TIFF 2011 Buyer’s Club: #18. Ian FitzGibbon’s Death of a Superhero

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#18. Death of a Superhero
The Gist: Donald is a different kind of superhero. In his real life he is sick and feels like a peeled potato. But the 15-year-old has an outstanding talent to animate with pen and ink a dark world in which an invincible superhero battles a deadly nemesis and his sexy sidekick. But while Donald´s cartoon hero is unbreakable and unable to love, he himself is utterly breakable and bound for love. In a rollercoaster ride he learns of life through his unorthodox psychologist Adrian King, discovers love with the rebellious Shelly and makes peace with his terrified parents while his time is running out.

Director: Ian FitzGibbon (Perrier’s Bounty)
Sales Agent: Bavaria Film International
Selling Point/Suited For: We’re not sure what kind of a fanbase there is for the novel, but we think that audiences might be a sucker for not only the premise (teen boy fighting off cancer and a full blown adolescence crisis) but for everything else the film might offer (genuinely smart use of animation). We didn’t care for Perrier’s Bounty, but if the tone is just right: Ian FitzGibbon might have a winner.

 

 

Eric Lavallée
Eric Lavalléehttps://www.ericlavallee.com
Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist, and critic at IONCINEMA.com, established in 2000. A regular at Sundance, Cannes, and Venice, Eric holds a BFA in film studies from the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013, he served on the narrative competition jury at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson’s "This Teacher" (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). He is a Golden Globes Voter, member of the ICS (International Cinephile Society), FIPRESCI and AQCC (Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma).

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