Ciné-Loulous: A Town Called Panic

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Children will enjoy a hilarious and surreal stop-motion film about three friends; Cowboy, Indian and Horse, who discover a parallel underwater universe.

The screening will be followed by a 20-minute arts and crafts activity based on the film.

Language: French with English subtitles.

For ages 7 and older.*

Child (member)

Child (non-member)

$10

Adult (member)

Adult (non-member)

$12

*Every child under 12 years old must be accompanied by an adult.

About the Film

Hilarious and frequently surreal, the stop-motion extravaganza A Town Called Panic has endless charms and raucous laughs for children from eight to eighty. Based on the Belgian animated cult TV series (which was released by Wallace & Gromit’s Aardman Studios), A Town Called Panic stars three plastic toys named Cowboy, Indian and Horse who share a rambling house in a rural town that never fails to attract the weirdest events.

Cowboy and Indian’s plan to gift Horse with a homemade barbeque backfires when they accidentally buy 50 million bricks. Whoops! This sets off a perilously wacky chain of events as the trio travel to the center of the earth, trek across frozen tundra and discover a parallel underwater universe of pointy-headed (and dishonest!) creatures. Each speedy character is voiced—and animated—as if they are filled with laughing gas. With panic a permanent feature of life in this papier-mâché burg, will Horse and his equine paramour—flame-tressed music teacher Madame Longray (Jeanne Balibar)—ever find a quiet moment alone? A sort of Gallic Monty Python crossed with Art Clokey, A Town Called Panic is zany, brainy and altogether insane-y!

About the filmmakers

Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar studied at La Cambre, the Belgian school of visual arts. Their animated shorts include the Pic Pic André Show trilogy (1995–99), Les Baltus au cirque (1998), UFO boven geel (1999), La Rupture (2000) and episodes of the award-winning series A Town Called Panic (Panique au village)(2000–03), which inspired their 2009 feature debut of the same name. A comic book series and children's book based on the characters in A Town Called Panic will soon be released.

Watch the trailer:

New Cinema Programming

Starting this Spring, cinema is taking the leap at the French Library. We have revisited and expanded our programming to offer you new ways to experience the best of French and Francophone cinema. While continuing the monthly Ciné-Clubs to catch up on recent films from the Francophone world, we are launching Ciné-Rétro, a two-evening marathon to discover or re-discover some 1940s to 1970s French classics and Ciné-Loulous, where children and their families can enjoy French animated gems followed by arts and crafts activities inspired by the film. As always, you will be able to mingle and discuss the films with our in-house film expert, fellow cinéphiles and francophiles.