Xilam Animation’s multi-award winning feature "I Lost My Body" scooped a pair of gongs at the 45th César Awards for Best Animated Film and Best Original Score. These latest wins follow the show’s outstanding awards and festivals success, which has seen the critically acclaimed feature take home 30 awards to date including three Annie Awards, a double win at Annecy International Animated Film Festival and the prestigious Critics’ Week prize at Cannes Film Festival, in addition to a further 37 nominations including at the Academy Awards for Best Animated Film.
A self-funded Xilam Animation production, "I Lost My Body" is an adaptation of Guillaume Laurant’s novel ‘Happy Hand’. Directed by Jérémy Clapin who also co-wrote the feature with Laurant (Amélie) and produced by Xilam’s Marc du Pontavice, I Lost My Body premiered to critical acclaim during Cannes Film Festival 2019 and launched on 29 November 2019 on Netflix. Marc du Pontavice was also honored at Annecy International Animated Film Festival 2019 as he received the MIFA Animation Industry Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the animation industry.
Marc du Pontavice, CEO at Xilam Animation, said: “We are thrilled and deeply humbled by these wins, which is the perfect way to finish what has been an amazing ride over the awards season. To see a small, independent film win at France’s most prestigious awards ceremony against such brilliant contenders, is not only an immense privilege but also demonstrates an extraordinary inclination from the César Academy for innovation in animation. These awards are also a testament to Xilam’s commitment to pushing the boundaries of animation and nurturing game-changing talent who we know will forge new and ground-breaking paths in the genre.”
Set in Paris, "I Lost My Body" sees Naoufel fall in love with Gabrielle. In another part of town, a severed hand escapes from a dissection lab, determined to find its body again. During a dangerous expedition across the city, it remembers its life together with Naoufel up until the accident. After an eventful journey, they reconnect in the most unexpected and poetic way.