‘Chicken for Linda!’ Directors Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach Toon Up Mortality-Minded Adaptation ‘My Stupid Intentions’ (EXCLUSIVE)

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Directors Sébastien Laudenbach and Chiara Malta plan to continue their success from their award-winning film by creating an animal story titled “My Stupid Intentions,” which explores the theme of mortality.

Drawing inspiration from Bernardo Zannoni’s 2023 publication, I find myself captivated by this strikingly mature narrative that unfolds as the personal account of a beech marten, born into hardship and subsequently navigating a cold, indifferent existence.

Malta says to EbMaster, “This book we’re working on is incredibly harsh,” she explains. “It’s a deeply somber story that explores death and the emergence of self-awareness in the animal world. As consciousness develops, so do complex emotions like nostalgia, memories, fear of mortality, and understanding of one’s own limitations. These feelings bring about loss, sorrow, and confusion – and that’s exactly what we aim to portray.

Malta explains that by modifying a book featuring severe cruelty, the aim is to discuss death with children. They intend to transform this captivating book, which delves into profound philosophical questions, into something suitable for the purest and most virtuous audience – children.

As a movie critic eagerly anticipating new projects, I’m excited to share insights about an upcoming Franco-Italian collaboration that promises to be a visual treat. The creative forces behind “Chicken for Linda!” – Miyu Productions and Dolce Vita Films – are set to reunite for this yet-untitled production.

In the initial stages of development, filmmakers are experimenting with a unique blend of animation styles, merging 3D tools with a captivating, 2D aesthetic that appeals to our senses. With a tentative release date slated for 2026, I’m hoping they kickstart production as soon as possible. Stay tuned for more updates on this promising project!

In 2023, ‘Chicken for Linda!’ took home the top prize for best feature at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, and a year later, it was honored as the best animated film at the César Awards.”

“At the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in 2023, ‘Chicken for Linda!’ won the best feature category. A year later, it clinched the award for best animated film at the César Awards in 2024.

Moving forward, my artistic collaborator and I are engrossed in our separate endeavors. Currently, I find myself immersed in the production process for my adaptation of Georges Bizet’s timeless tale, titled “Love Is a Gypsy Child: A Carmen Story.” Meanwhile, my partner is poised to embark on an exciting journey, directing a live-action, Italian-speaking reinterpretation of the 2023 Belgian comedy sensation, “The (Ex)perience of Love.” The esteemed Rome-based Wildside production company will be at the helm for this captivating project.

Malta comments that this new adaptation is somewhat risky, but the original directors, Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni, are confident in my abilities because we all share powerful creative visions. They possess an abundance of creativity and imagination, and they believe I won’t just reproduce it [the material] superficially.”

(The goal is to maintain the original meaning while making the sentence more natural and easier to read.)

Malta plans to take on adapting author Gianrico Carofiglio’s novel “Three O’Clock in the Morning,” which is set in the 1980s and revolves around a father and his epileptic son over two days in Marseille. Filming for this project is slated to start in the South of France later this year.

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2025-01-21 22:47