Claude Barras' "Sauvages" Will his new film become another Swiss Oscar hopeful?
Oscar-nominated Swiss director Claude Barras has been awarded the Locarno Kids Award at the Locarno Film Festival for his outstanding filmmaking. blue News spoke to Barras about his new animated film "Sauvages".
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- In the Swiss animated film "Sauvages", indigenous children fight against the destruction of the rainforest and the preservation of indigenous culture.
- Director Claude Barras was nominated for an Oscar in the "Best Animated Film" category with his last film "Ma vie de Courgette".
- In an interview with blue News, Barras talks about the inspiration for his film, the elaborate production and the collaboration with the indigenous Penan people.
In his new animated film "Sauvages", Swiss director Claude Barras deals with social as well as important political and ecological issues. The focus is on respect for traditional indigenous culture. Conservation and protection of nature are central to the plot. The way Claude Barras strikes the right balance between child-friendly narrative lightness and enormously important core statements on complex topics is simply phenomenal.
The story of "Sauvages" takes place in Borneo. The girl Kéria finds a young orangutan baby in the rainforest and takes it in. She and her single father are of indigenous descent, but lead a modern, "civilized" lifestyle. Kéria's cousin Selaï is different: the boy grew up among the Penan tribe and is now to stay with Kéria and her father for a few days because of the threat to the forest posed by developers and logging companies. The two kids and the monkey do everything they can to protect the rainforest and fight bravely against the planned destruction.
It is a fabulous world that Claude Barras creates in "Sauvages". The characters with indigenous backgrounds and especially the little orangutan baby provide the ultimate "yay" effects. And the biodiversity of the rainforest really comes into its own with all its colorful splendor and many different animals and people.
In an interview with blue News, Claude Barras explains what inspired him to make a film about preserving and protecting the rainforest. He also talks about the collaboration with the Penan people, the creation of the beautiful world of his animated film and the elaborate production, which took six years.
"Sauvages" opens in cinemas in German-speaking Switzerland on February 6, 2025.
