Rémi Chayé’s Annecy Prizewinner ‘Calamity Jane’ to Stream on The Animation Showcase
“Calamity Jane,” Rémi Chayé’s critically acclaimed animated feature vying for an Oscar nomination, is set to roll out on The Animation Showcase, a streaming service dedicated to the industry.
The hand-drawn “Calamity Jane,” which marks Chayé’s follow up to “Long Way North,” will be the first animated feature film to be available worldwide on the service. Although it won the Cristal Award at the Annecy 2020 Online animation festival, the movie has yet to secure a U.S. distribution deal.
The director-driven feature is represented in international markets by Indie Sales, who previously sold the Oscar-nominated “My Life as a Zucchini,” and the Cannes title “Another Day of Life.”
The Animation Showcase, created by Benoit Berthe Siward in 2016, usually only streams shorts to animation industry professionals during the award season. The service will, however, allow “Calamity Jane” to be screened in order to increase its chances of earning nominations at the Oscars and Annie Awards.
“I am thrilled to open The Animation Showcase’s streaming platform to an animated feature for the first time with ‘Calamity Jane,’ one of the most beautiful films of the year,” said Berthe.
“We’ve always tried to champion the best creations, so it seemed natural to support this amazing feature in these
challenging times where it has become impossible to meet in person with the studios and the rest of the industry,” added Berthe.
“Calamity Jane” tells the story of the 12-year-old Martha Jane who must take charge of her siblings after her father is hurt in a serious accident while driving a large convoy to the West in search for a better life. Frustrated by the constraints of being a girl, Martha Jane decides to dress as a boy to better fulfil her duty to take care of her family and pursue her growing thirst for freedom and adventure outside of the constraints of the rigid convoy. And one day, after being unfairly accused of theft, she runs away determined to prove her innocence.
As with Chayé’s previous film “Long Way North,” “Calamity Jane” is driven by a bold and fearless female hero. The film was produced by Maybe Movies (“Long Way North,” “Zombillenium”) and N?rlum (“Song of the
Sea,” “Long Way North”).
“Calamity Jane” opened in France’s theaters in October, grossing more than $1 million in a couple weeks before the shut down of cinemas due to the pandemic.
“We’ve put so much into the making of ‘Calamity Jane’ these past five years that it is truly heartbreaking not to be able to share it more widely due to the COVID-19 situation,” said Henri Magalon and Claire La Combe at Maybe Movies.
The producers said the “platform offers a unique opportunity to properly bring awareness on our work to the animation and motion picture community.”
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