Marne, France, early ‘50s. Pierre is building the replica of the Spray – legendary sailboat on which Joshua Slocum completed the solo world tour that made in famous in 1895 – in the family garden. Geneviève, his wife, and François, his son who just turned eleven, hop on the adventure with him. Along the way, Pierre finds himself passionate about the project and the figure of Slocum – both symbols of freedom.
Jean-François Laguionie’s filmography keeps on getting richer in the absolute poetry of his work, driven by a yearning for creativity, learning and personal enrichment, in communion with others. A Boat in the Garden, takes us on a moving journey, as novelistic as it is intimate.
‘Laguionie makes humanistic animated adventures. His latest one, A Boat in the Garden, is never nostalgic, always inquisitive, solidly presented, and sometimes brilliantly emotive. Can't miss it.’
Vassilis Kroustallis Zippy Frame
Official Competition, Annecy Film Festival , 2024, fr
Official Selection, Festival de Cannes, 2024, fr
Official Selection, Locarno Film Festival, 2024, ch
Winner 'Special Distinction', Bucheon International Animation Festival, 2024, kr
Jean-Francois LAGUIONIE
Jean-François Laguionie was born in 1939 in Besançon, where he became passionate about drawing from an early age. After studying at the Arts Appliqués, he met Paul Grimault, who introduced him to animation and who shared his studio with him for almost ten years.
He then made his first short films and won his first awards – including the Palme d’Or for a Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival in 1978 for Rowing Across the Atlantic. He embarked on his first feature-film adventure in 1979, with Gwen, the Book of Sand and marking the first of many successes.
