired by your personal experience?
Tomm Moore: Yes, the same with Brendan and Ashley in “The Secret of Kells,” both relationships are based on my relationship with my sister. I have three sisters, but there was a certain sibling rivalry between me and my next older sister. For sure that was influential in both films.
Aguilar: I love all the details that you have hidden throughout the film: the animals in the background, the cameo on the bus, or even inanimate objects with a particular shape. Every frame is full of beautiful small touches
Tomm Moore: We spent a long time on that. We wanted to pack everything in there. Adrien’s point of view made the backgrounds look almost like illustrations. We set up each shot like an illustration that would work in a book as well, but ultimately we needed to have continuity. We did a lot of color scripting. All the details are little encouragements for people to watch the movie more than once. [Laughs]
Aguilar: Where you concern about translating Irish folklore into a story that could work for a global audience?
Tomm Moore: I think there is universality to the films. With “Song of the Sea” this was very deliberate because I knew that we had gone the independent route, we didn’t go with a big studio. We made it for 5.5 million Eur, that’s very small compared to other films. “ The Book of Life”, which was the next “low-budget” animated film at The Hollywood Reporter roundtable that I was in, was $50 million.
For me that freedom meant that I could be more personal and more true to our culture. At the same time you want people to be able to enjoy it. There are certain jokes in there that only Irish people will get, but for the most part I wanted to take the approach in which somebody from anywhere in the world could watch it and enjoy it. I like that about “Totoro.” You get a glimpse of Japanese culture but at the same time anybody, anywhere, could watch “Totoro” and enjoy it even if they don’t know anything about Japanese culture.
Aguilar: The film seems to take place in a not-so-distant past where 3D glasses and Walkmans where an awesome novelty.
Tomm Moore: I was thinking it was like 1987, that’s when I was 10 years old. I was nostalgic for that time and I decided to add those little touches. [Laughs]
Aguilar: Music is such an important element in “Song of the Sea.” Tell me about developing the score with the musicians and other talent.
Tomm Moore: With “The Secret of Kells” Bruno Coulais and Kila did a great job but they work for a quite short neat the end of the film. This time, because the music was so important for the whole film, we asked them to get involved really early on. Bruno and Kila started working on the music for the film while we were still writing the story. It was really great, we would have little sessions in Ireland where they’ll get together and work. The first thing we had to work on was the song. We needed to get that right and find a singer. We were lucky to find Lisa Hannigan, who could act and sing. That was the first challenge for this movie, working on the music at the same time as the visuals.
Aguilar: With the advent of 3D animation, is it difficult to find the right people to work on more detailed-oriented 2D films?
Tomm Moore: There is a little team, like in stop-motion. It’s a little team of people that we’ve put together who had worked on “The Secret of Kells,” and some new people. I think it’s about finding people who are really passionate about 2-D animation and want to work at a different level on it. We are lucky in Europe, there seems to be a lot of 2D animation happening. There is still expertise and different studios are still making it.
Aguilar: Where things easier this second time around?
Tomm Moore: “The Secret of Kells ” was tough because it was the first one and we were trying to figure stuff out. This time there were stressful moments but we were a little bit more battle-hardened, like the old team getting back together for one more war [Laughs]
Aguilar: What do you love about 2D animation that 3D can’t provide? What would you say makes the medium particularly special?
Tomm Moore: I think there is a language to drawing that’s special, just like with Ghibli’s latest, “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.” Even if you try to fake the look of a drawing by doing something like “Paperman”, is not quiet the same as feeling that somebody really drew it. Also, I think that if you watch a movie like “My Neighbor Totoro” and then you watch “Ponyo,” you wouldn’t know that they’ve been made 20 years apart. But if you watch the original “Toy Story” and then “Toy Story 3,” you can really see a big difference, you can see a big change in technology. 2-D has a certain timelessness.
Aguilar: You’ve mentioned Miyazaki’s work has been an inspiration to you, what other animators or artists have influenced your work?
Tomm Moore: Richard Williams, who was for years trying to make “The Thief and the Cobbler.” He was never able to finish it properly and then it got taken off of him. It’s a sad story, but he was always such an inspiration to me. When I was in college I saw a documentary about him and you could see he really had this great passion. He fully believed that animation could be art and it didn’t have to been as just something commercial. He spent over 25 year working on that film, that’s more of an art piece than anything else.
Also Genndy Tartakovsky, who is now doing CG stuff like “Hotel Transylvania,” but also worked on shows like “Samurai Jack ” and other greats tuff on TV. Then of course all the Eastern European animated film, specially the Hungarian folktales. There is also the Russian animator Yuri Norshteyn, he is really amazing. He ‘s made some beautiful short films, but he has also been working on this feature film for like 20 years. It’s going to be beautiful if he ever finishes it. I suppose I get inspiration from all over the place.
Aguilar: For you what’s the main difference between animated and live actions films in terms of the creative process and the effect they have on audiences?
Tomm Moore: Animation and live action are blending. I was recently talking to a friend of mine who is an editor, he used to work in live-action and now he works in animation. He used the analogy that editing in live action is like carving away a piece of marble but the shape is basically already there. With animation is more like clay because you keep building, changing, and adding things.
I think animation is freer and I think that’s why live action filmmakers like Spielberg or Cameron are using animation more in their films. “ Avatar” or “Gravity” are basically animate films because they have so much CG animation in them. But I think hand-drawn animation can be something really special. If the character design is quite simple it has the ability to allow people to easily relate to the characters in a special manner. A cartoon character isn’t a specific person. It isn’t Tom Cruise or George Clooney playing the part, it’s a character that could be you. It’s easier for you to get drawn into it in a special way.
Aguilar: Would you ever work on a 3D animated film?
Tomm Moore: I wouldn’t say no, but I’d have to find a way to adapt to it and I don’t think I’d be interested in doing something like Pixar’s shiny, perfect surfaces in 3D. To be honest with you, they do it so well and they spend so much money on it, that unless you are doing it in Pixar there is no point trying to match it. It’ll just come out looking cheap, so you would have to find a clever way to dot it. I like drawing. I like to spend the day drawing, the process is important for me. Drawing is a just a pleasure and it’s nice to keep it going. I think we stand out a little bit from the crowd by being 2D. There is less and less of it that now we have like a badge or a brand that stands out by being 2D.
Aguilar: “Song of the Sea” has received overwhelmingly positive reviews and a great reception by audiences. I’m sure this must be very rewarding and encouraging.
Tomm Moore: The more god reviews we get the more confidence we get, and the more proud we are when we stand beside the film. The only problem is the pressure, this was like making a difficult second album and now we have to make sure that the third film, and the next are good. But that’s a good problem to have [Laughs]
Aguilar: What are you and Cartoon Saloon working on next?
Tomm Moore: The next project that Cartoon Saloon is doing is going to be directed by Nora Twomey, who was the co-director in “The Secret of Kells,” and it’s based on a book called The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. It’s about a little girl in Afghanistan who has to pretend to be a boy so she can provide for her family. Her father is a storyteller. There is going to be two different visual styles in it. The storytelling world will use a decorative style based on Afghan art and then there will be a different style for the real world. It’s definitely challenging. I’m also writing another movie at the moment, it’ll be my third Irish-themed movie.
Aguilar: Seems like you are making a real brand or niche for yourself with Irish animated stories
Tomm Moore: Yes, at least for myself, but I think Nora is going to make something very special and different.
Aguilar: How did the Oscar nomination for “The Secret of Kells” change things? Did it change things at all?
Tomm Moore: It did, maybe not in the way that we had immediately expected. It wasn’t like we suddenly had access to millions and millions or anything like that, because we weren’t willing to become part of the studio system and make a movie that would work in that system. They spend so much money on those films that if you get involved in that system you don’t know if your film will ever get made because it’s such a risk to make them. You could develop something for years and it might never get made. And if they do make it has to be very accessible and it has to be a certain type of product. When they make them well they are beautiful, I was blown away by “How to Train Your Dragon 2.”
But for me, the freedom that you have to give up by trying to get into that system wasn’t worth it. The Oscar nomination might have opened doors to do something like that, but instead we decided to go back to Ireland and stay pretty small. What the nomination did instead was giving us a professional armor. It gave us a certain credibility and people took us more seriously after that. It also opened doors in terms of actors. We could now get voices that we really wanted. It helped with raising the finance, even though we ended up with a very small budget, less even that in “ The Secret of Kells.”
After the economic crash there was less money to put together, but the money that was out there we were able to attract because of the Oscar nomination. Besides, I got to join the Academy, I got to meet Miyazaki the other night, and there are so many benefits that just go on and on [Laughs].
Aguilar: I think “Song of the Sea” is absolutely marvelous, but for those who haven’t had the chance to see, why should they flock to see it?
Tomm Moore: I think it’s offering something different. I think what we tried to do - and I hope we’ve been successful at - is make a movie that is something like “ Totoro,” something like “E.T.” or “Goonies.” We wanted to make something like those movies from the 80s that weren’t a sequel or a prequel. They were just a complete new adventure in themselves. “Song of the Sea” has a kind of melancholy that most animated films seem not having much of anymore. I hope it offers something special.
Reimagining these ancient stories for a new audience was a challenge that Moore was more than happy to face. Like with his Academy Award-nominated feature “The Secret of Kells,” this film is also filled with personal touches and with a heartwarming atmosphere that translates into the gorgeous visuals. It’s a rare treat to see a film that has been so delicately crafted in every aspect.
Above all, Tomm Moore is a fan of animation that loves the medium and his fellow creators dearly. Proof of this is his sincere excitement over a “selfie” he was able to take with animation legends John Lasseter and Hayao Miyazaki last month at the Governors Awards. Miyazaki in particular has made a great impact in the way Tomm Moore approaches his work. Inspired by his family and his cultural background, Moore has managed to create two films that are indelibly his own, and which set him apart from the financially driven crowd.
Distributed by Gkids, “Song of the Sea” recently received 7 Annie Awards nominations including Best Feature Film, Best Director, and Best Musical Score. The film also ranks high in several of the major film publications among the 20 animated features in the race for a Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination
I had the pleasure to sit down with Tomm Moore recently in Los Angeles to talk about his latest animated masterpiece, life after the Oscar nomination, and Cartoon Saloon’s next project. This was undoubtedly one of the most delightful chats this writer has had in recent memory.
Read More: "Song of the Sea" Tiff Review
Carlos Aguilar: When you were looking at Irish folklore for this film, how did you decide what stories or elements would work with the film you wanted to make, especially since you wanted to tale a story aimed at children?
Tomm Moore: When we first started looking at doing something with the Selkies, we noticed that in a lot of the stories the kids would often be a big part of them. The mother would disappear back into the sea, and sometimes they’d be a passage at the end of the story where the kids would go down to the sea and see a seal. They’d always wondered if that was their mother as a seal. That’s why I started thinking about the Selkies stories from the kids’ point of view.
We had lots of different folktales we were looking at. I was really passionate about using several different ones, but the script was getting too bloated and it was too much content. We decided to cut down to just the folklore that we could use to strengthen the family story. We had a lot of folklore, there was almost too much to pick from and as there always is with Irish folklore. There are so many versions of every story because every storyteller tells the story differently. We took a license and we said, “What folklore do we have in this draft that really strengthens what’s happening with the family?”
We came to the idea that the witch could be just an exaggerated version of the Granny, and then the shanachie was going to be a version of the kids’ grandfather but it became too complicated, so we decided against it. It was all about simplifying and boiling it down to make kind of a espresso of folklore so that we could have something really strong that would work internationally as well [Laughs].
Aguilar: Where did you find the folk story or stories that served as framework for “Song of the Sea”?
Tomm Moore: Everywhere. A lot of these stories I heard while growing up and others I read in a book called The People of Sea, lent to me by my friend Ross Stewart. He was the Art Director in “The Secret of Kells.” I went on a trip to the coast of Ireland when I had started working on the “The Secret of Kells,” and I’ saw these seals that had been killed by the sea. Then, when I was talking to the woman that we had rented the cottage from, she said that the fishermen had been killing the seals and blaming them for the drop in fish stocks. She said, “That wouldn’t have happened years ago because people had these beliefs that seals could be Selkies and that they contained the souls of people lost at sea.”
When I came back I talked to Ross Stewart and he loaned me the book I mentioned, which was a collection of stories from the 1920s. The author had gone around Ireland and England collecting all the different beliefs about seals. I was reading those and I was also reading some of Lady Gregory’s works. From the time of Lady Gregory and W.B. Yeats there was a big movement to try and capture the stories that had been just passed down in the oral tradition. But honestly, most folklore is only alive if you hear it, if it’s told, because if it’s written down it becomes kind of a gospel. If it’s written people think, “That’s it! That’s the right version! Don’t’ change it.” Folklore is always changing and evolving for new audiences. That’s how you keep it alive.
Aguilar: While “The Secret of Kells” is a gorgeous film in its own right, it seems like “Song of the Sea” had an even more ethereal and fluid look to it, almost like watercolors.
Tomm Moore: A big part of that is Adrien Merigeau, who was the main background artist in “The Secret of Kells.” When I was developing “ Song of the Sea” and working on conceptual stuff, we really tried to blend our styles. His natural style seemed very full of little idiosyncratic design motifs. We started looking at the rocks and carvings that I wanted to include, and we could see similarities between his work and those Pictish carving, so he started to incorporate that into it.
We started working really early, before we even had a script. We were working on evolving this style, and we were hoping it would be a bit more atmospheric than in “The Secret of Kells,” we wanted some of that damped atmosphere that you get in Ireland. Adrien is great with watercolors, and I had been playing a lot with watercolor as well. We felt it was the right approach. “The Secret of Kells” had a stained glass look, and we wanted “Song of the Sea” to feel more like watercolors, more like a mystical fairytale.
Aguilar: What sort of visual reference did you and your team have to create the beautiful patterns and details in the film?
Tomm Moore: It came from a lot of carving and rocks, and the mad sacred geometry in the way they are arranged. It’s amazing stuff. It’s all Celtic and Pre-Celtic from the Picts. The word “picture” comes from the Picts, they were an Irish tribe that used tattoo themselves with the images in all this carvings. When the Romans first found them, they realized they were called the Picts. The word comes from the name the Romans used to refer to the drawings the Picts had all over themselves.
Aguilar: Tell me about your approach in terms of character development. In this films character seem more delicate, perhaps more personal.
Tomm Moore: I based most of the characters on my family. Ben is based on my son. He was 10 when I started working to work on it, now he is 19 now. Time just flies when you are making animation [Laughs]. Cu was based on a dog we had. When Ben was younger we had a dog named Cu. My mother’s name is Bronagh, and she looked a lot like the character in the film. My characters are certainly very personal.
These films are so hard to get made or even get off the ground, then put the finance together, get the story right, that if you pack the film full of people that you love you can live with it longer. There is always a bit of nostalgia. My nephew does Ben’s voice, as you can see it’s a real family story. I knew the characters needed to be softer so I looked at films like “My Neighbor Totoro” and other Japanese animation. The characters in “ The Secret of Kells” are quite geometric, and for this one I wanted to get something a bit softer and fuller.
Aguilar: Was the relationship between Saoirse and Ben also inspired by your personal experience?
Tomm Moore: Yes, the same with Brendan and Ashley in “The Secret of Kells,” both relationships are based on my relationship with my sister. I have three sisters, but there was a certain sibling rivalry between me and my next older sister. For sure that was influential in both films.
Aguilar: I love all the details that you have hidden throughout the film: the animals in the background, the cameo on the bus, or even inanimate objects with a particular shape. Every frame is full of beautiful small touches
Tomm Moore: We spent a long time on that. We wanted to pack everything in there. Adrien’s point of view made the backgrounds look almost like illustrations. We set up each shot like an illustration that would work in a book as well, but ultimately we needed to have continuity. We did a lot of color scripting. All the details are little encouragements for people to watch the movie more than once. [Laughs]
Aguilar: Where you concern about translating Irish folklore into a story that could work for a global audience?
Tomm Moore: I think there is universality to the films. With “Song of the Sea” this was very deliberate because I knew that we had gone the independent route, we didn’t go with a big studio. We made it for 5.5 million Eur, that’s very small compared to other films. “ The Book of Life”, which was the next “low-budget” animated film at The Hollywood Reporter roundtable that I was in, was $50 million.
For me that freedom meant that I could be more personal and more true to our culture. At the same time you want people to be able to enjoy it. There are certain jokes in there that only Irish people will get, but for the most part I wanted to take the approach in which somebody from anywhere in the world could watch it and enjoy it. I like that about “Totoro.” You get a glimpse of Japanese culture but at the same time anybody, anywhere, could watch “Totoro” and enjoy it even if they don’t know anything about Japanese culture.
Aguilar: The film seems to take place in a not-so-distant past where 3D glasses and Walkmans where an awesome novelty.
Tomm Moore: I was thinking it was like 1987, that’s when I was 10 years old. I was nostalgic for that time and I decided to add those little touches. [Laughs]
Aguilar: Music is such an important element in “Song of the Sea.” Tell me about developing the score with the musicians and other talent.
Tomm Moore: With “The Secret of Kells” Bruno Coulais and Kila did a great job but they work for a quite short neat the end of the film. This time, because the music was so important for the whole film, we asked them to get involved really early on. Bruno and Kila started working on the music for the film while we were still writing the story. It was really great, we would have little sessions in Ireland where they’ll get together and work. The first thing we had to work on was the song. We needed to get that right and find a singer. We were lucky to find Lisa Hannigan, who could act and sing. That was the first challenge for this movie, working on the music at the same time as the visuals.
Aguilar: With the advent of 3D animation, is it difficult to find the right people to work on more detailed-oriented 2D films?
Tomm Moore: There is a little team, like in stop-motion. It’s a little team of people that we’ve put together who had worked on “The Secret of Kells,” and some new people. I think it’s about finding people who are really passionate about 2-D animation and want to work at a different level on it. We are lucky in Europe, there seems to be a lot of 2D animation happening. There is still expertise and different studios are still making it.
Aguilar: Where things easier this second time around?
Tomm Moore: “The Secret of Kells ” was tough because it was the first one and we were trying to figure stuff out. This time there were stressful moments but we were a little bit more battle-hardened, like the old team getting back together for one more war [Laughs]
Aguilar: What do you love about 2D animation that 3D can’t provide? What would you say makes the medium particularly special?
Tomm Moore: I think there is a language to drawing that’s special, just like with Ghibli’s latest, “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya.” Even if you try to fake the look of a drawing by doing something like “Paperman”, is not quiet the same as feeling that somebody really drew it. Also, I think that if you watch a movie like “My Neighbor Totoro” and then you watch “Ponyo,” you wouldn’t know that they’ve been made 20 years apart. But if you watch the original “Toy Story” and then “Toy Story 3,” you can really see a big difference, you can see a big change in technology. 2-D has a certain timelessness.
Aguilar: You’ve mentioned Miyazaki’s work has been an inspiration to you, what other animators or artists have influenced your work?
Tomm Moore: Richard Williams, who was for years trying to make “The Thief and the Cobbler.” He was never able to finish it properly and then it got taken off of him. It’s a sad story, but he was always such an inspiration to me. When I was in college I saw a documentary about him and you could see he really had this great passion. He fully believed that animation could be art and it didn’t have to been as just something commercial. He spent over 25 year working on that film, that’s more of an art piece than anything else.
Also Genndy Tartakovsky, who is now doing CG stuff like “Hotel Transylvania,” but also worked on shows like “Samurai Jack ” and other greats tuff on TV. Then of course all the Eastern European animated film, specially the Hungarian folktales. There is also the Russian animator Yuri Norshteyn, he is really amazing. He ‘s made some beautiful short films, but he has also been working on this feature film for like 20 years. It’s going to be beautiful if he ever finishes it. I suppose I get inspiration from all over the place.
Aguilar: For you what’s the main difference between animated and live actions films in terms of the creative process and the effect they have on audiences?
Tomm Moore: Animation and live action are blending. I was recently talking to a friend of mine who is an editor, he used to work in live-action and now he works in animation. He used the analogy that editing in live action is like carving away a piece of marble but the shape is basically already there. With animation is more like clay because you keep building, changing, and adding things.
I think animation is freer and I think that’s why live action filmmakers like Spielberg or Cameron are using animation more in their films. “ Avatar” or “Gravity” are basically animate films because they have so much CG animation in them. But I think hand-drawn animation can be something really special. If the character design is quite simple it has the ability to allow people to easily relate to the characters in a special manner. A cartoon character isn’t a specific person. It isn’t Tom Cruise or George Clooney playing the part, it’s a character that could be you. It’s easier for you to get drawn into it in a special way.
Aguilar: Would you ever work on a 3D animated film?
Tomm Moore: I wouldn’t say no, but I’d have to find a way to adapt to it and I don’t think I’d be interested in doing something like Pixar’s shiny, perfect surfaces in 3D. To be honest with you, they do it so well and they spend so much money on it, that unless you are doing it in Pixar there is no point trying to match it. It’ll just come out looking cheap, so you would have to find a clever way to dot it. I like drawing. I like to spend the day drawing, the process is important for me. Drawing is a just a pleasure and it’s nice to keep it going. I think we stand out a little bit from the crowd by being 2D. There is less and less of it that now we have like a badge or a brand that stands out by being 2D.
Aguilar: “Song of the Sea” has received overwhelmingly positive reviews and a great reception by audiences. I’m sure this must be very rewarding and encouraging.
Tomm Moore: The more god reviews we get the more confidence we get, and the more proud we are when we stand beside the film. The only problem is the pressure, this was like making a difficult second album and now we have to make sure that the third film, and the next are good. But that’s a good problem to have [Laughs]
Aguilar: What are you and Cartoon Saloon working on next?
Tomm Moore: The next project that Cartoon Saloon is doing is going to be directed by Nora Twomey, who was the co-director in “The Secret of Kells,” and it’s based on a book called The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. It’s about a little girl in Afghanistan who has to pretend to be a boy so she can provide for her family. Her father is a storyteller. There is going to be two different visual styles in it. The storytelling world will use a decorative style based on Afghan art and then there will be a different style for the real world. It’s definitely challenging. I’m also writing another movie at the moment, it’ll be my third Irish-themed movie.
Aguilar: Seems like you are making a real brand or niche for yourself with Irish animated stories
Tomm Moore: Yes, at least for myself, but I think Nora is going to make something very special and different.
Aguilar: How did the Oscar nomination for “The Secret of Kells” change things? Did it change things at all?
Tomm Moore: It did, maybe not in the way that we had immediately expected. It wasn’t like we suddenly had access to millions and millions or anything like that, because we weren’t willing to become part of the studio system and make a movie that would work in that system. They spend so much money on those films that if you get involved in that system you don’t know if your film will ever get made because it’s such a risk to make them. You could develop something for years and it might never get made. And if they do make it has to be very accessible and it has to be a certain type of product. When they make them well they are beautiful, I was blown away by “How to Train Your Dragon 2.”
But for me, the freedom that you have to give up by trying to get into that system wasn’t worth it. The Oscar nomination might have opened doors to do something like that, but instead we decided to go back to Ireland and stay pretty small. What the nomination did instead was giving us a professional armor. It gave us a certain credibility and people took us more seriously after that. It also opened doors in terms of actors. We could now get voices that we really wanted. It helped with raising the finance, even though we ended up with a very small budget, less even that in “ The Secret of Kells.”
After the economic crash there was less money to put together, but the money that was out there we were able to attract because of the Oscar nomination. Besides, I got to join the Academy, I got to meet Miyazaki the other night, and there are so many benefits that just go on and on [Laughs].
Aguilar: I think “Song of the Sea” is absolutely marvelous, but for those who haven’t had the chance to see, why should they flock to see it?
Tomm Moore: I think it’s offering something different. I think what we tried to do - and I hope we’ve been successful at - is make a movie that is something like “ Totoro,” something like “E.T.” or “Goonies.” We wanted to make something like those movies from the 80s that weren’t a sequel or a prequel. They were just a complete new adventure in themselves. “Song of the Sea” has a kind of melancholy that most animated films seem not having much of anymore. I hope it offers something special.
- 12/18/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
It was announced today at the VFX Summit in Dublin that the Cartoon Saloon and Aircraft Pictures production is closing finance now.
Financing is being completed now for the animated feature The Breadwinner, based on Deborah Ellis’ bestselling and influential novel.
Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea) and Canada’s Aircraft Pictures (Cybergeddon, Todd & The Book of Pure Evil) are partnering on the animated family feature.
Paul Young, co-founder of Cartoon Saloon, announced at the VFX Summit in Dublin today that production is expected to begin on the film in April 2015, with a theatrical launch planned for 2017. StudioCanal will release the film in the UK, building on its work with Cartoon Saloon’s Oscar nominee The Secret of Kells and the forthcoming Song of the Sea.
Cartoon Saloon partner Nora Twomey [pictured], who co-directed Kells, will direct.
The Breadwinner tells the story of Parvana, a young girl living under Taliban rule in...
Financing is being completed now for the animated feature The Breadwinner, based on Deborah Ellis’ bestselling and influential novel.
Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea) and Canada’s Aircraft Pictures (Cybergeddon, Todd & The Book of Pure Evil) are partnering on the animated family feature.
Paul Young, co-founder of Cartoon Saloon, announced at the VFX Summit in Dublin today that production is expected to begin on the film in April 2015, with a theatrical launch planned for 2017. StudioCanal will release the film in the UK, building on its work with Cartoon Saloon’s Oscar nominee The Secret of Kells and the forthcoming Song of the Sea.
Cartoon Saloon partner Nora Twomey [pictured], who co-directed Kells, will direct.
The Breadwinner tells the story of Parvana, a young girl living under Taliban rule in...
- 11/29/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
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