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Aya of Yop City

Aya de Yopougon

FEATURE FILM 85'
Comedy / Animation

COMPLETED

The adventures of Aya, her friends and family in colorful 1970s Africa.
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Based on the bestselling graphic novel series, published in over 15 languages

Directed by

Clément Oubrerie

Marguerite Abouet

Production

Autochenille Production (The Rabbi's Cat -Crystal for Best Picture at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and European Film Awards nominee in 2011)

2012 / Original language: French / Color / 1.85 / Dolby SRD / available in hd & 2k

My name is Aya, I’m 19. I love my neighborhood! Here, in Yop City, Abidjan, everyone knows each other. It is always lively, with our open markets, colorful fabrics, funky cafĂ©s and of course, music everywhere.
My mom, Fanta, is the neighborhood’s most trusted healer. As for my old man, he’s a sales rep for Solibra Brewery, but if you ask me, he drinks a little too much of that “strong man’s beer”!
My two best friends are Adjoua and Bintou. Those two like to hang out and spend their evenings in the "maquis", dancing, drinking and flirting with boys. Their ambition, deh*, is basically a C-series career plan: Combs, Clothes and Chasing Men! Me? I want to be a doctor someday.
Big trouble comes to town when Adjoua realizes she’s pregnant. Not to mention when Moussa, the spoiled rotten Sissoko boy finds out he’s going to be a dad! How can he tell his old man, one of the richest and most feared men in the whole country?
Against the colorful and spirited backdrop of the Ivory Coast in the 1970s, Aya is a vibrant, beautifully animated film. From teen romance to parental tribulations, a rare glimpse into African daily lives, set to the funky sounds of a groovy soundtrack.

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AYA OF YOP CITY originally sprung from a desire to portray a country, convey happy memories and point out that all too often, newspapers tell us about how African are dying but never about how they live. On the other hand, animation films and youth literature focus on tales and legends, portraying a folkloric vision not in keeping with modern African life.

So here is a different Africa from the one we generally get to see. In the heart of an Abidjan neighborhood, the daily life of 19-year-old Aya, a young middle class woman who strives to do well at school, and her girlfriends Adjoua and Bintou, who would rather major in husband hunting. Here, events take place on a family scale rather than a national one, and are infused with the gentle way of life and heedlessness of the 1970s.
This will be an urban, modern animation film, a vast ensemble comedy that will not only take an interest in the passing fancies of Yop City’s teenage girls, but also in the concerns faced by their elders. Thanks to 2D animation, we will breathe life into our characters and bestow upon them the fluidity they deserve. The nonchalance of the young ladies, who walk as slow as they talk fast; the moms whose peanut sauce burns because they’re mesmerized by soap operas; the glimmer of sunshine beating down on the asphalt; the roar of Moussa’s orange Toyota Corolla. Such is the gentle ambiance we will find in AYA OF YOP CITY. And if it gets too hot, we’ll sit ourselves down in an allocodrome and share a “turkey’s ass” or down a glass of Tip-Top with Bintou. We’ll enjoy the sounds of François Lougah, Ernesto DjĂ©djĂ© and rumbas from Zaire. And if people get worked up and situations spin out of control, we can always count on moms to restore order.

Of course, this perspective will not prevent us from broaching more sensitive topics, like the lack of contraception or access to education for young girls, but we’ll always keep a sense of humor, because Ivory Coast folks know how to laugh about anything, especially things that aren’t funny, with a feigned cruelty that conceals genuine tenderness. And let’s not forget the lively Ivory Coast slang called Nouchi, which transforms the most trivial conversations into verbal jousts of sometimes uncontrollable proportions.

AYA OF YOP CITY stands as a work of fiction that tells the story of the universality of human relations, simply, without moralizing or condescending, enabling us to break away from the Western world taboo that calls for any talk about Africa to be didactic or pedagogic. When contemporary Africa is portrayed lightheartedly, it moves audiences of all ages.

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Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2013
In Official Selection



Salon du Livre et de la Presse jeunesse 2013
Pepite de l'Adaptation Cinématographique (Nugget for Theatrical adaptation)


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THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
" A vividly drawn and detailed account of West African life "
" lively and charming "
"A convincing jump from page to screen "

PREMIERE***

TELERAMA
“A smart, truthful, lively and funny story about life in a working-class neighborhood of Abidjan in the late ‘70’s.”
“A delightful animated film adapted from a famous comic book, great for the whole family.”

JEUNE AFRIQUE
“A truly successful adaptation”

LCI NEWS
“Very colorful, very enjoyable – don’t miss it”

ELLE
“We’re crazy about Aya of Yop City”
“Fabulous”

LE FIGARO MAGAZINE
“A lovely discovery”

VERSION FEMINA
“Delectable”
“The animated film gives the comic book an exciting new life”

RADIO EUROPE 1
“A favorite”

PREMIERE***
“Aissa Maiga makes her mark with flair and energy”
“The film’s charm lies in its realistic and uncompromising humanity, in its humor punctuated by local Ivorian slang, and in the way it can handle the most serious subjects with uproarious laughter”

RADIO FRANCE INTER
“We recommend it for the animation’s simple elegance and the comic book’s sweet, joyous energy”

20 MINUTES
“Extra-large emotions, guaranteed!”

LE PARISIEN
“Great family entertainment”

TF1 NEWS
“A suave, sensitive Africa hits the big screen”



JE BOUQUINE
“Fresh”
“Different layers of life, funny and profound”
“The animation is also a success, with a mix of realism and cartoon craziness. Perfect!”

CITIZEN K
“A delight”

CAUSETTE
“It’s a real delight to discover all the accents of this diverse neighborhood, the musical dialogue, and above all, the totally hilarious expressions that spice up daily life.”

TERRAECO
“An enchanted Africa, where you can laugh about everything, even in adversity”

MILK
“An adaptation really done right”
“A very enjoyable discovery”

COLCOA
"Attractively designed and full of distinctive characters"
"talented voice... vibrant cel-style CGI animation"


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Click on the pdf file :

  The books.pdf