GKIDS has acquired U.S. distribution rights to two features that use animation to tell mature and challenging stories based on historical events: the stop-motion production This Magnificent Cake! and the hand-drawn 2d film Funan.
The Belgian-led production This Magnificent Cake! (Ce magnifique Gâteau!) will release theatrically in Los Angeles on March 1, 2019. Directed by Emma de Swaef and Marc James Roels, the mid-length feature is currently nominated for an Annie Award in the category of Best Independent Animated Feature.
This Magnificent Cake! is set in the bitter milieu of Belgium-occupied Congo in the late 19th century and casts a critical gaze on the European colonists. It has had a strong festival run, playing as an official selection at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight, Toronto International Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, and Animation Is Film Festival, in addition to winning the Andre Martin Award at Annecy and the top feature animation prize at Ottawa.