Greatness from (very) small beginnings.
After bringing Filip Mašek’s “Acorn’s Adventures” to MIFA and profitable the Eurimages Co-production Improvement Award earlier this yr at Cartoon Film, German co-producer Fabian&Fred revealed at present that Dandelooo had acquired international gross sales rights to the buzzy CG Czech-German animated characteristic, scheduled for launch in 2029.
‘Acorn’s Journey’ boarded by Dandelooo © Pure Shore, Fabian&Fred
Fabian&Fred co-founder Fabian Driehorst, who joined the challenge again in 2024, labored carefully with Czech Predominant Producer Kristina Husová (Pure Shore) to shine this authentic concept by animator, director and former Boy Scout chief Filip Mašek.
It’s the latter expertise that introduced “Acorn’s Adventure” to life. Pushed by his amazement at youngsters’s vivid creativeness and their skill to inform complete tales with twigs and acorns, Mašek began from children’ designs to construct a lush, colourful CG forest setting wherein quirky characters (elaborated with youngsters as nicely) set off on a quest to rescue their quiet forest village.
“This story is about acceptance and finding who you are”, defined Mašek again at Cartoon Film. “We made several workshops with U.K., Brazilian and Dutch kids to discuss the project with them, and they were equally enthusiastic about it. It’s great to see that these characters can create strong responses from children worldwide.”
“What I love about Filip’s approach is that, to him, it’s still a Czech film”, added Husová. “Czech people will recognize their forests in the feature, and we’ve received some great support from the Czech Audiovisual Fund, amidst a very competitive landscape.”
Driehorst, who shares the identical enthusiasm for this tiny acorn’s journey and helped safe MOIN Movie Fund and the help of Inventive Europe Media, underlined the attraction of the now Dandelooo-backed challenge. However for him, “Acorn’s Adventures” nonetheless suffers from the shortage of help from a German broadcaster. A difficulty that’s, in accordance with the seasoned animation producer, crippling German manufacturing corporations for some time.
“With Fabian&Fred, we have demonstrated that all of our films have earned an outstanding international reputation and are celebrated by critics”, he added. “We’re identified for our numerous vary of movies, which covers each style – from animated documentaries and youngsters’s movies to movies for youngsters and adults.
But our largest problem has all the time been the shortage of help for animation abilities from German broadcasters. Whereas there are unbelievable packages for characteristic movies and documentaries, I really feel unhappy to say that there isn’t a single initiative for animated movies.”
Driehorst doesn’t wish to blame anybody for this state of affairs, however he desperately hopes that sooner or later – ahead of later –, there shall be extra consciousness for the wonder and energy of animation.
The Fabian&Fred co-founder does know lots about animation abilities. Together with the gross sales growth on “Acorn’s Adventure,” Driehorst has introduced Lizzy Hobb’s newest movie “Daughters of the Late Colonel” to Cannes as a part of its Administrators’ Fortnight part, and shared the corporate’s stable animation slate for the upcoming years.
This contains Raman Djafari brief movie debut “Throwing Sticks at the Sun,” on which Fabian&Fred has shared a first-look picture with Selection.
On the characteristic entrance, Fabian&Fred is deeply concerned in Award-winning Director Signe Baumane’s next feature film, “Karmic Knot”, which is nicely underneath growth and in addition slated for 2029.
First look picture of Raman Djafari’s debut brief ‘Throwing Sticks at the Sun’ © Fabian&Fred
“Throwing Sticks at the Sun” marks Djafari first fiction brief, after his globally revered works with Elton John & Dua Lipa (“Cold Heart”) and Coldplay’s mesmerizing “Feelslikeimfallinginlove.” The 14-minute coming-of-age drama follows a bunch of teenagers as they unintentionally kill a chicken, and the response they show is confronted to how they actually really feel.
On the brief facet, Fabian&Fred additionally brings to Cannes the MIFA chosen debut brief 2D documentary “Daylight” by Ayala Shoshana Man, and the stop-motion skilled debut brief “Two For Me, One For You” from Scholar Oscar winner Jan Gadermann (“Laika&Nemo”).
‘Karmic Knot’ by Signe Baumane © Studio Locomotive, Fabian&Fred
“Karmic Knot”, Baumane’s newest characteristic challenge co-produced with Studio Locomotive rounds up Fabian&Fred eye-catching line-up.
With Tony-Award-nominated actor Patrick Wilson (“The Conjuring”), “Succession” expertise Dagmara Dominczyk and “Just in Time” Broadway lead Gracie Lawrence already introduced as voice forged earlier this yr, “Karmic Knot” is already deep in growth, and supported by each Latvian Movie Centre and MOIN Movie Fund. But it might additionally profit from the backing of a German broadcaster.
“We do see that there are some very dedicated editors,” provides Driehorst, “but even for them, the opportunities to support German filmmakers like Raman Djafari or to promote established directors like Signe Baumane and exciting new talents like Filip Mašek are extremely limited. Most of our animated short films are co-productions involving at least two or three countries.”
Even because the lead producer on German animation tasks, Fabian&Fred typically finally ends up because the weakest companion, as productions corporations lack help from broadcasters and have solely restricted entry to automated funding.
“We hope that the international recognition and support our projects receive will have a positive impact on our German partners. And I’m known for being an undying optimist.”
“Acorn’s Adventure” certainly benefited from Fabian Driehorst’s optimism. Now with French heavyweight gross sales brokers Dandelooo on board, the movie heads to a CMC presentation in July.
