METAMORPHOSIS
Inspired by Farid al-Din ‘Attar’s “The Conference of the Birds“, the film tells of a flock of birds traveling in the wake of Hoopoe, towards the Mountain of Kafh, the home of King Simourgh, from which they expect to receive answers to all their questions. Between dream and reality, the birds cross the 7 Valleys. Most of them get lost along the way, except for the 4 of them who will make experience of 4 human being’s life: Monika (Albania), Abdurrahman (Turkey), Jihad (Syria) and Susan (Israel). Characters very different from each other, in terms of age, gender, culture and religion, territory of origin and mythologies, geographical landscapes and historical and psychological backgrounds. However, for the cases of life, but on the basis of their own specific different orthodoxy, it happens that each of them lives simultaneously in two or more religions. Not only “next door”, in an attitude of tolerance, but “living more than one at the same time”. Animated cinema, by way of metaphor, makes it possible to give visibility both to their spiritual commonality, in their absolute cultural difference, and to the antiquity of the wisdom tradition in which this commonality is inscribed: the Religion of Love. In the end, the secret will be revealed only to 6 birds: to the Hoopoe who guides them (but it too must first learn something); to the 4 who have lived the experience of Love of the human characters, plus a sixth, the most unlikely of all. Speaking of “Religion of Love” today might sound “paradoxical”, literally “outside of common opinion”, a trait destined to remain unperceived and not-documentable without specific dramaturgical work. The game between reality and fiction, therefore, on the one hand enhances the perception of meanings as “non-random”, on the other it allows you to play with the viewer’s belief devices, summoned to take a position, to “see” beyond their habits of perception, beyond the prejudices of common sense.
Credits
Written and directed: Michele Fasano
Art direction and character design: Elena Brighittini
Animation supervisor: Francesco Filippi
Story Board: Nicola Sammarco, Alberto Alvoni
Animations: Salvatore Centoducati, Giancarlo D’Incognito
Music: Roberto Salahaddin Re David
Sound Design: Riccardo Nanni
Dubbing direction: Stefano Cutaia
Executive producers: Giovanna Bo, Mariapia Autorino
Produced by Michele Fasano
Duration: 106 min.
Format: 2K
Year: 2022
Target: young / adult
Project developed with the support of
Project realized in collaboration with
Festivals and Awards
Future Film Festival (Bologna / Italy / 2022)
– into competition
Sardinia Film Festival (Alghero / Italy / 2022)
– SPECIAL MENTION OF JURY
Sottodiciotto Film Festival (Torino / Italy / 2022)
– out competition
Cartoons on the Bay (Pescara / Italy / 2023)
– SPECIAL MENTION OF JURY – BEST DIRECTOR
Animotion Film Festival (Firenze / Italy / 2023)
– BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Animaphix (Bagheria / Italy / 2023)
– out competition
Horcynus Festival (Messina / Italy / 2023)
– out competition
Immaginaria Film Festival (Conversano / Italy / 2023)
– out competition
Matera International Film Festival (Matera / Italy / 2023)
– SPECIAL MENTION OF JURY – BEST ANIMATION
C’era una volta… favole al cinema (MAXXI / Roma / Italy / 2023-2024)
– out competition
DEA OPEN AIR International Film Festival (Tirana / Albania / 2023)
– BEST CREATIVE DOCUMENTARY
Vilnius Allternative International Film Festival (Vilnius / Lithuania / 2023)
– BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Benelux International Film Festival (Amsterdam / The Netherlands / 2023)
– HONORABLE MENTION AWARD
Budapest Movie Awards (Budapest / Hungary / 2023)
– HONORABLE MENTION AWARD
Istanbul Movie Awards (Istanbul / Turkey / 2023)
– into competition / semifinalist
Tbilisi International Animation Festival (Tbilisi / Georgia / 2023)
– into competition
European Cinematography Award (Amsterdam / The Netherlands / 2023)
– into competition / semifinalist
Amsterdam Movie Fest (Amsterdam / The Netherlands / 2023)
– into competition / nominated best animation
Kotka Human Rights Film Festival (Kotka / Finland / 2023)
– BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
International Art Film Festival (Birmingham / UK / 2023)
– into competition
Best International Film Festival (Bucarest / Romania / 2023)
– BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Edinburgh Film Awards (Edinburgh / Scotland / UK / 2024)
– BEST ANIMATION
Rotterdam Independent Film Festival (Rotterdam / Netherlands / 2024)
– into competition / semifinalist
Docs Without Borders International Film Fest (Rehoboth Beach / Delaware / USA / 2023)
– MENTION OF MERIT
New York Animation Film Awards (New York / NY / USA / 2023)
– into competition / semifinalist
Chicago Filmmakers Awards (Chicago / Illinois / USA / 2023)
– into competition / semifinalist
Los Angeles Animation Festival (Los Angeles / California / USA / 2023)
– HONORABLE MENTION
San Jose Independent Film Festival (San Jose / California / USA / 2023)
– into competition / semifinalist
Hollywood Film & Animation Awards (Los Angeles / California / USA / 2024)
– GOLDEN ANIMA: BEST FEATURE FILM
Detroit Independent Film Festival (Detroit / Michigan / USA / 2024)
– into competition / semifinalist
International Animation Festival (Los Angeles / California / USA / 2024)
– BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
St. Louis Film Awards (St. Louis / Missouri / USA / 2024)
– into competition / semifinalist
Montreal Independent Film Festival (Montreal / Canada / 2023)
– BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Tokyo International Cinema Awards (Tokyo / Japan / 2023)
– SPECIAL MENTION OF JURY: FEATURE
Gully International Film Festival (Patna / Bihar / India / 2023)
– BEST FEATURE FILM
– BEST DOCUMENTARY
– BEST ANIMATION DIRECTOR
– BEST MALE DIRECTOR
Beyond Border International Film Festival (Kolkata / West Bengale / India ( 2023)
– BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Indian Independent Film Festival (Kolkata / West Bengale / India / 2023)
– BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Blue Bird Film Festival (Kolkata / West Bengale / India / 2023)
– BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Silver Wings International Film Festival (Raniganj / West Bengale / India /2023)
– BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Crown Wood International Film Festival (Kolkata / West Bengale / India / 2023)
– BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Ashoka International Film Festival (Nawada / Bihar / India / 2024)
– BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
– BEST ANIMATION DIRECTOR
– BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
– BEST FOREIGN FILM
– SPECIAL JURY AWARD
Better Earth International Film Festival (Kolkata / West Bengale / India / 2024)
– BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Rajgir International Film Festival (Rajgir / Bihar / India / 2024)
– BEST FEATURE FILM
– BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
– BEST ANIMATION DIRECTOR
– BEST FOREIGN FILM
Samskara International Film Festival (Meerut – Uttar Pradesh / India / 2024)
– BEST ANIMATION
The Choise International Film Festival (Ashok Nagar – Delhi (India)
– BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Asian Independent Film Festival (Kolkata / West Bengale / India / 2024)
– BEST DOCUMENTARY
– BEST ANIMATION FILM
Shri Narayan International Film Festival (Nawada / Bihar / India / 2024 )
– BEST ANIMATION
– BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM
– SPECIAL MENTION OF JURY
Indo Dubai International Film Festival (Kolkata / West Bengala / INDIA / 2024)
– HONORABLE MENTION
Darbhanga International Film Festival (Darbhanga / Bihar / India / 2024)
– into competition
Nawada International Film Festival (Nawada / Bihar / India / 2024)
– into competition
Saath Jiyo Foundation International Film Festival (Nawada / Bihar / India / 2024)
– into competition
The Buddha International Film Festival (Pune / Maharashtra / India / 2024)
– into competition
Bettiah International Film Festival (Bettiah / Bihar / India / 2024)
– into competition
Sleeping Owl Film Festival (New Delhi/ India / 2024)
– into competition
9PM International Film Festival (Clementi / Singapore / 2024)
– BEST FEATURE FILM
– BEST DOCUMENTARY
– BEST ANIMATION FILM
– BEST SCREENPLAY
– BEST ART DIRECTOR
– BEST SOUND DESIGN
– BEST MAIN PRODUCER
– BEST EXECUTIVE PRODUCER #1
– BEST EXECUTIVE PRODUCER #2
South Sudan International Film Festival (Juba / Jubek / South Sudan / 2023)
– BEST FEATURE FILM
– BEST INTERNATIONAL FILM
– BEST ANIMATION FILM DIRECTOR
