MOMS' MATINEE SERIES BEGINS @ the Guild Cinema

AZUR & ASMAR
3405 Central NE, Albuquerque

255-1848
FEBRUARY 28 & MARCH 1 2009 (SATURDAY & SUNDAY): 11:00 a.m., 1:00pm

Animated fairy tale inspired by the Arabian 1001 nights. The director described the visual style of the film in a interview with"DVDrama" as being influenced by French art and Early Netherlandish painting of the 15th century (in particular, Jean Fouquet, the Limbourg brothers and Jan van Eyck), Persian miniatures and Islamic civilization from the Middle Ages until the 15th century and 16th century Safavid art. The soundtrack was scored by middle eastern composers and appeared originally in Arabic and French though the version to be screened at the Guild has been dubbed into English.

You can view the trailer at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80WFVB1EHT0

There's also a good article at http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/movies/chi-azur-asmar-review-0102jan02,0,1289140.story

Dir. Michel Ocelot - 99m - 2006/2008 - France - In English

Azur and Asmar is the story of two boys raised as brothers. Blonde, blue-eyed, white skinned Azur and black-haired, brown-eyed, dark- skinned Asmar are lovingly cared for by Asmar's gentle mother, who tells them magical stories of her faraway homeland and of beautiful, imprisoned Fairy Djinn waiting to be set free. Time passes, and one day Azur's father, the master of the house, provokes a brutal separation. Azur is sent away to study, while Asmar and his mother are driven out, homeless and penniless.Years later, as a young adult, Azur remains haunted by memories of the sunny land of his nanny, and sets sail south across the high seas to find the country of his dreams. Arriving as an immigrant in a strange land, Azur is rejected by everyone he meets on account of his "unlucky" blue eyes, until finally he resolves never to open those eyes again. The once-beautiful child clad in gold is reduced to a blind beggar. Yet, blind though he is, little by little and step by step, he discovers a beautiful and mysterious country. Meanwhile, back in her homeland, Azur's nanny has become a wealthy merchant and Asmar has grown into a dashing horseman. Reunited but now as adversaries, the two brothers set off on a dangerous quest to find and free the Fairy of the Djinns.