FELIDAE
Dir: Michael Schaack, 1994.
78 min. Germany.
In German with English subtitles.
Special thanks to Senator Film
U.S. PREMIERE!
WITH CUSTOM ENGLISH SUBTITLES CREATED BY SPECTACLE!
THURSDAY, APRIL 4TH – 10PM
SUNDAY, APRIL 14TH – 10PM
FRIDAY, APRIL 26TH – 7:30PM
1994: While children all over America were falling in love with Disney’s The Lion King, Germany was captivated by a different kind of feline…
Adapted from the best-selling book series, Felidae is an animated noir thriller concerning an inquisitive cat named Francis who has just moved into a new neighborhood where a series of grisly cat murders has engulfed the kitty scene. With the help of his trusty (and always hungry) sidekick Bluebeard, Francis sets out to find the identity of the killer, whom he believes to be a cat as well. The clues point towards some dark secrets, as Francis discovers that his new home is charred with the history of something much more sinister…
An incredibly imaginative and downright stunning subversion of traditional cartoon storytelling, Felidae demonstrates tremendous ability to tackle complex, adult themes. Despite being an animated film, this is definitely not for kids.
Featuring depictions of violence, gore, racism, sex, swearing, cults, surreal nightmare sequences, and Holocaust allegories- all involving talking cats- Felidaewill come as quite a shock to anyone expecting Disneyfied fare like The Aristocats.However, the film never veers into cheap sensationalism and seeks to maintain a serious approach to its subject matter, resulting in one of the most audacious animated films ever made.
The most expensive animated production in Germany’s history and a massive success upon release, Felidae has never received US distribution or English subtitling. However, with the endorsement and support of the film’s original German distributor, Spectacle has created brand-new, custom English subtitles exclusively for these three showings.
Nearly 20 years after its original German debut, Spectacle is honored to host the US premiere of this incredibly unique film.
“Though it doesn’t fit into any existing category of toon, “Felidae” is one of the best animated films to come out of Germany, and certainly the most daring.” -Variety
Oh… and Boy George did the film’s killer theme song…
