Oscar-winning Flow producer boards Insectarium

Matīss Kaža, producer and co-writer of Gints Zilbalodis’ animated feature Oscar winner “Flow,” has boarded “Insectarium” (“Indsectario”) the upcoming and hugely awaited feature debut of Mexican stop-motion maestro Sofia Carrillo.

Kaža joins the project as a producer, as does Daniela Mujica’s Montreal-based Productions Ocho. They join “Roma” producer Pimienta Films in Mexico and Spain’s Inicia Films, behind Berlin Festival winner “20 Species of Bees.”

Matīss Kaža brings €250,000 ($290,000) from the National Film Centre of Latvia. Mujica, who was recently honored at Cartoon Movie in Bordeaux as “Producer of the Year,” alongside the co-producers of the feature film “Allah n’est pas obligé” from Zaven Najjar, has tapped Telefilm Canada support in its latest funding round as well as other soft money. They also bring broader expertise in animation producer and create a four-way international co-production between significant partners, bulwarking the status of the project.

After rocking the animation world with “Cerulia,” Mexican stop-motion maestro Sofia Carrillo returns with her first feature, set in a world where insects are extinct – until an entomologist’s niece accidentally reanimates an Attacus Atlas moth. Written by Monika Revilla (“Dance of the 41”), “Insectarium” is to some extent an extension of “Cerulia,” Carrillo has told Variety, exploring its aesthetic universe and using the same puppets and sometimes same sets.

“Sofía Carrillo has a very special voice and animation style, so I was very glad to join ‘Insectarium’ as a co-producer,” Kaža told Variety.

“As a producer of the Academy Award-winning ‘Flow,’ which had a tremendous success in Mexico, it feels especially meaningful to continue this connection through a collaboration with a Mexican production. We have just received confirmation of €250,000 in funding from the National Film Centre of Latvia, which means that Latvian 3D artists — several of whom also worked on Flow — will be able to join the project. This is a very special and unusual co-production for Latvia, as we are generally more used to co-producing within Europe.

“It is a great honor to co-produce this sensitive and imaginative work while collaborating with such highly regarded teams as Pimienta, Inicia and Trickster Pictures,” Mujica added.

“Discovering Sofia Carillo’s work and vision is a true pleasure. This collaboration will allow many Canadian artisans and creators to contribute to this stop-motion film, which is sure to have a major impact on audiences. It also highlights the connections we can forge with Mexico and Spain for viable coproductions.”

For Celis at Pimienta,“Sofia Carrillo’s brilliant project keeps getting traction bringing support from fantastic producers that are coming of board to support her vision including from Latvia Matīss Kaža, producer of the Oscar-winning ‘Flow’ and from Canada Daniela Mujica which I’m sure it will get us to an amazing destination with their broad experience.”

-Variety