1914. Jean Mordant is winning the title of World Wrestling Champion. Back home in Ostend, Belgium, his daughter Mimi is brutally raped by German soldiers. Jean swears to avenge her and enrols in the prestigious ACM, the first ever armoured car division. Little does he know he is embarking on an epic voyage that will drag him around the earth. An incredible journey that will reshape his world forever.
Jan Bultheel's first animated feature film, Cafard is completely author driven. Jan wrote the script, designed the graphic style, directed the actors, edited and staged the scenes, guided the animation team and he even textured all the models and sets himself.
Motion capture technology is an innovative industry on the rise. Cafard is a film for an adult audience wherein we capture the realistic actions of the characters, thereby automatically triggering an emotional impact of recognition in the audience that cannot be achieved using any other technique.
In Cafard, CGI-technology is stripped to a bare minimum. The final result is a simple graphic universe that emphasizes dramatic action of the characters over technological wizardry.
For me, Cafard is also an artistic challenge, to generate maximum impact with very limited resources. Sometimes a well-chosen color says more than a long dialogue. Sometimes one pencil line can suggest a setting better than a thousand props. Cafard wants to shine through its simplicity. Say more with less.
- Jan Bultheel