Ready, set, go! In 2003, Sylvain Chomet (The Illusionist, A Magnificent Life) made his first feature film with The Triplets of Belleville and it was an instant hit. Looking back, it is not hard to see why: who could not like a film that combines the Tour de France, mobsters driving a classic Citroën, great swing jazz and an art style so finger-licking good that it spurred a whole range of imitators? 

Before The Triplets of Belleville, Chomet was mostly known for his 1997 short film The Old Lady and the Pigeons, which should be compulsory watching for everyone living in a city in which the titular grey-plumed birds form a plague. With Triplets Chomet showed that his unique style of design and directing worked equally well in a feature-length film. Madame Souza’s quest to recover her kidnapped grandson, her loving dog Bruno and the 1930s music hall singers the film is named after make for a unique mix of Francophile nostalgia that is yet to be surpassed. Chomet would go on to direct The Illusionist, based on an unfinished script by Jacques Tati, and would also apply his hallmark style to a Simpsons couch gag in 2014.

Come and join us for this unique ride to the city of Belleville!

This program screened as part of Kaboom Cult