Belgium and France / 2012 / 78mins / Animation / French

An old man gathers his grandchildren to tell them the story of 10-year-old Maki, who is kidnapped by slave traders. He quickly escapes to find himself on an epic journey. Maki is determined to rescue his new friend, the orphaned giraffe Zarafa, from the Bedouin prince who is taking her to France as a gift to the King. Stowing away on the journey, he looks for opportunities to escape with her. Their travels take them to Alexandria, Marseille and Paris. But the slave trader is on the same route and he is still angry about losing Maki and wants him back!

Rémi Bezançon

Rémi Bezançon was born in France in 1971. He studied at the film school École Supérieure de Réalisation Audiovisuelle (ESRA) in Paris and the École du Louvre. He made his first short film Little Italie in 1997. Made in 2008, his second feature film Le Premier Jour du reste de ta vie, was a huge success and was nominated for three César Awards (the French Oscars). Zarafa (2012) marked his first animated project. Learn More

Jean-Christophe Lie

Jean-Christophe Lie was born in France in 1970. He studied at the art school École des Beaux-arts in Toulouse and at the film school CFT des Gobelins in Paris and subsequently worked as an animator at Walt Disney Studios in Montreuil. In 2008 he made his first short animation film, L’Homme à la Gordini, which was screened in Cannes, was nominated for a César (the French Oscars) and won two awards at the Annecy animation film festival. Along with Rémi Bezançon, he co-directed the animated feature Zarafa which was released in January 2012 and was nominated for a César award for Best Animated Film. Learn More