Chloé Mazlo's 'I cieli di Alice' Blends Animation and Live Action

Chloé Mazlo, a plastic arts and animation expert, makes her feature debut with 'I cieli di Alice', a film originally slated for Cannes 2020 (canceled due to COVID-19). The film tells her family's story in an innovative style. Of Lebanese origin, born in Île-de-France, Mazlo cast Alba Rohrwacher for her French language skills. Set in the 1950s, Alice lives in a stifling family environment in Switzerland. She escapes to Beirut as an au pair, falls in love with astrophysicist Joseph (who plans to build a rocket for the first Lebanese in space), and builds a perfect family. The Lebanese Civil War shatters their happiness, forcing dozens of relatives and friends into their Ashrafieh home. The film balances drama and comedy, inspired by Mazlo's Swiss grandmother who emigrated to Lebanon in 1955, and by Lebanese diaspora stories like that of Wajdi Mouawad (who plays Joseph). It focuses on early signs of conflict: the April 1975 shooting and the September 1975 bombing of the historic center. Mazlo, a César winner for best animated short, uses stop motion, illustrated backdrops, pastel tones, saturated photography, models, and puppet animation. Visual metaphors include a paper heart, roots sprouting from shoes, pixilation for a stork bringing babies, and a woman-cedar tree representing the 'green line' dividing Beirut. The film is a unique, allegorical plea for peace.