“Mu-Ki-Ra,” from Colombian creative powerhouse Estefania Pineres Duque and Spain’s Ábano Producions, producer of Annecy winner “Decorado,” will be brought to market by Latido Films at Locarno.
An animated musical adventure about diversity, empathy and the power to turn fear into friendship, “Mu-Ki-ra” was selected for Cannes’ 2024 Annecy Animation Showcase, one of the most prestigious lineups on the animation calendar. The now completed “Mu-ki-ra” will screen in August at Locarno Kids, fast emerging as a Locarno Festival sidebar which also drives an ever larger part of the fest’s business dealings.
Clear political allegory, in “Mu-ki-ra,” Cleo, 13, and her little brother Martín, live in a world plagued by monsters that attack at night. When Martín is kidnapped by a monster, Cleo ventures into the jungle to rescue him, aided by an elderly witch and a naughty anteater. Along the way, Cleo discovers that the monsters’ aren’t as monstrous as most everyone thinks.
Speaking to Variety before the Cannes Marché du Film’s Annecy Animation Showcase, Piñeres said the film is “inspired by Latin American childhood experiences, which are often immersed in complex environments,” adding: “It wishes to be a celebration of their light and a reflection upon their darkness.”
