View Fidelio, the animated film (subtitled in UK, NL, DE & IT).
Viewing guide! This film contains scenes of violence and discrimination.
Florestan and Leonore are two young committed artists who believe in a solidary, just and sustainable society. With their playful actions, they manage to gather a large group of people of various kinds to demonstrate against the repressive policies of tyrant Pizarro. Pizarro, feeling his power waning, orders the demonstrators violently beaten up and Florestan locked up in a secret cellar. In a nightmare, Leonore relives the violent moment when she is separated from her boyfriend. She jolts awake and realises that if she ever wants to see Florestan alive again, she will have to find a way to free him....
See also:
Fidelio, libretto reading #6
Fidelio (6+)
Fidelio, unplugged
ARTIST
Roman Klochkov emigrated from Kazakhstan to Belgium. He studied Audiovisual Art (animation film option) at KASK in Ghent. His graduation film Administrators was selected for the prestigious Annecy International Animation Film Festival and the Montreal World Film Festival. His first professional short animated film Natasha was awarded by Anima, et Brussels animation film festival, among others.
Anna Heuninck graduated from KASK Hogeschool in Ghent in 2013. Her film Cut (2010) and her graduation film Box office 9 (2013) were shown at several film festivals. Anna collaborated on two short films at Lumière after graduation. She then worked at 'Beast Animation' the Belgian stop-motion studio on the animated film series Dimitri and Rintje and at the clip for Compact Disc Dummies. Now, besides teaching at the Sint Lucas art humanities school in Ghent, she is also active as a freelancer in the animation film sector, working on various projects, often in collaboration with Roman Klochkov.
Lisa Willems (Leonore/Fidelio) is a young Belgian soprano, who obtained her masters at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp. She is Laureate of the MM Academy of La Monnaie, where she will soon perform the role of Flower Girl in Parsifal and Eine Modistin in Der Rosenkavalier, and performs a solo recital of songs by American composer Libby Larsen. Lisa played the role of Leonore/Fidelio in the French-language musical theatre version of Fidelio of WALPURGIS. She also collaborated with Deschonecompanie, Les Karyatides and Transparent, among others.
Stefaan Degand graduated from the Drama Department of the Herman Teirlinck Institute in 2003. He then starred in theatre productions by Theater Antigone, HETPALEIS, Toneelhuis and WALPURGIS, among others. In 2011, Degand had his breakthrough with the general public with roles in the film Bullhead and in the television series The Round.
The Belgian bass Kurt Gysen received the 'Dr. Wilhelm Oberdörfer Preis ' for his merit as the most talented young opera singer of the year. He sang the role of Colline in La Bohème and Masetto in Don Giovanni at the State Opera Hamburg, the role of Don Fernando in Fidelio at the Flemish opera and the Opéra National of Lyon; the role of Il medico in La forza del destino at De Munt and the role of Nikitich in Boris Godunov at the Netherlands Opera. He sang both the role of Pizarro and Rocco in the musical theatre production Fidelio From WALPURGIS.
Founded in the lap of the Brussels Conservatoire in 1993, growing Oxalys into a chamber music ensemble with a unique profile and a strong international reputation. Its original line-up of string quintet, flute, clarinet and harp often fans out into a larger ensemble, thus realising a broad repertoire and surprising projects. Oxalys finds its basic repertoire in the Belle Epoque (1870-1930) and looks back as well as forward from that crucial era.
Elias Vervecken graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent and obtained his PhD in philosophy from Ghent University. He works as a sound actor (foley artist) on documentaries and (animation) films such as the Oscar-nominated short films Nawewe and Death of a shadow, de film La Vie D'Adele, The Barefoot Emperor, Dreamland, Mind My Mind, Rabot, Gang of John the Light and the TV series Tabula Rasa.
RECENCIES
"A handsome and innovative short film. (...)
The timeless story of autarchy and political freedom seems more relevant than ever."
Kortfilm.be (BE), Sarah Skoric
**** "...spoken and sung in Dutch and nowhere does it feel forced."
Concertnews (BE), Bert Hertogs
"Warmly recommended."
Klara, Sylvia Brouckaert
"An animation gem to cherish and tastes like more. Maybe after this experience I will dare to do a three-hour opera performance?"
The Theatre Festival, daily newspaper, Maria Feenstra
THE THEATRE FESTIVAL 2021
#specialhonours
"It is a 'small' miracle how musical theatre company WALPURGIS has been able to turn its know-how and expertise in opera and musical theatre into an individual and digitally accessible animation gem: Fidelio. The short film, an adaptation of Beethoven's sole and eponymous opera, is not only an example of formal inventiveness and resilience - it also captures a sign of the times in terms of content.
The adaptation (concept and script by Judith Vindevogel, animation by Roman Klochkov and Anna Heunick) reinterprets the core of Beethoven's rescue opera in a good fifteen minutes. Vindevogel turns bourgeois opera into a fresh contemporary work of art in clear language accessible to young people. Vindevogel is naturally experienced in converting the classic librettos into a witty Dutch-language version, and she does so again here: the phrases gurgle in an artless rhythm from the mouths of soprano Lisa Willems (Leonore), bass Kurt Gysen (Pizarro) and actor Stefaan Degand (Rocco). The animation by Heuninck/Klochkov is at no point bitchy, quite the contrary - the young audience of this Fidelio gets an insight into what is going on in today's world in an incredulously sharp and sometimes bloody imagery.
And that is quite something: discrimination, police violence, dictatorship, censorship... In WALPURGIS' Fidelio, art is curtailed because it is dangerous, because dreaming threatens to wake people up - you can read a lot into it, if you like, about the state's dealings with the citizen in this corona crisis. On the other hand, Vindevogel, so terribly beautiful and so terribly naive and just for that reason again so terribly beautiful, puts forward the imagination as a remedy. When Vindevogel has the basses anticipate the Ode an die Freude already in the first minutes, we know where it's heading: a finale in which the collective of imprisoned citizens literally belittle Pizarro, to the tune of: "Let us dream our dreams/Let us use our imagination". In doing so, Fidelio is not only a test of fluky handling of repertoire, and a test of organisational resilience in difficult times tout court, but this short film also shows us a way out for a policy that, in this crisis, is still/again most affecting the weakest. That answer lies in the power of unbridled and unabashed togetherness.
From the jury report, Evelyne Coussens
PUBLIC REACTIONS
This is very punishing. Catchy lyrics, powerful music and particularly beautiful animation. Hussar work. Respect!
Franky Devos, director Voo?uit
All watching!!! Very nice!!!
Tom Bonte, director Ancienne Belgique
Finally watched this gem. How wonderful!!!!
Definitely recommended if you teach in primary schools. Wonderful introduction to Beethoven's only opera.
Astrid Stockman - soprano
Wonderful! What a feat.
Leonor Wiesbauer, World Citizen Academy
WAUUUUWWWWW
Really nicely done
But I personally don't think the opera is super but everything else NICE!
The story is really real!
Senad Gavranaj, 16 years old
It is so gripping! So beautiful, so hopeful...it became the children's first opera experience. Djena wanted to see it again and again.
Marielle, Caravan c'Expérience, Lede
Tip of the day: We just watched Fidelio - opera by Ludwig von Beethoven on children's size (10+).
A bit scary at first, but a beautiful story of love and beauty triumphing. Just what we need today. For us, it was a very successful introduction to opera.
Anneke With the Finish Flaghe
So clean! What a picture... Does come in.
Katelijne Morreel, director of audience development Publiq
Wonderful! A gem !
Karin Heremans, Headmistress Royal Athenaeum Antwerp
Moving.
Spank Moons
Moved!!!
Sascha Bornkamp
Wonderful. Prickling tears here. So beautiful, and so needed.
Marlies De Munck
It was with immense pleasure that I was moved. Wonderful, wonderful (...)
Cathy Berx, provincial governor Antwerp
It is Gorgeous! Am moved by it.
Renild Van Bavel, STAN
I had tears in my eyes.
Joke Schrauwen, Antwerp Management School, Antwerp
Splendid!!!!
Herman Baeten, chairman Musica, Impulse Centre for Music
Super fat!!!
Carmien Michels, author
Wonderful project.
Lotte Ysenbrandt, Stellvertretende Generaldelegierte der Regierung Flanderns in Deutschland
Beautiful! In a world crawling with Pizarros, beauty's rebellion can provide solace....
Mohamed Ikoubaan, Moussem
Super nice!!!
Toon Callier, Swarm
Moved from second 1.
Sarah Van Overwaelle, The Cloud
WOW! Came in hard for me.
Phaedra Van Soom, business coordination, Theatre De Spiegel
The cartoon is beautiful!
Good thing this is still here. Top!!!
Luk Nys, Madame Fortuna
Very beautiful and moving.
Rudi Genbrugge
Beautifully done! Well struck. The magic wand called love.
Robert Vroegindeweij, director of music school Zeeland
This is salve for young souls.
Lotte Stoops
It is beautiful. And movingly beautiful. And inspiring.
Lut De Clercq
What a beautiful script and drawings that totally capture the Zeitgeist. A project that is an ideal first introduction to the medium of opera or musical theatre. Chapeau!
Wilfried Van den Brande, bass
Mille MERCI pour ce magnifique et surprenant Fidelio !
Une belle idée poétique superbement réalisée, tant musicalement et graphiquement que techniquement...
Georges-Elie Octors, Ictus
C'est plein d'inventivité, mais aussi de poésie. L'idée du chat est particulièrement réussie.
Prof. Dr. Patrice Veit, Director de recherche émérite au CNRS
Centre Georg Simmel, EHESS / Centre Marc Bloch, Berlin
Beethoven's Meisterwerk, auf 15 Minuten kondensiert, wird zu einer zeitlosen, berührenden Erzählung.
Goethe-Institut, Hong Kong
Remarquable (...) C'est une très belle réalisation !
Corinne Schneider, France Musique
Génial!
Claire Demaison, Laboratoire d'intelligence collective et artificielle
The result is amazing! Moving, touching, so well executed.
Audrey Jüngers, Opera Europa
Un buen día para disfrutar de esta pequeña animación de Fidelio. Necesitamos que toda la buena música y todos los colores del Universo sean posibles. Necesitamos creer que no seguirán destrozando la salud, la justicia y la libertad. Necesitamos un poco de luz y toda la música. Necesitamos colaborar todos para sobrevivir en un mundo que tenga sentido.
Ángeles Domínguez
Your movie is so strong and poetic. I just loved its faith in truth, poetry and art as a way of resisting evil - embodied by the slowly rising theme of Beethoven´s 9th. The prison guard is a very interesting character, disgusted at what he is ordered to do, realising how morally wrong it is - and still ready to do it.
Carsten Jensen, author
Extraordinaire... Magnifique....
Mireille Capelle, soprano
