Sébastien Laudenbach isn’t afraid to tackle Bizet’s iconic “Carmen” in his newest animation, “Viva Carmen,” and make it extra child-friendly.
“It’s not a film ‘adapted’ for kids, but it’s accessible to them,” he instructed Selection.
Set in Seville in 1845, it follows teenage Salva who works as an assistant to Antonio, a knife grinder who also can see the longer term. After an encounter with a soldier, José, Antonio makes a horrific prediction. Salva, accompanied by a bunch of road youngsters led by Belén, decides to vary the prophecy – and save Carmen.
“Disney wouldn’t make something like ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ today. Times have changed. But this is a film for everyone. It’s very important to speak to kids in a certain way, we did that also in ‘Chicken for Linda!’ [co-directed with Chiara Malta]. As filmmakers, it is our responsibility to communicate with a young audience: they are the audience of tomorrow.”
The music was created by Amine Bouhafa and Isabelle Laudenbach.
“We started working on the music the moment we wrote the script. If you know the opera, it all becomes like a game. You recognize so many familiar patterns,” he mentioned.
“This music is so rich, but I asked them to make it a little different. Isabelle used traditional Spanish instruments and drums; then there’s Salva’s flute, which is played in Andalucía. We also worked with an all-female flamenco band from Barcelona.”
Camélia Jordana voices the character within the French-language model. “Maybe she’s the Carmen of today? She’s her own producer, a singer, a composer and an actress. She wants to be free, too,” he mentioned. Laudenbach is now additionally overseeing the Spanish model as properly.
As Selection discovered our completely, singer Silvia Pérez Cruz would be the subsequent Carmen.
“Tomorrow, Isabelle will work with Silvia on recording Carmen’s voice in Barcelona. I’m quite sad not to be there with them. It will be a great moment.”
“Viva Carmen” is a Folivari manufacturing in affiliation with Haut et Court docket Distribution and World Constellation.
“It’s a strange project,” laughed Laudenbach.
“It’s ‘Carmen,’ but it’s not ‘Carmen.’ I have a friend who knows everything about this opera and he pointed out there’s actually a song sung by children. Later on, they’re not that important – it’s all about Carmen and José. He wanted to see Carmen’s story from the perspective of children.”
That’s precisely what Laudenbach does within the movie, wherein the youngsters try – and largely failing – to grasp the grownup world. Love, obsession, want.
“I was looking for the truth in the relationships between all the characters, especially the children. When you have kids in your story, it has to ring true. They are orphans and thieves; they have to fight against life. But I like the scenes when they are hiding in a cave and just being kids, asking for a kiss or for a story.”
He added: “Children want to understand the world in all its complexity. You can’t pander to them – that’s not interesting. I wanted to be honest. It’s not an educational film; it’s a sketch that evokes certain sensations and feelings. That’s the purpose of cinema, I guess.”
As for Carmen herself, she stays robust.
“I wanted to show a woman, not just an icon. She’s real, even though it’s an animated movie. Her priority isn’t love; it’s freedom. She’s willing to pay the ultimate price for it. That’s very clear in her mind,” he mentioned. However he gained’t be bringing again another well-known characters any time quickly.
“With Chiara, we are now developing a project about animals. I’m moving into new areas, so we’ll see. But if someone offered me a film about Madame Bovary? I will certainly read it again.”
Regardless of the matter, he’ll keep true to his signature model.
“I don’t know if these drawings are unique, but they are mine. Animation is a good way to show the world without being too realistic. You can focus on sensations instead.”
“I really don’t understand why most animated films are so realistic. When I’m feeling optimistic, I think AI could help us create new types of representation and open new gates. But who knows what the future will bring?”
