Animalia (film) explained

Animalia
Native Name:
Translation:Among Us
Director:Sofia Alaoui
Producer:
  • Margaux Lorier
  • Toufik Ayadi
  • Christophe Barral
Starring:
Cinematography:Noé Bach
Editing:Héloïse Pelloquet
Music:Amine Bouhafa
Production Companies:
Distributor:Ad Vitam Distribution
Runtime:91 minutes
Country:
Language:

Animalia is a 2023 French-Moroccan science fiction film directed by Sofia Alaoui in her feature directorial debut, based on Alaoui's short film So What If the Goats Die. The movie follows Itto (Oumaïma Barid), a pregnant woman who attempts to reunite with her husband Amine (Mehdi Dehbi) as extraterrestrial occurrences in Morocco southeast of Casablanca cause the country to descend into chaos.

The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, on 20 January 2023. The film had a positive reception, with critics particularly praising the direction, the performances of Barid and Dehbi, and the score.[1] [2]

Cast

Production

The principal photography concluded in November 2021 after thirty five days of filming.[3] Animalia is produced by Wrong Films and SRAB Films,[4] and co-produced by ARTE France Cinéma and the Moroccan companies Jiango Films and Dounia Productions.[5] The film was produced under the working title Parmi nous ('Among Us').[6] International sales are handled by Totem Films.

Release

Animalia had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, on 20 January 2023.[7] [8] It was theatrically released in France by Ad Vitam Distribution on 9 August 2023.[9]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 100% approval rating based on 20 critics' reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10.[10]

At the 2023 Calgary International Film Festival, the film won the award for Best International Feature Film.[11]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Khairy . Wael . March 2, 2023 . The Oneness of All Things: On Sofia Alaoui’s Animalia . March 22, 2024 . RogerEbert.com.
  2. Web site: Kiang . Jessica . January 20, 2023 . ‘Animalia’ Review: Aliens Invade the Art-house in an Impressively Atmospheric and Enigmatic Feature Debut . March 22, 2024 . Variety.
  3. Web site: EXCLUSIVE: Sofia Alaoui's Animalia is now in post-production. Cineuropa. 25 November 2021. 27 January 2023. Fabien. Lemercier.
  4. Web site: Animalia. February 2023 . Wrong Films. fr. 11 August 2023.
  5. Web site: Review: Animalia. Lemercier. Fabien. 23 January 2023. Cineuropa. 11 August 2023.
  6. San Frax. Julien. 3 August 2023. Bienvenue au Maroc, dans un film de SF mystique. Causeur. fr. 2 February 2024.
  7. Web site: Sundance Film Festival Lineup Set With Ukraine War, Little Richard, Michael J. Fox, Judy Blume Docs; Pics With Anne Hathaway, Emilia Clarke, Jonathan Majors; More. Deadline Hollywood. 7 December 2022. 27 January 2023. Anthony. D'Alessandro. Dominic. Patten.
  8. Web site: An in-person Sundance returns with a raft of rising European voices. Cineuropa. Martin. Kudláč. 8 December 2022. 27 January 2023.
  9. Web site: Animalia, Les Avantages de voyager en train, Un coup de maître... : les films de la semaine aidés par le CNC. 7 August 2023. CNC. fr. 10 August 2023.
  10. Web site: Animalia. 2 February 2024 . Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media.
  11. Aryn Toombs, "Winners of 2023 CIFF competitions unveiled". LiveWire Calgary, 25 September 2023.