Among the many high-profile projects unspooling at the Venice Film Festival this week is animated documentary short produced by Italian auteur Luca Guadagnino, who is best known for live-action features such as the Oscar-nominated feature Call Me By Your Name, Bones and All and the Suspiria remake.
Directed by newcomer Margherita Giusti, the 17-minute short is titled The Meatseller and is premiering at the festival today (Aug. 30). The animated project is based on the true story of Nigerian immigrant Selinna Ajamikoko who left her country when she was 15 and embarked on a daunting two-year journey across the African Sahara and the Mediterranean to get to Europe. The short uses Ajamikoko’s voice-over to allow audiences to get to know her and her dreams of following her mother’s footsteps as a meatseller.
Guadagnino first met the short’s director after he hired her to work on one of his projects as a storyboard artist. He told Deadline that he was impressed by her serious and committed look at the world. “I learned of her ambition to become a filmmaker in the animation field and followed her throughout her education and the shorts that she was making.”
Giusti was interested to tell stories about women who had found freedom through their professions.“Then I met Selinna and her story was so powerful, that I decided to focus on just her story. Once I had the first script. I called Luca for some professional advice, and he was like, ‘OK, let’s produce it,” she told Deadline. “In one of our interviews, she said, ‘I want to be a cow, because that’s my experience in life.’ I didn’t put the sentence in the film because it didn’t need it, but it was the start of everything,” explains Giusti, who worked with a group of talented female filmmakers to bring the project to animated life.
She adds, “The greatest challenge of an animated documentary is never to let the aesthetic take over the narration. Selinna’s forceful voice is main witness to an experience that is shared daily by many women. But it is at the same time unique, and it leads us through a journey made of flesh, blood, and dreams, in a constant search for a personal identity.”
We may see more animated projects from the acclaimed Italian producer. Guadagnino says has always been fascinated by the world of animation. “One day I hope I can make one of my own, but for now I’m very happy to serve as a producer,” he says. “I’ve already told Margherita, we should be now thinking about her first feature.”
Source: Deadline.com, Venice Film Festival
