Back in 2020, we reported the launch of a Youtube channel dedicated to the library of Autour de Minuit, one of France’s pre-eminent distributors of animated shorts. Now Miyu Distribution, another major French player in this space, has followed suit.
Bang Bang is the rebranded hub for Miyu Distribution’s catalog, which includes festival favorites, Oscar nominees, and several films we’ve covered because we admire their boldness and flair. The channel already features 60-plus shorts that have completed their festival runs. Two more will be added each week, on Tuesday and Friday.
Maestro (Illogic)
Image at top: “Per Tutta la Vita”
Egg (Martina Scarpelli)
A woman struggles with anorexia in this autobiographical documentary-of-sorts, which is narrated by the director herself. Scarpelli’s obsession with her body’s form is echoed in the stark geometric design. Watch it here.
Toomas Beneath the Valley of the Wild Wolves (Chintis Lundgren)
We’ve selected five great shorts on Bang Bang to start you off. If you like the flavor, head to the channel for more.
Grand bassin (Héloïse Courtois, Chloé Plat, Victori Jalabert, Adèle Raigneau)
The films are organized into categories: documentaries, comedies, LGBTQIA+, etc. Many tackle adult themes and some skew very experimental, but there is also a section of family-friendly works. Filmmakers from France, Europe, and beyond are represented.
Per Tutta la Vita (Roberto Catani)
A group of people spend an afternoon at the pool lounging, swimming, playing, and flirting. I love the easy flow of this film, the quirky sound design, and the imaginative shape language. Like with the other selections here, the concept lends itself perfectly to a short: it is a vignette, perfectly paced.
The camera roves through a morphing dreamscape in which every person, every thing, bursts with symbolic meaning. Catani’s unusual approach to volume and perspective is on full display in this virtuosic plunge into the imagination. Watch it here.