The films in this shorts segment are not made for children and families, necessarily, as many of the films tackle difficult subjects, like war, classism, and violence. Instead, these films speak to one another because they each explore various experiences of childhood and/or depict the complexity of families and family dynamics. Telling the stories of children during stressful and joyful moments and considering various configurations of family relationships, the films in this series expose cruelty and locate delight in the stories they tell.
An aging grandmother loses her five senses one after the other before finally becoming a wooden chair. Throughout her transformation, she realizes that her housekeeper is not the wild animal she once thought she was, but the caring and loyal family member she was sadly lacking. A poignant story about class, illness, and growing old, which employs imagination and metaphor to show the difficult and painful process of departing.
Festivals and Awards
Krakow Film Festival, Poland, 2020
Giffoni Film Festival, Italy, 2020
Animafilm Baku Animation Festival, Azerbaijan, 2020
About the filmmaker
Nicolas Fattouh (born February 26, 1994 in Monsef, North Lebanon) is a visual artist and director. He graduated from Academie Libanaise Des Beaux Arts in 2015, where he made the animation Le voleur de casseroles. In 2018, his debut film How Grandmother Became a Chair, as German-Lebanese co-production, received the Film Prize from the Robert Bosch Stiftung.
- Year2020
- Runtime10 minutes
- CountryLebanon, Germany
- PremiereMinnesota
- DirectorNicolas Fattouh
- ScreenwriterNicolas Fattouh
- ProducerFabian Driehorst, Nermine Haddad
- AnimatorTill Machmer, Friedrich Schäper, Yann Le Bot, Adrian Jaffé, Agustina Morici, Shadi Adib, Alba Dragonetti, Carlo Palazzari
- MusicCedric Kayem
The films in this shorts segment are not made for children and families, necessarily, as many of the films tackle difficult subjects, like war, classism, and violence. Instead, these films speak to one another because they each explore various experiences of childhood and/or depict the complexity of families and family dynamics. Telling the stories of children during stressful and joyful moments and considering various configurations of family relationships, the films in this series expose cruelty and locate delight in the stories they tell.
An aging grandmother loses her five senses one after the other before finally becoming a wooden chair. Throughout her transformation, she realizes that her housekeeper is not the wild animal she once thought she was, but the caring and loyal family member she was sadly lacking. A poignant story about class, illness, and growing old, which employs imagination and metaphor to show the difficult and painful process of departing.
Festivals and Awards
Krakow Film Festival, Poland, 2020
Giffoni Film Festival, Italy, 2020
Animafilm Baku Animation Festival, Azerbaijan, 2020
About the filmmaker
Nicolas Fattouh (born February 26, 1994 in Monsef, North Lebanon) is a visual artist and director. He graduated from Academie Libanaise Des Beaux Arts in 2015, where he made the animation Le voleur de casseroles. In 2018, his debut film How Grandmother Became a Chair, as German-Lebanese co-production, received the Film Prize from the Robert Bosch Stiftung.
- Year2020
- Runtime10 minutes
- CountryLebanon, Germany
- PremiereMinnesota
- DirectorNicolas Fattouh
- ScreenwriterNicolas Fattouh
- ProducerFabian Driehorst, Nermine Haddad
- AnimatorTill Machmer, Friedrich Schäper, Yann Le Bot, Adrian Jaffé, Agustina Morici, Shadi Adib, Alba Dragonetti, Carlo Palazzari
- MusicCedric Kayem