81 minutes / Color
French / English subtitles
Release: 2026
Copyright: 2024
Once upon a time, a poor woodcutter and his wife lived in a great forest. Cold, hunger, poverty and a war raging all around them meant their lives were very hard. One day, the woodcutter’s wife rescues a baby. A baby girl thrown from one of the many trains that constantly pass through the forest. This baby, this “most precious of cargoes”, will transform the lives of the poor woodcutter’s wife and her husband, as well as those whose paths the child will cross – including the man who threw her from the train. And some will try to protect her, whatever the cost. Their story will reveal the worst and the best in the hearts of men.
Directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius (THE ARTIST), featuring music by Oscar-winning composer Alexandre Desplat (THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL) and narration from French cinema legend Jean-Louis Trintignant in his final film role before his death in 2022.
“True to both the spirit and the letter of the text, the film does more than honor the original. It translates it into the world of animation with all the sobriety, sensitivity, and talent required.” —Le Monde
“Darkly beautiful and sad... truly mature, adult animation... a very welcome release.” —FulvueDrive-in
“This delicate fable is a little gem of animation.” —Télérama
“By adapting Jean-Claude Grumberg’s story, Hazanavicius achieves a powerful entry into animation. The film successfully translates the irresistible strength of the original into images.” —Premiere (France)
“Hope and resilience are at the heart of this beautiful, human story.” —Culture-Tops
“Combining the heavy lines of early-20th-century woodcuts with the soft hues of watercolor. Hazanavicius offers a poignant way to explore not only the horrors of the Holocaust, but also the kindness that countered it. It’s an indelible parable, destined to be watched and shared for generations.” —Variety
“A gentle, haunting animated adaptation… elegantly designed and emotionally direct. Hazanavicius crafts an elegant fable about the darkest of times, presenting a story of unexpected compassion in a world of cruelty.” —IndieWire
“The hand-drawn animation brings texture and emotional distance… allowing viewers to absorb the horror and hope alike.” —Eye for Film
“A postmodern fairytale… dreamy and visually arresting. The animation brings a softened lens to its subject while still confronting fascism with sincerity.” —The Guardian
“[Michel Hazanavicius’s] most personal and tender film to date.” —Colton Peregoy, Foremost Film
Select Accolades
An animated coming-of-age tale of a young African boy searching for his brother, who has left home to fight in the First World War.
Simon Rouby | 2020 | 82 minutes | Color | French | English subtitles
The story plunges us into Parisian life at the beginning of the twentieth century, a hotbed of artistic creation with the blossoming of Fauvism, Cubism, Dadaism and Surrealism.
Amelie Harrault, Pauline Gaillard and Valerie Loiseleux | 2020 | 300 minutes | Color | English; French
In an internment camp for refugees from the Spanish Civil War, a guard and an artist, Josep Bartoli, befriend each other.
Aurel | 2021 | 74 minutes | Color | French; Spanish | English subtitles
