Ein Animationsfilmstill. Vier Puppenfiguren und eine Kuh stehen in einer steinigen Berglandschaft, hinter ihnen ist eine Schlucht voller Wolken, nur ein Kirchturm schaut heraus. Die Vaterfigur läuft mit Spitzhacke und Koffer in den Händen auf die Kamera zu, die Mutter mit Baby im Arm und zwei Jungen schauen ihm hinterher

Animated film “No Dogs or Italians Allowed” opens the festival!

It’s only the second time in DOK Leipzig’s history that we are showing a long animated film to kick off the festival. In his stop-motion animation, French director and screenwriter Alain Ughetto traces the lives of his grandparents from Northern Italy to their migration to France in the first half of the 20th century.

In tragicomic style, “No Dogs or Italians Allowed” portrays the tough conditions in a Piedmontese mountain village. There, the men of the family have to take seasonal work in the French Alps or fight in colonial and world wars, while the women and children do the field work. When the fascists come to power in Italy, the Ughettos decide to emigrate to the neighbouring country.

“With this imaginatively directed puppet animation, Alain Ughetto has created a warm-hearted memorial to his Italian grandparents Cesira and Luigi,” says festival director Christoph Terhechte. Within the narrative, Ughetto stages himself in dialogue with his grandmother, who is portrayed as a puppet figure. He also humorously reveals the design of his cinematic world: landscapes out of materials such as clay, cardboard, cotton, and even chestnuts and broccoli.

Alain Ughetto will attend the German premiere of his film in Leipzig

As an animator and screenwriter for more than 40 years, Ughetto has made stop-motion animation and a do-it-yourself aesthetic his trademarks. After making several animated shorts, Ughetto's first feature film “Jasmine” (2013), a love story during the Islamic Revolution in Tehran, was nominated as Best Animated Film for the European Film Award. “No Dogs or Italians Allowed” celebrated its world premiere and received the Jury Award at the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

The Leipzig public will get to know the director in person, when he attends the German premiere of his film. The opening ceremony of DOK Leipzig takes place on 17 October, 2022 at 7 pm at CineStar 8. The same evening, there will also be a free public showing of “No Dogs or Italians Allowed” at our pop up cinema at Leipzig Central Station.

Watch the Trailer (on Vimeo)