See the trailer and images; inspired by Lacanian theory, the animated feature from Aria Covamonas utilizes a Dadaist-style collage of public domain footage and audio to emphasize its play on reality and perception.
Miyu Distribution has acquired the animated comedy The Great History of Western Philosophy, from Aria Covamonas (Hideouser and Hideouser, Socrates’ Adventures in the Under Ground). Miyu has provided AWN the film’s trailer, images and poster which you can see below.
The feature follows a cosmic animator who is forced by the Central Committee to make a philosophical film under the gaze of Chairman Mao. Mao is displeased and sentences them to death, but Comrade Monkey, old good Sun Wukong, won't allow that.
“Aria’s film is an incredible piece of art,” Miyu Distribution founder and president Luce Grosjean said. “I fell in love immediately with the visuals, the energy, the absurdity. The film has nothing to envy from ‘Ubu, roi,’ it is pure art and funny. We know that the public we know the best, festival audiences, will love it, and we cannot wait to this crazy journey with them.”
Inspired by Lacanian theory, the film’s play on reality, perception, and language is underlined by its use of cutout animation, a Dadaist-style collage of public domain footage and audio. Cavamonas crafted each frame herself.
“This slow, deliberate process layered absurdity with intimacy, resulting in a cinematic ‘residue’ that captures fleeting thoughts, symbols, and primal emotions, inviting viewers to experience the subconscious directly,” said the film’s producers in a joint statement.
“Through this approach, the director merges form and content, embracing unconventional storytelling to explore layered realities,” they continued. “By challenging viewers to confront perception, reality, and identity, her work offers an experience that resists the constraints of language and embraces the fluid, ambiguous nature of subconscious thought.”
Fedora Productions produces. Lucia Cavalchini and Camilla Uboldi produce, with Pablo Baksht and Nicolás Baksht Somonte acting as associate producers.
Journalist, antique shop owner, aspiring gemologist—L'Wren brings a diverse perspective to animation, where every frame reflects her varied passions.
