The official trailer for Áron Gauder’s animated feature film entitled Four Souls of Coyote is finally here. The movie will premiere at the Cartoon Movie animation congress in Bordeaux next month, where Gauder was nominated for the Best European Director award.
In this unique visual Native American story about the climate crisis, a major corporation and indigenous peoples are pitted against each other over the laying of oil pipelines. The community protesting for our home evokes the Native Americans’ magical creation story, bringing old wisdoms close to the viewer through the adventures of Coyote, and showing that listening to the experiences of the past makes it easier to shape the future for the better.
Gauder said that he has been inspired by Native American culture since childhood and his encounter with Tamás Cseh brought him even closer to this world. The legendary Hungarian songwriter was a key figure in bringing Native American culture to Hungary, having translated volumes of folk tales. The director wanted to bring these stories to life. The idea gave birth to a script co-written with Géza Bereményi, which uses the old myths to draw attention to the challenges facing all of humanity and asks whether we can all find our place in the great circle of life before it is too late.
Commenting on the trailer, Gauder said, “This film is about us, the people of our time. Through the fate of mythical characters, we can experience how to live in harmony with nature. I hope that the story will help us to find answers to the questions of who we are, what we are meant to do, and in what direction we should go.”
„“Four Souls of Coyote” was a special experience in a challenging time. We started production during the epidemic, last year we were hit by war in our neighborhood, which although not directly related to the production itself, resonated strongly with what was happening around us and in the world. Under these circumstances, we tried to find the right balance and harmony, which is what this film is all about,” explains producer Réka Temple.
Gauder has been nominated for European Director of the Year at this year’s Cartoon Movie congress, where he will compete for the award alongside acclaimed European animation directors Amandine Fredon and Benjamin Massoubre from France, Mascha Halberstad from the Netherlands and José Miguel Ribeiro from Portugal. The event will take place from 8-10 March in Bordeaux, France. The winners will be voted for by professionals attending the eventand announced on 9 March.
Péter Bozsó, János Papp, Gerda Pikali and Tamás Széles lent their voices to the main characters of Four Souls of Coyote. In other roles, the film features Péter Scherer, Armand Kautzky, Péter Vida, Álmos Előd, Csaba Debreczeny, Róbert Bolla, Zoltán Schneider, Luca Kis-Kovács, András Faragó, Bálint Vida and Sára Vida.
The filmmakers also brought aboard Charles Cambridge (PhD, University of Colorado), an enrolled member of the Navajo tribe, acting as the film’s Native American consultant.
“Four Souls of Coyote” will be released in Hungarian cinemas from 16 March 2023 by Cinemon Entertainment and Vertigo Media. The film is supported by the National Film Institute.
Cover credit: 4soulsofcoyote.com
Source: NFI
