Catherine Paillé: Last News

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International “My Life As a Zucchini” director Claude Barras has set up his latest stop-motion animated feature, “Savages!” Production company Gebeka International — a Hildegarde-Goodfellas company formed in 2021 — and production, financing and sales studio Anton are behind the project, which will be written by Barras and Catherine Paille (“Magnetic Beasts”). The project will be shopped to buyers in Cannes next week. “Savages!” follows the emotional journey of a girl, her father and a rescued baby orangutan. The film has a strong environmental and conservationist message, exploring the crisis of the destruction of rainforests.

Refreshing as a river dip on a hot day, but also mildly melancholic, as though perhaps it is the last swim of the summer, Guillaume Brac’s wise, witty “À l’abordage” is an optimistic portrait of gentle disappointment, the kind a youthful generation has to experience before growing up a little bit. It’s also a delightful showcase for the talents of its diverse, fresh-faced cast, whose own stories and experiences contributed to Brac and co-screenwriter Catherine Paillé’s loose-limbed narrative. That improvisational approach lends “À l’abordage” an amiably meandering rhythm while still bringing its breezy journey to a close with everyone in a subtly but profoundly different place to where they started.