Event

Belle and Sebastian

Belle and Sebastian
Los Angeles Premiere
Drama/France/2014/104 minutes
Directed by Nicolas Vanier
French with English Subtitles or dubbed into English
Family Friendly

This lavish adaptation of the beloved 1965 children's book is the inspiring story of an unshakeable bond between a boy and his dog set amidst the snowy French Alps during WWII. Motherless and lonely, six-year-old Sébastien (Félix Bossuet) lives with his grizzled grandfather César (Tchéky Karyo) and cousin Angelina (Margaux Châtelier) in a peaceful village along the French-Swiss border. Roaming the high vistas of the countryside, the orphaned boy befriends a giant Pyrenean Mountain Dog suspected of attacking the local livestock. Their adventures take an ominous turn when Nazi occupiers march into town to flush out members of the French Resistance, who are guiding fleeing Jewish refugees to neighboring Switzerland. Sébastien and Belle point the way to safety, with a merciless SS lieutenant (Andreas Pietschmann) tracking their every step. Applying his skills as a nature documentarian, filmmaker Nicolas Vanier presents breathtaking exteriors filmed in the Haute Maurienne-Vanoise valley of Frances Rhone-Alps region. Among the highest grossing French films of recent time, BELLE AND SÉBASTIEN is a heartwarming tale that will thrill audiences of all ages.

Winner of the Films4Families Youth Jury Award at the Seattle International Film Festival.

Sponsored by the Goldrich Family Foundation in partnership with the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust.