Education Events: Learning Resources

ZARAFA Dir. Rémi Bezançon, Jean-Christophe Lie | France 2012 | 78min

Synopsis A little Sudanese boy called Maki, stolen from his family, escapes his captor and soon meets an orphaned DCD[IKTCHHG/CMKCPFn

The filmmakers Director: Rémi Bezançon, Jean-Christophe Lie Producer: Christophe Jankovic, Valérie Schermann Screenwriter: Rémi Bezançon, Alexander Abela Head of Animation: Yoshimichi Tamura

Rémi Bezançon studied film and art history at two of the best schools in France. Zarafa is his first feature- length animation! 6JGHKTUVHKNOUYJKEJ4GOKFKTGEVGFYGTGPoVCPKOCVGFCPFVJG[YGTGUJQTVU: Little Italie (1997), Vikings (2001) and Parables (2003). His first feature film was /C8KGGP.oCKT  about a man who could miss out on his chance at love because he is scared of flying on airplanes. His second feature, The First Day of the Rest of Your Life ( 2008), was nominated for Best Screenplay and Best Director at the César Awards - VJGn1UECTUoQH(TCPEG

After finishing school in Paris, Jean-Christophe Lie went to work for Walt Disney Pictures where he worked on The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules and Tarzan. He returned to Paris to supervise the CPKOCVKQPQH5[NXCKP%JQOGVoUBelleville Rendez-vous (2003). His first short animation, The Man in the Blue Gordini (2008) won lots of awards in France. Zarafa is the first feature-length film he has directed.

Long ago in 2001, Rémi started writing Zarafa with Alexander Abela, but he had to leave it and go and work on other things. In 2009, he met Jean-Christophe and the two of them started work on Zarafa together. This was a new and demanding task for both of them: Rémi had never storyboarded an animated film before, and Jean-Christophe had never worked on a feature-length film! Luckily, Rémi says that they helped each other: peI drew the characters from the script like blobs and Jean-Christophe revised my ideas for shots. The storyboard was totally put together by the two of us. And in doing so, we realized that a great deal of the film rests QPVJGTGNCVKQPUJKRDGVYGGP*CUUCPCPF/CMKVJGNKVVNGUNCXGUQOGVJKPIVJCVJCFPoVDGGPUQ CRRCTGPVq

ZARAFA ʹ BFI Film Festival 2012 - Education Resource by Holli Leah and Corinna Downing

Zarafa Press Pack, Pathé International

Before the film x /CMKoUCFXGPVWTGUVCTVUYJGPJGKUUVQNGPHTQOJKUHCOKN[D[C Malaterre, nUNCXGVTCFGToYJQYGPV to Africa to steal people from their homes and take them to work in other countries far way. How do you think Maki and his friend Soula feel when they have caught? x Look at the picture of Maki and Zarafa. This is when they first meet. What are they doing? Where do you think they are? Can you draw the rest of the setting?

After the film x Depending on where they are from, the characters wear different clothes: Kindly Hassan wears a turban and loose clothing, Bouboulina wears her pirate costume, the King of France wears his military jacket with sash and gold epaulettes. Maki has to change his clothes more than once s can you remember why? Colour one of these pictures of Maki or Soula (from the Zarafa Press Pack) and describe how he might have felt wearing these clothes, or draw another character and describe how their character. x Maki and Zarafa feel lots of different emotions during the film. Can you remember 5 different scenes, from the beginning to the end of the story? Think of words to describe their feelings at that time, and create a map of their feelings. Think for example of how they felt when they were taken from their mothers, or when the hot air balloon took off, or when Maki went back to Africa and had to leave Zarafa in the Paris zoo.

Related viewing Belleville Rendez-vous (Dir. Sylvian Chomet | France 2003 | 80min) A charmingly playful animation following Madame Souza, Grandmother to Champion, a keen cyclist who is kidnapped by the French mafia when competing in the Tour de France! A hilarious and inventive rescue mission begins when Madame Souza is helped by a group of all-singing, all-dancing triplets!

Spirited Away (Dir. Hayao Miyazaki | Japan 2001 | 125min) A young girl and her parents are quite literally spirited away after stumbling upon a bewitched deserted fair ground. In this magic kingdom she encounters spirits, witches, monsters and ghouls s humans VTCRRGFKPCPKOCNoUDodies. Her human name is the key to her escape s if she forgets it, she will be forever trapped as a slave.

The Prince of (Dir. Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, Simon Wells | UK 1998 | 99min) #FCRVGFHTQOVJG$KDNGoU$QQMQH'ZQFWUC[QWPI'I[RVKCPPrince named Moses discovers his true identity as a Hebrew and a messenger for God. He must rise up against the wrong-doings his adoptive father, Pharaoh Seti is doing by following his destiny and leading the enslaved Hebrews out of Egypt.

ZARAFA ʹ BFI London Film Festival 2012 - Education Resource by Holli Leah and Corinna Downing

ZARAFA ʹ BFI London Film Festival 2012 - Education Resource by Holli Leah and Corinna Downing