VANCOUVER, BC – September 12th, 2019 Cinesite is partnering with director Cinzia Angelini, to complete production on her CG animated short MILA. After eight years of commitment, passion and determination from 350 artists volunteering from 35 countries, MILA will enter its final stages of production with the support of artists based at Cinesite’s Vancouver studio.

MILA is a CG animated short about a little girl whose life takes an unexpected turn during WWII. It’s rare that animation takes on serious, complex matters such as war, however, Cinzia and Cinesite believe animation is the perfect medium to tell this story set in Cinzia’s hometown, Trento (Italy). MILA is the story of a girl and two women during Trento’s bombing in 1943.  Speaking about Cinesite’s support for her short Cinzia said “I believe that a strong theme like the one portrayed in Mila, inspired by true stories and told through the powerful magic of animation, can move people and influence our future generations like nothing else can. The fact that a major studio like Cinesite shares this belief and is willing to help me bring it to the big screen is fantastic.”

MILA is now in production at Cinesite’s Vancouver studio and is testament to the varied style and scale of projects the studio is seeking to contribute to having recently delivered MGM’s major animated feature The Addams Family. Supporting MILA’s arrival at Cinesite, Vancouver General Manager Tara Kemes said, “Sadly, MILA is a timely condemnation of the violence currently on the world stage today.  Cinesite’s talented team and the magic of animation will support Cinzia in moving people, reminding us all of the humanity at stake, and the sense of hope that a child’s perspective can give us. As a studio we’re always seeking diverse projects covering a range of subjects, styles and scales and Cinesite is delighted to be able to support an independent project written and directed by a woman.”

Originally from Italy, Cinzia moved to Los Angeles in 1997 and has worked as a 2D/3D animator and story artist for studios like Dreamworks, Disney Animation Studios, Warner Brothers, Sony Imageworks, Illumination Entertainment, and most recently, Cinesite. Her work includes “Balto,” “Prince of Egypt,” “Eldorado,” “Spirit,” “Sinbad,” “Spider-man 2″ (Best Visual Effects Oscar Winner, 2005),  “Open Season,” “Meet the Robinsons,” “Bolt,” “The Minions Movie”, “Despicable Me 3”, “The Grinch,” and “Abominable.” She recently presented her talk “Bridging cultural diversity through the magic of animation” to a world-wide audience for TEDx, in the U.S. and again in Italy.

What/ Who is Mila

Mila is a volunteer-based project comprised of more than 350 artists from around the world.

Set in World War II, the story is of five-year-old MILA during the bombing of Trento, Italy in 1943. It focuses on the collateral damage affecting the civilian population – particularly the children.

Mila is a collective effort that was brought to life thanks to its strong social message. The film is a phenomenal example of what talented artists, committed sponsors and partners from around the world can do when they believe in a common cause. Mila is co-produced by Pixel Cartoon and IbiscusMedia, and produced by Andrea Emmes.

Meet the core team behind this extraordinary project and learn more at http://milafilm.com/

Cinzia Angelini’s TEDx talk  https://bit.ly/2kuQxoS