Did you go to Madagascar with the idea for this film or did Madagascar inspire this film?

Initially, I had an idea to make a book with drawings about travel, like a journey diary. But I did not have a particular country in mind. Then I met someone from Madagascar who told me all about it and showed me pictures. That’s when I got an idea to go there and make a film. But first, I spent one year at home trying to raise money for this movie.

What inspired this unique style of animation?

I found the technique first. I went to Supinfocom. It’s one of the most famous animation schools in France. So I learned how to do camera wrapping. It’s a technique that projects a drawing on a 3D model. The textures stick on the model and when you turn it, the texture of the drawing turns to 3D.

You seem to credit a lot of people in the film. Have they seen the film yet?

Most of them have. I went back to Madagascar this winter and I visited the village in the mountains where the film takes place. I brought all of the people from the village to the theater for a screening. It was the very first time they ever went to a theater to see a film. And that film is an animation about them! So it was a really crazy experience for everyone. It was just a little room with white fabric on the wall and plastic chairs. There was a technical problem with the DVD in the beginning, so we had to wait. And while we waited the musicians started playing and people began to dance. It was totally crazy!

Are there any other countries you want to do a film about?

I won’t make another film exactly like this, but I am working on a short film at the moment about Papua, New Guinea. It’s not going to be a journey diary like Madagascar. It takes place during the World War II and it’s a story about the relationship between the American and the Papuan soldiers.

What do you want viewers to take away from your film?

I always get concerned when I meet people that are not open-minded. Hopefully, this film will help keep the doors open and inspire people to develop their own ideas about something.

How long have you been an animator for?

I started quite early, trying stuff on my parent’s computer, which was cheap and quite shitty. I started to get serious when I got into Supinfocom in 2004 when I was 22 years old.

What advice do you have for someone who is just starting out with her or his first animation?

When I started Madagascar, I did not think about how much work was going to be involved. I just went for it. I raised the money. I spent two years on a 12-minute film. So my advice would be: Don’t think about it. Just do it.