Nov 16, 2025
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October Festival Report
by Karl F. Cohen
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A scene from the imaginative new French animated feature 'The Bears’ Famous Invasion'. image: courtesy L. MattottiWhat’s Up at This Year’s Mill Valley, Oct 7-17
“The Bears’ Famous Invasion” (France, 2019, 82 minutes, dir. Lorenzo Mattotti) is a colorful and innovatively designed animated film based on the 1945 Italian children’s book by Dino Buzzati. In it, the Bear King Leonzio gathers his clan to a uniquely creative war against the land of man to save his son from a human circus. In French with English subtitles. Recommended for Ages 10+.
“The Bears’ Famous Invasion” uses bold colors, angular shapes, and reaches an exceptionally high bar with its creativity. Narratively constructed around a fictitious war between humans and members of the animal kingdom, the film has fighting but is free of bloodshed and generally gentle in its presentation of the fantastical encounters with ghosts, charging boars, a sea monster, and more.
The film is framed with a wandering storyteller who awakens an old bear in a cave and relays to him the tale of Bear King Leonzio whose son, Tonino, is swept downriver while fishing and becomes a performer in the human circus. Moving beyond his anguish, Leonzio calls the bears to arms with a surreal bear dance that wondrously opens an imaginary door to where anything can and will happen.
How will the conflict between man and animal resolve? What additional perspective may the older bear provide to the storyteller? This is the type of animated film that doesn’t get made anymore: a fairytale that is visually enrapturing yet also explores complex themes for young audiences around the function of storytelling and how humans relate to nature.
The film’s director is Lorenzo Mattotti, an Italian comics artist and illustrator whose work has been published in numerous magazines such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Le Monde. He won an Eisner Award in 2003 for his graphic novel “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” The Bears’ Famous Invasion is his first feature film. US Distributor: Pathe International
Rakel, the cartoonist character in 'Ninjababy', encounters an 'uninvited tenant. image: courtesy Y. FlikkeA Norwegian Feature
"Ninjababy" (Norway, narrative feature, 2020, dir. Yngvild Sve Flikke), Rakel is a 23-year-old cartoonist with an irreverent sense of humor and an unexpected baby on the way. Wanting nothing more than to evict her uninvited tenant, yet forced to carry it along, she finds herself joined in her schemes, exploits, and romances by an increasingly (and literally) animated Ninjababy. In Norwegian with English subtitles, this is its West Coast premiere.
Shorts
“Are You Okay?” (Ryan Cannon, US 2021, 9 mins) Addresses the rampant problem of cyber-bullying, highlighting the positive impact bystanders can have by simply reaching out to support their peers. Age 9+
“Blanket” (Marina Moshkova, Russia 2020, 6 mins) When a grumpy polar bear gets an unexpected visit from a perky brown bear, he gets an unexpected lesson in friendship and simple pleasures. Age 5+ Nonverbal
“Blue Cooler” (Laura Margulies, US 2021, 8 mins) A playful spirit and local color bring Hawaii to life through beautiful watercolor-style animation.
“Cinema Rex” (Mayan Engelman & Eliran Peled, Israel, 2020, 7 mins) In Jerusalem in 1938 a Jewish boy and Arab girl transcend language to find a common love for film. Age 5+ In Arabic, Hebrew, and English with English subtitles
“Distanced” (Cassy Callari, US, 2021, 1 min) “I made this animated short film during quarantine to express my feelings about the current situation. I felt that this rotoscope animation process of past memories of hanging out with my friends, helped shed my voice on the current events.”
“Golden Age Karate” (Sindha Agha, US, 2021, 5 mins) Jeff Wall is a teenage martial-arts pro excited to share his passion for the dojo with an unlikely group of students: senior citizens.
“Louis’s Shoes” (Marion Philippe, Kayu Leung, Théo Jamin, & Jean-Géraud Blanc, France, 2020, 5 mins) The first day at a new school presents unique challenges to autistic eight-year-old Louis. For ages 5+, in French with English subtitles.
A moment from the French Nina Bisiarina's 'A Lynx in the Town'. image: courtesy N. Bisiarina“A Lynx in the Town” (Nina Bisiarina, France/Switzerland 2019, 7 mins) When a curious lynx ventures out of its forest lair, the locals don’t quite know what to make of the colossal cat. Age 5+ Nonverbal.
“Matilda and the Spare Head” (Ignas Meilūnas, Lithuania, 2020, 13 mins) A drive to be the smartest person in the world leads Matilda and her mom to the misguided conclusion that two heads would actually be better than one. Age 9+ In Lithuanian with English subtitles
“Shooom’s Odyssey” (Julien Bisaro, France/Belgium, 2019, 26 mins) When a baby owl hatches amidst a fierce storm, she embarks on a determined quest to find her mother. Age 5+ In French with English Subtitles.
My friend Nancy Phelps has seen “Shooom’s Odyssey” several times at festivals in Europe and says:
“It is a wonderful film. Meant for children, but has been equally loved by adults here in Europe. Beautifully animated! It is about a little bird and his unmatched baby brother in a terrible storm trying to find their mother. Don’t want to ruin the story for you because it is so charming. It has won many awards here in Europe and not just in the Best Children’s category. It is one of my top films of the year.”
Marty McNamara saw Shooom’s Odyssey at Stuttgart and considers it a five-star winner. See trailer at here.
Star Bound” (Richard O’Connor, US, 2021, 3 mins) NASA engineer and his outer space-obsessed six-year-old nephew have an animated chat about why space is so darn cool. Age 5+
“Try to Fly” (The Affolter Brothers, Canada, 2020, 8 mins.) When a baby owl gets pushed from her nest it triggers a darkly comic existential crisis that takes her from anxiety to ambition in rapid succession. Age 9+
“Tulip” (Andrea Love & Phoebe Wahl, US, 2020, 9 mins) A miniature garden world comes to life as a tiny flower child tries to find her community. Age 5+
Dance comes alive in the mythical and beautiful 'Coppelia', based on a comic ballet from 1870. image: courtesy unknownCoppelia Premieres at SF Dance Film Festival
The film's imaginative adaptation of the classic ballet focuses on the cosmetic surgeon Dr. Coppelius (Mazzeo), whose lure of superficial beauty poisons a town. Swan (DePrince) must uncover the truth about this newcomer and save her community from his deception. As Swan and the townspeople come to learn, in the age of social media and an increasingly image-conscious culture, it’s never been more important to be yourself.
“Coppelia” will have its U.S. theatrical premiere at the San Francisco Dance Film Festival (SFDFF), on Saturday, October 16 at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture’s Cowell Theater, The film’s innovative combination of animation and ballet make it ideal for families as well as serious dance fans.
“Coppelia”’s themes of self-acceptance, alongside its “Disney-esque charms” (Screen Daily), will be sure to inspire dance aficionados and future generations of dancers alike at this family-friendly screening.
“As a mother of two children myself, I look forward to sharing this film with fellow families,” says Greta Schoenberg, SFDFF’s Founder/Director of Programming. “After so much virtual programming, it will be a treat to safely gather at the Cowell, watch this sumptuous film together, and be inspired by DePrince.”
Prior to the premiere screening, SFDFF will be posting a virtual Q&A with the filmmakers and Ralph Guggenheim, the San Francisco-based founding member of Pixar who says of the film: “this modern retelling blends dance and animation, using to good advantage their common roots in pose and pantomime."
SFDFF will also release an episode of its podcast, Dancing Through the Lens”, featuring Coppelia” producer Adrienne Liron. Both of these interviews will be available for free on SFDFF’s website. Coppelia will be released in a Blu-ray TM+DVD combo from Shout! Factory on October 19, ensuring that those who love it at the screening can rewatch it at home.
The Cowell screening will open with “Fly me to the Moon”, a short dance film by Bay Area filmmaker Kate Duhamel.
“Coppella” screening details: Saturday, Oct. 16 - 5:00–7:00pm Location: Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture’s Cowell Theater 2 Marina Blvd, San Francisco CA 94123 Tickets: $15 general admission, $75 VIP ticket (includes private reception with guest artists).
Contact Website, info: or call 844.567.3333
Social Media: @SFDanceFilmFest @TheCoppeliaFilm #SFDFF2021 #CoppeliaFilm
Karl F. Cohen—who added his middle initial to distinguish himself from the Russian Karl Cohen, who tried to assassinate the Czar in the mid-19th century—is an animator, educator and director of the local chapter of the International Animation Society and can be reached .
Posted on Sep 30, 2021 - 06:16 PM
by Karl F. Cohen
Please support our stories by liking articles—thanks!
A scene from the imaginative new French animated feature 'The Bears’ Famous Invasion'. image: courtesy L. Mattotti“The Bears’ Famous Invasion” (France, 2019, 82 minutes, dir. Lorenzo Mattotti) is a colorful and innovatively designed animated film based on the 1945 Italian children’s book by Dino Buzzati. In it, the Bear King Leonzio gathers his clan to a uniquely creative war against the land of man to save his son from a human circus. In French with English subtitles. Recommended for Ages 10+.
“The Bears’ Famous Invasion” uses bold colors, angular shapes, and reaches an exceptionally high bar with its creativity. Narratively constructed around a fictitious war between humans and members of the animal kingdom, the film has fighting but is free of bloodshed and generally gentle in its presentation of the fantastical encounters with ghosts, charging boars, a sea monster, and more.
The film is framed with a wandering storyteller who awakens an old bear in a cave and relays to him the tale of Bear King Leonzio whose son, Tonino, is swept downriver while fishing and becomes a performer in the human circus. Moving beyond his anguish, Leonzio calls the bears to arms with a surreal bear dance that wondrously opens an imaginary door to where anything can and will happen.
How will the conflict between man and animal resolve? What additional perspective may the older bear provide to the storyteller? This is the type of animated film that doesn’t get made anymore: a fairytale that is visually enrapturing yet also explores complex themes for young audiences around the function of storytelling and how humans relate to nature.
The film’s director is Lorenzo Mattotti, an Italian comics artist and illustrator whose work has been published in numerous magazines such as Vogue, Cosmopolitan, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, and Le Monde. He won an Eisner Award in 2003 for his graphic novel “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” The Bears’ Famous Invasion is his first feature film. US Distributor: Pathe International
Rakel, the cartoonist character in 'Ninjababy', encounters an 'uninvited tenant. image: courtesy Y. Flikke"Ninjababy" (Norway, narrative feature, 2020, dir. Yngvild Sve Flikke), Rakel is a 23-year-old cartoonist with an irreverent sense of humor and an unexpected baby on the way. Wanting nothing more than to evict her uninvited tenant, yet forced to carry it along, she finds herself joined in her schemes, exploits, and romances by an increasingly (and literally) animated Ninjababy. In Norwegian with English subtitles, this is its West Coast premiere.
Shorts
“Are You Okay?” (Ryan Cannon, US 2021, 9 mins) Addresses the rampant problem of cyber-bullying, highlighting the positive impact bystanders can have by simply reaching out to support their peers. Age 9+
“Blanket” (Marina Moshkova, Russia 2020, 6 mins) When a grumpy polar bear gets an unexpected visit from a perky brown bear, he gets an unexpected lesson in friendship and simple pleasures. Age 5+ Nonverbal
“Blue Cooler” (Laura Margulies, US 2021, 8 mins) A playful spirit and local color bring Hawaii to life through beautiful watercolor-style animation.
“Cinema Rex” (Mayan Engelman & Eliran Peled, Israel, 2020, 7 mins) In Jerusalem in 1938 a Jewish boy and Arab girl transcend language to find a common love for film. Age 5+ In Arabic, Hebrew, and English with English subtitles
“Distanced” (Cassy Callari, US, 2021, 1 min) “I made this animated short film during quarantine to express my feelings about the current situation. I felt that this rotoscope animation process of past memories of hanging out with my friends, helped shed my voice on the current events.”
“Golden Age Karate” (Sindha Agha, US, 2021, 5 mins) Jeff Wall is a teenage martial-arts pro excited to share his passion for the dojo with an unlikely group of students: senior citizens.
“Louis’s Shoes” (Marion Philippe, Kayu Leung, Théo Jamin, & Jean-Géraud Blanc, France, 2020, 5 mins) The first day at a new school presents unique challenges to autistic eight-year-old Louis. For ages 5+, in French with English subtitles.
A moment from the French Nina Bisiarina's 'A Lynx in the Town'. image: courtesy N. Bisiarina“Matilda and the Spare Head” (Ignas Meilūnas, Lithuania, 2020, 13 mins) A drive to be the smartest person in the world leads Matilda and her mom to the misguided conclusion that two heads would actually be better than one. Age 9+ In Lithuanian with English subtitles
“Shooom’s Odyssey” (Julien Bisaro, France/Belgium, 2019, 26 mins) When a baby owl hatches amidst a fierce storm, she embarks on a determined quest to find her mother. Age 5+ In French with English Subtitles.
My friend Nancy Phelps has seen “Shooom’s Odyssey” several times at festivals in Europe and says:
“It is a wonderful film. Meant for children, but has been equally loved by adults here in Europe. Beautifully animated! It is about a little bird and his unmatched baby brother in a terrible storm trying to find their mother. Don’t want to ruin the story for you because it is so charming. It has won many awards here in Europe and not just in the Best Children’s category. It is one of my top films of the year.”
Marty McNamara saw Shooom’s Odyssey at Stuttgart and considers it a five-star winner. See trailer at here.
Star Bound” (Richard O’Connor, US, 2021, 3 mins) NASA engineer and his outer space-obsessed six-year-old nephew have an animated chat about why space is so darn cool. Age 5+
“Try to Fly” (The Affolter Brothers, Canada, 2020, 8 mins.) When a baby owl gets pushed from her nest it triggers a darkly comic existential crisis that takes her from anxiety to ambition in rapid succession. Age 9+
“Tulip” (Andrea Love & Phoebe Wahl, US, 2020, 9 mins) A miniature garden world comes to life as a tiny flower child tries to find her community. Age 5+
Dance comes alive in the mythical and beautiful 'Coppelia', based on a comic ballet from 1870. image: courtesy unknownThe film's imaginative adaptation of the classic ballet focuses on the cosmetic surgeon Dr. Coppelius (Mazzeo), whose lure of superficial beauty poisons a town. Swan (DePrince) must uncover the truth about this newcomer and save her community from his deception. As Swan and the townspeople come to learn, in the age of social media and an increasingly image-conscious culture, it’s never been more important to be yourself.
“Coppelia” will have its U.S. theatrical premiere at the San Francisco Dance Film Festival (SFDFF), on Saturday, October 16 at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture’s Cowell Theater, The film’s innovative combination of animation and ballet make it ideal for families as well as serious dance fans.
“Coppelia”’s themes of self-acceptance, alongside its “Disney-esque charms” (Screen Daily), will be sure to inspire dance aficionados and future generations of dancers alike at this family-friendly screening.
“As a mother of two children myself, I look forward to sharing this film with fellow families,” says Greta Schoenberg, SFDFF’s Founder/Director of Programming. “After so much virtual programming, it will be a treat to safely gather at the Cowell, watch this sumptuous film together, and be inspired by DePrince.”
Prior to the premiere screening, SFDFF will be posting a virtual Q&A with the filmmakers and Ralph Guggenheim, the San Francisco-based founding member of Pixar who says of the film: “this modern retelling blends dance and animation, using to good advantage their common roots in pose and pantomime."
SFDFF will also release an episode of its podcast, Dancing Through the Lens”, featuring Coppelia” producer Adrienne Liron. Both of these interviews will be available for free on SFDFF’s website. Coppelia will be released in a Blu-ray TM+DVD combo from Shout! Factory on October 19, ensuring that those who love it at the screening can rewatch it at home.
The Cowell screening will open with “Fly me to the Moon”, a short dance film by Bay Area filmmaker Kate Duhamel.
“Coppella” screening details: Saturday, Oct. 16 - 5:00–7:00pm Location: Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture’s Cowell Theater 2 Marina Blvd, San Francisco CA 94123 Tickets: $15 general admission, $75 VIP ticket (includes private reception with guest artists).
Contact Website, info: or call 844.567.3333
Social Media: @SFDanceFilmFest @TheCoppeliaFilm #SFDFF2021 #CoppeliaFilm
Karl F. Cohen—who added his middle initial to distinguish himself from the Russian Karl Cohen, who tried to assassinate the Czar in the mid-19th century—is an animator, educator and director of the local chapter of the International Animation Society and can be reached .
Posted on Sep 30, 2021 - 06:16 PM
