My own memories of the French Institute Alliance Française in NYC consist of late afternoons after work spent in the company of strangers, in a cozy room inside their elegant building, attempting to learn conversational French. I owe to them the kind compliments by taxi drivers at Nice airport and Parisians, whom my beloved late friend Richard and I encountered during my one and only trip to Paris. “Oh but you speak so well, your accent is so lovely,” I’ve heard a few times and each and every one of those moments has taken me back to those wonderful days at the FI:AF.

But this February, the halls and theater of the FI:AF become the epicenter for a cinematic event that is bound to conquer hearts and warm even the most wind-chilled NYC souls. It’s their Animation First Festival which celebrates France’s tradition as a pioneer of animation. The festival will take place the weekend of February 7th to the 9th and kicks off with a work near and dear to my heart.

In fact, opening night belongs to the US Premiere of ‘The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily’ by noted illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti on Friday, February 7. This adaptation of the beloved 1945 Italian children’s book by celebrated Italian writer and journalist Dino Buzzati marks the debut feature film by Mattotti, who is known for his celebrated New Yorker covers and graphic novels.

There has never been such a great time to enjoy animation. With Netflix purchasing the catalogue of famed Japanese art house animation Studio Ghibli, which just dropped on their platforms around the world (alas, not the US yet) on February 1st, the genre has moved beyond something only kids can enjoy. In fact, even famed world filmmakers like Yonfan have dabbled into animation and his film is definitely for adults only!

This year, Animation First promises to shine the spotlight on women in animation and will include directors such as the Vietnam-born Phuong Mai Nguyen and French-born Charlotte Cambon de Lavalette who will present their collaboration, the work-in-progress of their animated version of Penelope Bagieu’s best-selling graphic novel ‘Brazen’, In fact, on Saturday the 8th at 5.30 p.m. both Nguyen and Cambon de Lavalette will discuss the forthcoming television series that will illustrate the lives of women such as an Apache warrior, a Hollywood star, a lighthouse keeper, a cosmonaut, an empress, and many others through animated shorts this spring.

On the 9th they will be joined by director Anca Damian, writer Anik Leray, and producer Valérie Schermann for a “Women in Animation” panel covering equal representation in the industry.

Early on the 8th, at 11 a.m. the FIAF will host a free screening of ‘I Lost My Body’ by Jérémy Clapin. The film premiered in Cannes and was the first animated work to win the Nespresso Grand Prize awarded by the jury of the International Critics’ Week at the festival. The film is in the runnings at this year’s Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature.

Also on Saturday the 8th will be a special presentation of the critically hailed movie ‘The Swallows of Kabul’. the debut film from Zabou Breitman and Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec. This adaptation of the eponymous novel by Yasmina Khadra was introduced to New York audiences during a Work-In-Progress presentation at the 2019 edition of Animation First. To get you in the mood for this hauntingly beautiful film here is the song ‘Burka Blue’ that plays at the beginning, by the Afghan Burka Band. Forward through the German intro.

The NY Premiere of Anca Damian’s ‘Marona’s Fantastic Tale’, nominated for Best Feature at the 2019 Annecy International Animated Film Festival, is one of Sunday, Feb. 9th highlights.

For the full program, as well as booking tickets to some of these once-in-a-lifetime events, check out the FIAF Animation First website.

But remember, just don’t call them cartoons!