On January 27, a host of French filmmakers will showcase their films to Indian audiences in a three week programme. These films will be screened in Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. Here's a look at the prominent movies to be showcased at the festival in Mumbai.

Film: Azur & Asmar
Cast: Ella Castellino Atai, Sanjay Lafont, Damandeep Singh Baggan, Shariyar Atai, Kenny Desai, Cara Pereira, Suchitra Pillai, Mariann D'Cruz

Plot: Once upon a time, two children were raised by the same nanny. Azur, blonde and blue-eyed, is the son of the lord of the castle, and Asmar, dark-skinned and black-eyed, is the nanny's child.

Brought up like brothers, the children are suddenly torn apart. But Azur, haunted by the legend of the Fairy of the Djinn which his nanny used to tell him, intends to find her in lands beyond the seas. When they grow up, the two friends go their separate ways in search of the fairy. They find magic lands in a medieval Maghreb, full of dangers and enchantments.

About the director: Born on the Cote d'Azur, Michel Ocelot spent his childhood in Guinea, his adolescence in Anjou, and lives now in Paris. After studying art, he has dedicated his career to animated films. Since the start, his works have been based on his own screenplays and graphic designs. He has directed a number of animated series and short films, works which helped establish his name on the festival circuit and in professional circles (for six years Ocelot has been President of ASIFA, or Association Internationale du Film d'Animation). Some of his earlier films include Les Trois Inventeurs (The Three Inventors), La Legende du pauvre bossu, and Les Quatre Voeux.

He reached a wider audience in 1998 with his first feature-length film, Kirikou et la Sorciere (Kirikou and the Sorceress), a magical African tale. The international success that greeted this project paved the way in 2000 for the release of Princes et Princesses (Princes & Princesses), a collection of folk tales told in shadow threatre style. In 2005, he released Kirikou et les betes sauvages (Kirikou & The Wild Beasts), with Benedicte Galup.

Michael Ocelot has won 17 awards and has been nominated for five others. Azur et Asmar is his most recent film.

Screening: 28 January, 6 pm
Venue: Fun Cinemas, Andheri, Western suburb of Mumbai

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