NZIFF 2019 Dilili in Paris

Directed by: Michel Ocelot

The great master of French animation, Michel Ocelot (Kirikou and the Sorceress, Kirikou and the Wild Beasts), returns with this enchanting new tale of brave young heroes, set in Paris during the Belle Epoque.

Whip-smart and astute six-year-old Dilili finds herself caught up in an ominous and nefarious underground plot, through which she and her sidekick Orel see the beauty of Paris during one of its finest times of artistic, literary and musical enlightenment. Offering staunch defence of just causes and a more than loveable determined and curious main character, Dilili in Paris pays homage to the brightest moments of modernist Paris, while also shining a light on the emancipation and advancement of women and how we view and respect difference. Be sure to savour this wonderful new film from animator extraordinaire Michel Ocelot (Kirikou and the Sorceress, Kirikou and the Wild Beasts, NZIFF06) on the biggest screen possible. — NM

“It’s the turn of the century and Paris is a city of diversity, architecture, culture and home to Dilili, a Kanak girl who hails from a French territory in the South Pacific. With her new friend Orel, a delivery boy, Dilili investigates a mystery involving a dastardly plan devised by a secret society called The Master-Men. Their investigation, that soon finds them being followed, finds Dilili and Orel encountering an unlikely but impressive rollcall of Parisian luminaries, from Marcel Proust, Claude Monet and Marie Curie to Louis Pasteur, Erik Satie and Sarah Bernhardt.

Although there’s an unsettling sting in the tale that could prove challenging for very young viewers, Ocelot’s film employs his lovingly crafted trademark style, foregrounds the universal aspiration of good triumphing over evil, and features immensely likeable lead characters.” — Justin Johnson, BFI