Renaissance (2006)

Director:

Christian Volckman

Writers:

Alexandre de La Patellière (original story) &
Mathieu Delaporte (original story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

15 March 2006 (France)

Genre:

Animation | Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Paris 2054. Live forever or die trying.

Plot:

In 2054, Paris is a labyrinth where all movement is monitored and recorded. Casting a shadow over everything is the city's largest company, Avalon, which insinuates itself into every aspect of contemporary life to sell its primary export -- youth and beauty. In this world of stark contrasts and rigid laws the populace is kept in line and accounted for.

Plot Keywords:

Kidnapping | Missing File | 2050s | Monopoly | Aging

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Daniel Craig	...	Barthélémy Karas (voice)
Romola Garai	...	Ilona Tasuiev (voice)
Ian Holm	...	Jonas Muller (voice)
Kevork Malikyan	...	Nusrat Farfella (voice)
Catherine McCormack	...	Bislane Tasuiev (voice)
Jonathan Pryce	...	Paul Dellenbach (voice)
Robert Dauney	...	Karas (voice)
Crystal Shepherd-Cross	...	Bislane (voice)
Isabelle Van Waes	...	Ilona (voice) (as Isabelle Van Waess)
Max Hayter	...	Dellenbach (voice)
Marco Lorenzini	...	Muller (voice)
Jerome Causse	...	Amiel (voice)
Clémentine Baert	...	Nurses (voice)
Chris Bearne	...	Parisian (voice)
David Benito	...	Nayhib (voice)
Tsuyu Browell	...	Reporaz (voice)
Alexandre Degli Esposti	...	Young Farfella (voice)
Marcia Fantin	...	Parisian (voice)
Logan Feierbach	...	Théo (voice)
Raphaël Fuchs-Willig	...	Claud (voice) (as Raphael Fuchs Willis)
Paul Jenkins	...	Security Force (voice)
Radica Jovicic	...	Woman Hostage (voice)
Christian Kmiotek	...	Vord Lover (voice)
Sophie Knight	...	Farfella's Woman (voice)
Anouk Lenorman	...	Little Girl with Balloon (voice)
Salomé Lenorman	...	Little Girl (voice)
Kumar Motiani	...	Farfella's Security Force (voice)
Julian Nest	...	Parisian (voice)
Daniel Plier	...	Montoya (voice)
Tim Probyn	...	Policeman (voice)
Vladimir Radovic	...	Nightclubber (voice)
Jessica Reavis	...	Avalon's Hopstess (voice)
Arnita Swanson	...	Nora (voice)
Neil Underwood	...	Homeless Man (voice)
Chas Warlow	...	Woeller (voice)
Bob Watson Barr	...	Nokata (voice) (as Robert Watson Barr)
Leslie Woodhall	...	Elderly Man (voice)
Linda Woodhall	...	Elderly Woman (voice)
Jean-François Wolff	...	Farfella (voice)
Rick Warden	...	Amiel (voice)
Nina Sosanya	...	Reparez (voice)
Lachele Carl	...	Nora (voice)
Sean Pertwee	...	Montoya (voice)
Sean Barrett	...	Naghib (voice)
Breffni McKenna	...	Dimitri (voice)
Christopher Parkinson	...	Karas Boy (voice)
Pax Baldwin	...	Farfella Boy (voice)
Wayne Forester	...	Administrator (voice) (as Wayne Forrester)
Julia Braams	...	Avalon Woman (voice) (as Julia Brams)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Marc Alfos	...	Nustra Farfella (voice)
Laura Blanc	...	Bislane Tasuiev (voice)
Marc Cassot	...	Jonas Muller (voice)
Bruno Choel	...	Pierre Amiel (voice)
Boutros El Amari	...	Goran (voice)
Patrick Floersheim	...	Barthélémy Karas (voice)
Dean Gregory	...	Di Borgo Lieutenant Griffin (voice)
Gabriel Le Doze	...	Paul Dellenbach (voice)
Virginie Mery	...	Ilona Tasuiev (voice)

Directed by
Christian Volckman

Writing credits
Alexandre de La Patellière		(original story) &
Mathieu Delaporte		(original story)
Alexandre de La Patellière		adaptation
Mathieu Delaporte		adaptation
Michael Katims		English dialogue
Jean-Bernard Pouy		adaptation
Patrick Raynal		adaptation

Produced by
Timothy Burrill	....	co-producer
Jake Eberts	....	executive producer
Lilian Eche	....	co-producer
Ilann Girard	....	executive producer
Louise Goodsill	....	executive producer
Ralph Kamp	....	executive producer
Roch Lener	....	producer
Jean-Bernard Marinot	....	line producer: Onyx Films
Ariane Payen	....	co-producer
Aton Soumache	....	producer
Alexis Vonarb	....	producer

Original Music by
Nicholas Dodd

Film Editing by
Pascal Tosi

Casting by
Monique Durlacher
Celestia Fox

Production Design by
Christian Volckman		(original designer)

Art Direction by
Pascal Valdes

Production Management
Sean Cooney	....	post-production executive
Steve Mannes	....	unit manager: Luxembourg
Agathe Pinchon	....	co-production manager: international
Pierre Reyssat	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
James Hagger	....	first assistant director
David Morais Rocas	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Hélène Giraud	....	concept artist
Manuel Herminio	....	property master
Marc Miance	....	original visual concept
Bruno Zenatello	....	construction coordinator

Sound Department
James Bennett	....	assistant adr mixer
Christophe Bourreau	....	foley artist
Steve Browell	....	adr assistant editor
Paul Carr	....	adr mixer
Tim Cavagin	....	sound re-recording mixer
Simon Chase	....	sound assistant
Paul Conway	....	adr supervisor
Gregoire Couzinier	....	supervising sound designer
Thomas Couzinier	....	supervising sound designer
Tony Currie	....	sound editor
Tom Davis	....	additional adr assistant
Fred Echelard	....	sound mixer
Alain Goniva	....	sound
Guillaume Le Bras	....	sound recordist
Vincent Mauduit	....	foley sound engineer
Benoît Mouet	....	sound mixer
Mark Paterson	....	assistant adr mixer
Grahame Peters	....	adr editor: crowd (as Graham Peters)
Bruno Porret	....	sound assistant
Steve Single	....	sound re-recording mixer
Oliver Tarney	....	supervising sound editor
Yann Vernier	....	foley assistant

Special Effects by
Sylvain Muze	....	special effects artist
Mathioeu Negrel	....	special effects artist
Pierre Villette	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Jérôme Arthuis	....	technical Director: laboratory
Stephanie Aubriot	....	modeler
Quentin Auger	....	character setup
Pierre Avon	....	animation director: Attitude Studio
Axel Bonami	....	digital compositor
Nicolas Bonnell	....	3D financial director: Attitude
Lucie Bories	....	digital compositor
Gaëlle Bossis	....	digital compositor
Matthew Bristowe	....	digital lab producer: MPC
Ronan Broudin	....	senior compositor: Attitude Studio
Remi Brun	....	head of motion capture
Lescalet Clément	....	conform assistant
Romain Côte	....	character modeler
Benoit De Longlee	....	lighting
Jerome Desvignes	....	modeling supervisor
Marc Dubrois	....	layout team manager
Laetitia Gabrielli	....	lighter
Nicolas Galvani	....	visual effects supervisor/animator
Geoffroy Givry	....	senior digital compositor
Pierre Gosset	....	digital artist
Jean-Baptiste Guionie	....	set modeler
Laurent Herveic	....	character animator/modeler
Rob Hill	....	filmtel artist
Arcier Hugo	....	digital artist
Aurelie Lajoux	....	digital artist
Julien Lambert	....	lighting technical director
Hamery Laurent	....	digital artist
Mathieu Le Meur	....	visual effects set modeler
François-Xavier Lepeintre	....	set modeler
Jean Baptiste Lère	....	CGI production manager
Begoña Lopez	....	digital lab producer: MPC
Pierre Marteel	....	matte painter
Carlos Perona	....	modeler
Richard Raimbault	....	character modeller
Binisti Rémy	....	character animator
Binisti Rémy	....	set modeler
Olivier Renouard	....	rig & facial supervisor
Pierre Salazar	....	modeler: visual effects & props
Haure Sebastien	....	senior character modeler
Rossi Sébastien	....	set modeler
Adeline Simon	....	digital compositor
Nina Taraud	....	render wrangler
David Tcheko Latulipe	....	facial expressions supervisor
Marine Tuloup	....	CGI production coordinator
Frédérique Vandenberghe	....	motion capture technical director
John Van Hoey Smith	....	filmtel artist
Robert A. Willis	....	digital film recordist
Henri Zaitoun	....	digital camera supervisor

Stunts
Philippe Bardelli	....	stunts
Hakim Bezzah	....	stunts (as Akim Bezzah)
Samir Bezzah	....	stunt coordinator
Samir Bezzah	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Etienne Braun	....	still photographer

Animation Department
Nicolas Bauduin	....	animator
Marie Celaya	....	animator
Gérald Clévy	....	animator
Carlo Giesa	....	animation/rigging td
Jean Hemez	....	animator
Jean-Charles Laurent	....	animator
Vincent Lemaire	....	animator
Galvani Nicolas	....	assistant animation director
Emmanuel Vergne	....	animator

Casting Department
Abigail Barbier	....	adr voice casting
Louis Elman	....	adr voice casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Magdalena Marczynska	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Brenneur Benjamin	....	motion editor
Francine Gamblin	....	assistant editor
Sylviane Gozin	....	assistant editor (as Sylviane Gosin Tosi)
Julien Mazon	....	assistant editor
Harry Muller	....	color timer
Laurent Pelé	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Nicholas Dodd	....	conductor
Nicholas Dodd	....	orchestrator
Edouard Dubois	....	music consultant
Charles Olins	....	composer: additional music
Matt Robertson	....	music pre-production
Matt Robertson	....	music programmer

Transportation Department
Christophe Vincent	....	driver

Other crew
Delphine Ankoudovitch	....	production assistant
Laetitia Beverini	....	script supervisor
Benjamin Deboute	....	developer
Benjamin Deboute	....	lead render wrangler
Jon Duncan	....	production accountant: UK
Jacqueline Edwards	....	production coordinator: UK
Stéphane Garten	....	assistant location manager
Ambroise Gayet	....	assistant location manager
Michael Katims	....	story consultant
Steve Mannes	....	assistant location manager
Charles Pottier	....	computer technology
Mannes Steve	....	location manager
Christophe Vey	....	intern

Thanks
François Dumoulin	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Onyx Films
• France 2 Cinéma
• Backup Films (in association with)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC)
• Millimages
• Timefirm Limited

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2007) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• Pathé Distribution (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2007) (Switzerland) (DVD)
• Happinet Pictures (2007) (Japan) (DVD)
• Odyssey Entertainment (2006) (UK) (all media) (world sales)
• Pathé (France)
• Tiglon (2006) (Turkey) (all media)

Other Companies

• Granular Ltd.  sound post-production
• Kouz Production  sound post-production
• Sapex Scripts  post-production services
• Soundelux  sound post-production

MPAA:

Rated R for some violent images, sexuality, nudity and language.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

France | UK | Luxembourg

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | SDDS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | France:U | Australia:M | USA:R | Singapore:NC-16 | Portugal:M/16 | Argentina:13 | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Brazil:12

Company:

Onyx Films

Trivia:

Renaissance took six years to complete on a budget of 15 million dollars.

Quotes:

Bislane Tasuiev: [to Karas] Come back or I'll kill you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Renaissance: Making of promo (2006) (TV)

Don't watch the trailer

If you've ever seen the trailer for the film "The Recruit" with Colin Farrell and Al Pacino, you'll never have to see that film. Sadly, Renaissance has had similarly revelatory trailer makers.

The story of Renaissance is about a detective investigating the kidnapping of a young woman and medical researcher. The setting is a futuristic Paris, and science fiction elements feature throughout. The special thing about Renaissance, though, is its visual style, and not its story. Renaissance is 3D computer animation, like Final Fantasy, but highly stylised into black and white with ultra sharp contrasts. The result looks stunning (although the problems of 3D animation of human beings are still noticeable from time to tome: slightly robotic movements, slightly wooden facial acting, etc) As a highly stylised, beautiful film noir, Renaissance succeeds at stunning the audience, especially visually. The story and writing, though, are not quite at the same level of quality as the visuals. It's not a bad story (and presumably, if you haven't seen the trailer, it's a lot more exciting than it was for me). But it is a story that isn't highly original, and verges on the corny. A few lines of dialogue were painfully corny, making the writing sound like a beginner's first efforts.

I will definitely recommend Renaissance to friends. It's unlike anything I've seen before, visually, and I believe its originality alone makes it a worthwhile experience. It is also a watchable story, even if it isn't perfect.