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Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds

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Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds
Film poster
Directed byBenoît Chieux
Screenplay byBenoît Chieux
Alain Gagnol
Produced byRon Dyens
Cilvy Aupin
Grégory Zalcman
Music byPablo Pico
Distributed byHaut et Court
GKIDS
Release dates
  • 11 June 2023 (2023-06-11) (Annecy)
  • 13 December 2023 (2023-12-13) (France)
Running time
74 minutes[a]
Countries
  • Belgium
  • France
LanguageFrench
Box office$902,063[6]

Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds (French: Sirocco et le Royaume des Courants d'Air), also known as Sirocco and the Kingdom of Air Streams,[7][8] is a 2023 Belgian-French animated film directed by Benoît Chieux [fr]. Chieux also wrote the screenplay, along with Alain Gagnol.

Plot

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Juliette and her sister Carmen are transported to the Kingdom of Winds after finding an enchanted book.[3] They are also transformed into cats. Juliette causes an accident that upsets the Kingdom's locals, leading to its ruler to give Juliette to the songstress Selma, while also sentencing Carmen to marry his son.[9]

Production and release

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A Belgian and French co-production, Sirocco was directed by French filmmaker Benoît Chieux and written by Chieux and Alain Gagnol.[10][11] Chieux drew inspiration from Yellow Submarine, the French illustrator Mœbius, and Japanese animation filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.[3][12]

Its world premiere was at the 2023 Annecy International Animation Film Festival, where it served as the festival's opening night feature.[13] Sirocco had its French theatrical release on 13 December 2023, with Haut et Court [fr] distributing the film.[12][13] In January 2024, film distributor GKIDS acquired the North American rights of the film.[13] Sirocco received various screenings at American film festivals prior to its theatrical release in the United States.[3][10][11] Its U.S. debut came at the 2023 Animation is Film Festival.[13] The film was theatrically released in Hungary and Russia in June 2024, and later in Romania on 30 August.[6] Through GKIDS, the film received its limited theatrical release in the United States on 11 August 2024.[9]

Reception

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Box office

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The film has grossed $910,319 worldwide.[6] Much of its gross comes from its home market of France, where it has grossed $827,680.[6]

Critical reception

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Sirocco received positive critical reception. Due to its plot and psychedelic visual style, critics likened the film to Alice in Wonderland, Yellow Submarine, and Studio Ghibli films. Writing for Variety, Peter Debruge wrote that Sirocco "suggests France's answer to a film like Spirited Away, by way of all the other aforementioned references — and yet, there's an originality to it that keeps things surprising."[8] Debruge opined that the film would be most appreciated by "the oddity-seeking art-house crowd".[8] Hannah Baek, writing for the Seattle International Film Festival praised Sirocco's "portrayals of empathy, unapologetic confidence, and enduring sisterly love", as well as its style. Both Baek and Debruge also added praise for French-Cameroonian jazz vocalist Célia Kameni's contributions to the film's soundtrack.[3][8]

Sirocco won the award for best animated film at the 2024 Stuttgart Festival for Animated Film.[5]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Sources vary on the film's runtime. Some sources, such as Box Office Mojo and the Toronto International Film Festival list the film's runtime as 74 minutes,[1] while others such as the Dallas Observer and the Seattle International Film Festival list it as 80 minutes.[2][3] Meanwhile, the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and Animation World Network have listed it at 76 minutes.[4][5]

References

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  1. ^ "Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  2. ^ "Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d e Baek, Hannah. "Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds". SIFF. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  4. ^ "Feature Film in Competition – Official 1: Sirocco and the Kingdom of Air Streams". Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  5. ^ a b Sarto, Dan (29 April 2024). "'27,' 'Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds' Take Top Honors at ITFS 2024". Animation World Network. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d "Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 23 August 2024.Edit this at Wikidata
  7. ^ Wise, Damon (16 June 2023). "'Sirocco And The Kingdom Of Air Streams' Review: Benoît Chieux's Soulful Psychedelic Adventure Is A Triumph Of The Imagination – Annecy Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d Debruge, Peter (12 June 2023). "'Sirocco And The Kingdom Of Air Streams' Review: Benoît Chieux's Soulful Psychedelic Adventure Is A Triumph Of The Imagination – Annecy Film Festival". Variety. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds". GKIDS. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Sirocco and the Kingdom of Winds". New York International Children's Film Festival. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  11. ^ a b "Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds". Mill Valley Film Festival. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  12. ^ a b Balaga, Marta (11 June 2023). "Annecy Opener 'Sirocco and the Kingdom of Air Streams,' as Seen by Director Benoit Chieux: 'The Best Way to Respect Children is To Follow My Instincts'". Variety. Retrieved 12 August 2024 – via Yahoo! Money.
  13. ^ a b c d Thompson, Jaden (9 January 2024). "GKIDS Acquires North American Rights to French Animated Film 'Sirocco and the Kingdom of Winds'". Variety. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
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