Les Trois Brigands, the French version of German feature Die Drei Rauber, opened today in cinemas across Quebec and in Ottawa, Ontario. While Montreal stopped being a market for limited theatrical releases about ten years ago, it still has the advantage of getting French-language or translated animated features that have not yet been released widely in English.

(Ironically, Quebec is often overlooked for anticipated anime features, despite the diehard interest ingrained in a two generations of Quebecois through French programming, which made it a stronghold for anime fandom long ago, showing you just how clueless major distributors are.)

The timing is perfect, as the Spring Break begins for elementary schools tomorrow, which means it's time for FIFEM. The film is the only animated feature at this year's edition of the children's film fest, and also its opening film.



FIFEM is also screening shorts before each film. Many are animated, and almost half are Hothouse 4 shorts. Hothouser Carla Coma will be present when her stop-motion short, The Squirrel Next Door, is screened on March 4 and March 9.

Labels: features, FIFEM, Germany, National Film Board of Canada, NFB, shorts

Sunday is your last chance to see Carte Blanche à Cartoon Club, a selection of European shorts suitable for all ages, with a heavy emphasis on Italian and German animation, compiled by Sabrina Zanetti, artistic director of Cartoon Club, the International Festival of Animated Cinema and Comics in Rimini. The programme is a part of the Festival international de films pour enfants de Montreal (FIFEM).

Selections include works from Bruno Bozzetto and an episode of La Linea by Osvaldo Cavandoli (sadly, Cartoon Brew reported that he died last week).

Labels: festivals, FIFEM, Germany, Italy, Montreal, shorts