For its second edition, the Animade festival, which starts this evening in Clermont-Ferrand, is devoting a cycle to the films of Michel Ocelot, who will be in town all weekend.

Full programme: here

After a premiere in December 2023 at the Cité de la Musique in Paris, the film-concert "Azur and Asmar" continues its journey and will be at La Seine Musicale in Boulogne-Billancourt for 4 new performances next December. 

In a press release dated 22 January, the Académie des César unveils the poster for its 49th awards ceremony :

For this latest evening of French cinema, the Academy has decided to pay tribute to animation and short films, with a still from "La Belle Fille et le Sorcier", a 1992 short film directed by Michel Ocelot. In each of his works, the director of the "Kirikou" saga uses his art and poetry in a unique cinematographic style to fill us with wonder and transport us into dreamlike worlds, through narrative forms that distill messages of peace and tolerance. 

Les Arts Dessinés, the benchmark magazine for drawing and illustration, is launching an exclusive sale of drawings to ensure its continued existence. Several original illustrations of Kirikou, donated by Michel Ocelot, are among the works on offer.

After an Italian dubbing in Rome, Michel Ocelot travelled to Tokyo in June to dub his latest feature film " The Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess " into Japanese. The role of the young boy in "The Fair Savage" was played by Shinnosuke Ichikawa, already a star in the Kabuki theatre.

The latest feature film by Michel Ocelot, "The Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess", is released in the French movie theaters.

From 20 April to 8 May 2022, the Louvre Auditorium presents a full retrospective of Michel Ocelot's films on the occasion of the exhibition "Pharaon of the two lands". Part of this exhibition will show several extracts from the tale "Pharaoh !, directed by Michel Ocelot, and inspired by the Kushite pharaohs. This tale is one of the three stories that will make up his new film "Black Pharaoh" to be released in France on 19 October 2022.

From June 5th to October 11th 2021, the Annecy Castle-Museum unveils the first comprehensive exhibition on the work of Michel Ocelot. Held on the occasion of the Annecy Film Festival's 60th birthday and prepared during two years by Yaël Ben Nun, responsible of the animated film collections, this exhibition retraces the career of Michel Ocelot, from his childhood to his most recent films, through original unpublished documents, gleaned from his personal archives.

Michel Ocelot, a master of animated movies, had never shot in live-action… until his first time, a gift made to the 3e Scène. Fascinated by a body put in motion, this almost mechanical way muscles and joints co-exist with a dancer’s performance and inspiration, Michel Ocelot filmed the Premier Dancer Pablo Legasa dancing to Erik Satie's Gnossienne n°1 in an aerial Parisian setting. A tribute to dance.

Steve Moreau, a member of ARP (an association of authors-directors-producers), asked the question to 50 filmmakers in France. Here is Michel Ocelot's answer (in French) and the complete collection of clips directed by Steve Moreau.

Michel Ocelot's "Dilili in Paris" won the prestigious Cesar award, France's highest film honor, for the best animated feature film. Earlier in February, it was also awarded the Lumières Prize (French Golden Globes) for best feature animation.

"Dilili in Paris", Michel Ocelot's new animated feature film, is released this coming Wednesday October 10th in more than 500 theaters in France.

Michel Ocelot will present his new feature film, "Dilili in Paris", for the opening ceremony of the 42nd International Animation Film Festival, which will be held in Annecy from 11th to 16th June. Due to the high public interest, the festival's organizers have programed two extra screenings on Tuesday the 12th and Saturday the 16th.

After "Cinéma d'animation, au delà du réel" by Xavier Kawa-Topor, published last year by Capricci, several new books on French animation come out this fall in the bookstores :

- "Cinéma d'animation, la French Touch" by Laurent Valière, published by de La Martinière, foreword by Michel Ocelot

- "Kirikou et après..." by Jean-Paul Commin and Didier Brunner, published by Actes Sud

- "Michel Ocelot, bricoleur de génie du dessin animé" by Olivier Demay, published by A dos d'âne

Michel Ocelot travelled to China from March 24 to 30, 2017. The tour, organized as a part of the Meetings with Francophone Cinema, took him him to Beijing, Changchun and Shanghai, where he presented his latest film "Ivan Tsarevitch and the Changing Princess".

The franco-german TV channel, which co-produces only one animated film every year, has made its choice. It will support the production of Michel Ocelot's next feature film, "Dilili in Paris". Arte France Cinéma partnered in this co-production with WDR, the German TV channel, a first for an animated film.

Michel Ocelot is this year’s winner of Animafest Lifetime Achievement Award presented on Tuesday 9 June by Animafest. Michel was there to receive it :

“I remember well when Animafest decided to introduce the lifetime achievement award, I was then active in international associations and I followed with passion three or four festivals. I remember thinking: How dreadful! Such lack of empathy, calling an old man and telling him his life is over and here is a medal! But here I am, it is my turn, what do I feel? A great satisfaction. It is truly a great honour to be acknowledged by an international festival like Animafest. And it is truly a great pleasure to get it from Zagreb Festival which means a lot to me: here I experienced absolute happiness, winning my first award for my first personal film, The Three Inventors."Happiness goes on".

The 10th edition of My First Festival (Mon Premier Festival), initiated by the City of Paris, paid a tribute to Michel Ocelot on Oct 22-28 in 11 arthouse cinemas of the capital and at the Forum des Images.

Michel Ocelot received the Nueva Mirada Special Prize for his lifetime achievement, during the 13th edition of the "Nueva Mirada" International Film Festival in Buenos-Aires (Argentina). His feature film "Kirikou and the Men and Women" was awarded two prizes: Children and Young People Jury Award for the Best Animated Feature Film, and the "Golden Kite" for the Best Animated Film.

Michel Ocelot also visited neighboring Divercine Festival in Montevideo and Maldonado (Uruguay). Screening of "Kirikou and the Men and Women" and children workshop.