story
In 1811, Mary Anning, an inquisitive and tenacious twelve-year-old girl, spends her days searching for fossils. Her father passed on this passion to her, but her life suddenly changes when he disappears, leaving behind a mysterious drawing and a struggling family. Determined to help her mother and brother, Mary tries to uncover the secret of the drawing. She will discover so much more than just fossils: friendships, adventures, and the very start of palaeontology.
author
Born in 1985 in Lodrin, Switzerland. An animated film director and picture book author, Barelli lives and works in Geneva. He loves animals and nature, which is why he develops all his projects in connection with them. His short films have been selected for numerous international festivals, where they have won many awards. Mary Anning is his first feature film.
filmography (selection)
2022 Autosaurus Rex
2024 Martha
2025 Mary Anning
“Mary Anning is a poor girl, barely making it through the day, and society looks at her with disapproval. Her strength is in her consistency, her determination. She embodies the positive force that I wanted to convey in the film; she insists on continuing to do what she loves, something right and important.” - Marcel Barelli
Mary Anning Mary Anning, chasseuse de fossils
directed by Marcel Barelli , screenplay Marcel Barelli, Pierre-Luc Granjon, Magali Pouzol , animation Maelle Chevallier, editing Maelle Chevallier, music Shyle Zalewski , producers Nicolas Burlet, Arnaud Demuynck, Tatjana Kozar , world sales Be For Films,
festivals, awards Annecy 2025, Locarno 2025
IMDbPhotos
What's On
Cut Cut
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Monday, 13. 04. 2026 / 17:45 / Main Hall
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The Tale of Silyan Prikaznata za Siljan
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Monday, 13. 04. 2026 / 18:15 / Small Hall
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Two Prosecutors Dva prokurora
Sergej Loznica
Monday, 13. 04. 2026 / 20:30 / Main Hall
This film by Ukrainian director Sergei Loznitsa (A Gentle Creature, Donbass) is a Kafkaesque exploration of a totalitarian regime. It is suffused with an overwhelming sense of inevitability and laced with the director’s signature grotesque humour.