Azur and Asmar January 10, 2009

"Impossibly gorgeous! The year's most beautiful film!"—Salon

"Sheer dazzlement! Cinema whose every frame could be hung on an art gallery wall. The pictorial style, jeweled and incandescent, has no peer in modern cinema."—Financial Times

Best known for the marvelous Kirikou films, French director Michel Ocelot, like Pixar and Hayao Miyazaki, makes innovative and sophisticated animations for all ages. His latest film, Azur and Asmar, is a poetic fairytale set against a visual landscape (primarily Middle Eastern) of incomparable brilliance and beauty. The film tells the story of two boys, a blue-eyed prince and the son of the prince’s Arabic nanny, who were raised as brothers but separated by fate. When the prince comes of age, he sets off on a quest through Arabia to find his childhood friend. Besides offering magical creatures and surprising role reversals, the adventure that guides the film also conveys a generous sensibility of tolerance, respect, cooperation, and good manners. English language version. Rated PG. Recommended for ages 6 and up. (98 mins., 35mm)

Official Website: http://www.wexarts.org/fv/index.php?eventid=3501