GFM Animation has secured key territory deals including France on Ozi – Voice Of The Forest, which had its world premiere at Annecy International Animation Film Festival this week.
Following its market launch at Cannes last month, the film has secured sales for France (KMBO), Switzerland (Praesens), CIS (Volga), Poland (Kinoswiat), former Yugoslavia (Investacommerce), South Korea (Korea Screen), Vietnam (Blue Lantern), South Africa (FilmFinity), Turkey (Filmarti), the Middle East (ECS), Israel and Greece (Tanweer), Portugal (Pris) and Iceland (Myndform).
Deals for the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain are all in negotiation. The producer team, led by veteran Hollywood producer Mike Medavoy, are in discussions for a wide theatrical release deal for North America. Theatrical releases are planned for the majority of other territories.
Directed by UK filmmaker Tim Harper, Ozi is a family animation that tells the story of the titular orphaned orangutan, who uses her skills as an influencer to save her forest and home from deforestation.
It is produced by Graham Appleby for his UK firm GCI Film, with Medavoy for Mike Medavoy Productions, alongside DiCaprio for his Appian Way Productions, and Rodrigo Blaas, Keith Chapman, Adam Stanhope and Ramsay McBean. Executive producers are Jennifer Davisson and Phillip Watson for Appian Way, plus Julien Meesters. France’s Mikros Animation led animation on the film.
Amandla Stenberg voices Ozi, with Djimon Hounsou, Laura Dern, Dean-Charles Chapman, RuPaul Charles, Rachel Shenton and Donald Sutherland also on the voice cast. The film also features a title song from 14-time best original song Oscar nominee Diane Warren, who received an Academy honorary award at last year’s ceremony.
Two dangers
Having begun his career at Universal Studios in 1964, Medavoy has worked on 324 films; he was a close collaborator and friend of Marlon Brando, and is co-executor of Brando’s estate.
Ozi is Medavoy’s first animated film. He says he was drawn to the project by the need to counter “two of the three most dangerous things that we’re facing – artificial intelligence and climate change.”
“People have been working on climate problems for a while; I don’t think the whole world has settled on it yet,” said Medavoy. “A lot of governments are starting to believe we do have a problem. I was lucky enough to be introduced to [the climate issue] by Brando a long time ago, then my friend Leo [Leonardo DiCaprio] has gotten onto it.”
The aim with Ozi is to create entertainment first, as a way of enacting later changes in society, according to fellow producer and story writer on the film Blaas. “It’s movie entertainment,” said Blaas. “We try to showcase an emotional journey of this daughter that is changing her parents’ point of view. Audiences, especially kids, are going to watch this not to become an activist; but that generation are going to be the next bosses in enterprise, lawyers, government officials. The aim is to tell a compelling story that touches and entertains audiences.”
“We’re not trying to preach to anybody,” added Medavoy. On AI, “the danger is not in the technology, the danger is in the people,” said the producer. This, he said, is connected to the third risk to the world – unstable leaders. “It takes one guy like that - if you want to get political, I can say Putin – that can decide to use atomic weapons,” said Medavoy. “If those of us who have the power to write or do things don’t do something about it, we’re doomed.”
The legendary producer’s credits include Terrence Malick’s The Thin Red Line, David Fincher’s Zodiac and Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, all produced through Phoenix Pictures, which he co-founded in 1995, having previously co-founded Orion Pictures in 1978 and been chairman of TriStar Pictures from 1990 to 1994.
Medavoy expressed his affection for two longstanding industry components: Screen International – “I have been reading for years” – and Cannes Film Festival. “I like Cannes a lot,” said Medavoy of the festival which gave him a lifetime achievement award in 1998. “It’s holding on to the dream of movies. They don’t accept anything but movies. Netflix don’t come along.”
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