Annecy 2020 MIFA Pitches: Shorts & TV Projects to Watch Out For
The first ever online only MIFA Pitches sessions took place this year; covering Feature films, shorts, TV specials, world animation, and digital projects. Of the seven short film pitches, and eight TV pitches, we picked out three projects from each category to watch out for.
Short Film Pitches
The World After (El After del Mundo)
Directed by Florentina Gonzalez (Argentina), this 8 minute, 2D post apocalyptic film follows the story of two ghosts, Fluor and Carlix, who are the only characters left after mankind has disappeared. They meet as they wander among the remains of a vanished civilization, one looking for a WiFi connection; the other a giant cetacean head. Gonzalez said “The project combines issues that affect us generationally – literally, as the threat of a near end-of-the-world, but also metaphorically, the feeling of living in constant crisis with work, hyper productivity and relationships.”
Aimed at adolescents and young adults, Gonzalez is looking for broadcasters, distributors, and co-producers to realise the project, and was helped on her way by picking up 2 awards for her pitch; the Ciclic Prize – Shortway and Arte France Prize.
Hello Summer
Skwigly readers will be no stranger to this project, which director Martin Smatana eluded to in his previous interview with us. Intended for children 5-9 years old, and their family, Hello Summer will be an 8-minute short that combines stop-motion objects with drawing on paper, but without any spoken dialogue.
The film [will show] funny situations which happen to a family during their summer holiday, using the objects of everyday life which they pack in their holiday luggage. These will be combined with hand drawn animation that will change the objects into other forms.
The idea comes from my childhood. My parents used to teach me and my brother that if we ever have some free money, the best way to use it is travelling. It was (and still is) their life credo. That is why we traveled every summer to some different country. Mostly it was a lot of fun, but sometimes it happened that I got bored. To entertain myself, I took a sheet of blank paper and I put some object on it (for example, the sunglasses or boarding pass). Than I took a pencil and added some little drawings on the paper, which changed the object to something new, usually to something bigger and funnier.
– Director, Martin Smatana
Having picked up the Open Workshop Prize for his Annecy pitch, Martin is now looking for broadcasters, distributors, producers/co-producers
27 – My Last Day at Home
Hot off the heals of the success of her previous short film, Entropia, Hungarian director Flóra Buda was in Annecy to pitch her latest project; the 15-minute, 2D animated short 27 – My Last Day at Home.
The film follows Alice, a 27 year old woman who still lives at home with her parents. With no privacy – and therefore no relationship either – she falls into a coma following a bicycle accident, where she learns to take responsibility for herself. The narrative will be split into two; one which deals with Alice’s disatisfied life, and the other following her sexual fantasies.
The artwork shown during the pitch is beautiful (see above), and with the project winning the Prix Ciclic award at Annect, we are looking forward to seeing this film hit the festival circuit.
TV Series Pitches
Paradise Town
There are few TV series straplines that grab you as much as a this one does: Black Mirror meets Mr Men. This was exactly how British director Felix Massie opened his pitch for Padadise Town. The show is set in a UK ‘new town’ (purposefully planned towns that were built in the UK after World War 2), and tells the stories of it’s quirky inhabitants – each has their own visually different look to reflect their personalities. The cast consist of: Boring Simon (he is grey), Perfect Ellie (she wants the perfect wedding), Meg (her brain hangs out; saying what she’s thinking), Big Bob (he has an inferiority complex), Faye Sway (she is wobbly and easily influences), and Annebel Half-Done (who never finishes anything).
The 6 x 25-minute series is aimed at an adult audience. Currently in the script-writing stage, Nexus Studios are looking for broadcast partners.
Douce (Sweet)
Douce (or Sweet in English) is one of those shows that just makes you sit up an take notice. The 2D comedy centers around a 40-something year old mother who is going through her 4th pregnancy, and offers the audience an irreverent look at modern maternity. Director Isabelle Lenoble says she hopes the series will upend the image we have of motherhood and take a look at somebody fed up with society’s ideals. The show will also focus on her relationship to her own body and her sexuality; aspects of maternity that are very rarely treated.
The 15 x 4-minute series is aimed at an adult audience. Isabelle Lenoble, and production company Vivement Lundi!, currently have 5 scripts and are now looking for broadcasters, investors and publishers. Despite this being a French production, we really hope it will be possible to share with UK audiences at some point in the future, but for now you can view the subtitled pilot episode below.
I Want To Know (Chcem vedie)
Following on from his short film pitch for Hello Summer, Martin Smatana returned to MIFA Pitches with his TV project I Want To Know, which has been adapted from his short film The Kite (which we interviewed Marton about). However, Martin has since teamed up with Oscar nominted director Daria Kashcheeva (Daughter), who will direct alongside him.
Aimed at children 4-6 years old, the series will address serious issues that curious children sometimes ask their parents, who do not always know how to answer. Subjects will include: environment, finance, divorce, same sex marriages, bullying, and death.
The series will consist of 13 episodes, although duration is still to be decided (7 or 11-minutes), with the show aimed at children 4-6 years old. Scripts are currently in development, with the team now looking for looking for broadcasters, distributors and co-producers. With a budget of just over €1 million, the series is expected to be complete for Spring 2023.