World Premiere Of 'Ce Magnifique Gâteau !' During Official 50th Anniversary Ceremony Of Cannes Directors' Fortnight

'Ce Magnifique Gâteau!' (This Magnificent Cake!), the new mid-length stop-motion marvel by acclaimed Belgian directors Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels, will have the honour of presentation at the celebratory Directors' Fortnight 50th anniversary ceremony on May 14.

 

 

The Directors' Fortnight in Cannes will officially celebrate its 50th anniversary with a special evening programme on May 14 at the Théâtre Croisette. Following a ceremony headed by the section's Artistic Director Edouard Waintrop, the evening will conclude with the world premiere of 'Ce Magnifique Gâteau !', which has been selected by the Directors' Fortnight for this very special occasion. 


Six years after their multi-award winning animated short film 'Oh Willy...' (see below), 'Ce Magnifique Gâteau !' is Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels' new stop-motion film.


Juanita Onzaga's short film "Our Song to War" has been selected for the Directors' Fortnight in Cannes


It is a 44-minute mid-length animated anthology film set in colonial Africa in the late 19th century, telling the stories of 5 different characters: a troubled king, a middle-aged Pygmy working in a luxury hotel, a failed businessman on an expedition, a lost porter, and a young army deserter. 



'Ce Magnifique Gâteau !' screenings in Cannes:
- Monday, May 14 at 19h30, Théâtre Croisette (World Premiere, Directors' Fortnight 50th anniversary ceremony)
- Tuesday, May 15 at 16h30, Cinéma Alexandre III (Rerun)

Interview possibilities in Cannes:
Interviews with directors Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels will be possible on Tuesday, May 15 and Wednesday, May 16. 



Discover the teaser for 'Ce Magnifique Gâteau !' here
 

De Swaef and Roels have been working on 'Ce Magnifique Gâteau !' for six years, the last two of which have been production and post-production. They further honed their striking and unique stop-motion technique using wool, felt, and textile. Shooting lasted for 8 months and took place in the Beast Animation studios in Mechelen, Belgium. The puppets and sets were made at Personne n'est parfait! in Bretagne, France. 

 

De Swaef and Roels' previous film, 'Oh Willy...' (2012; viewing link can be requested), racked up no less than 300 festival nominations and 80 awards worldwide, including the coveted Cartoon d'Or for Best European Animated Short Film, the Grand Jury Prize for Best Animated Short Film at AFI Fest, the Grand Jury Award for Best Animated Short at SXSW Film Festival, and a César nomination for Best Animated Film. 

 

'Ce Magnifique Gâteau !' was written, directed and edited by Emma De Swaef and Marc James Roels. Animation was carried out by Elodie Ponçon, Patricia Sourdès, Iris Alexandre, Mirjam Plettinx, and Andreas De Ridder.


The 22nd Annual COLCOA French Film Festival Opens


Production design was handled by Jean-Marc Ogier. The puppets were made by David Roussel, David Thomasse, and Anna Deschamps. The main voice cast includes Jan Decleir (The Memory of a Killer, Daens), Gaston Motambe, Wim Willaert (When the Sea Rises, Le Ciel Flamand), Goua Grovogui, Sébastien Dewaele (Cargo), and Angelo Tijssens. The film is Dutch, French, Aka, and Malinke spoken. 

'Ce Magnifique Gâteau !' was produced by Beast Animation (Belgium) in co-production with Vivement Lundi ! (France) and Pedri Animation (The Netherlands), with the participation of ARTE France and the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (aide au programme), and supported by the Flemish Audiovisual Fund VAF, the Tax Shelter programme of the Belgian Federal Government, the Région Bretagne in partnership with CNC, the Netherlands Film Fund, Procirep, and Angoa. 

Content/Images Courtesy of Post Bills PR; Art Direction, Janet Walker

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