Star-Studded Animated Fairy Tale ‘Flower of the Dawn’ Sets Soho Film Fest Premiere

Next month, movie lovers attending the Soho International Film Festival (sohofilmfest.com) in New York City will have the chance to step into an animated world of music and magic in Flower of the Dawn, a 39-minute fairy-tale film making its world premiere at the festival on October 11. Produced by M.Y.R.A. Entertainment, the stylized CG short will screen at Regal Union Square Theater, followed by a live Q&A with members of the creative team and voice cast.

“I grew up in the magical land of the Grimm Brothers: ancient forests whispering tales of timeless characters, reimagined by each new generation,” producer/co-creator Margarethe Baillou, founder of M.Y.R.A., shared. “Today, I am proud to have assembled a remarkable cast and crew for my company’s continuing journey into animation. Searching for a fairytale without any gore was a reflective challenge until we found ‘Jorinde & Joringel’. Thanks to our talented team, our adaptation added depth with social commentary, and turned it into a celebration of foreign cultures and nonviolent entertainment for all generations.”

Flower of the Dawn is based on a seldom-heard story by the Brothers Grimm. It follows two young lovers, Lilli and Lukas, whose lives are thrown into turmoil by Sinistra (played by Jane Lynch) — a sorceress obsessed with youth and beauty. Aided by her hench-owl and evil spells, Sinistra transforms maidens into birds so she can steal their beauty, and locks them away, forcing Lilli and her new feathered friends to find the courage to break the curse.

The cast list also boasts the voices of comedy legend Mel Brooks, Matt Lucas (Little Britain), Tony and Grammy-winning singer-actress Jennifer Holliday, Lilla Crawford (Into the Woods), Griffin Puatu (Beastars) and Barbara Rosenblat (Orange Is the New Black).

The film is directed by Emmy-nominated Mark Risley (Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys, Yo-kai Watch, Space Racers), with story adaptation by Emmy-nominated, award-winning writer/producer/co-lyricist Allan Neuwirth (Octonauts, Bubble Guppies, Arthur, Rugrats) and award-winning composer/songwriter Jody Gray (Courage the Cowardly Dog, Sesame Street, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Space Racers).

Neuwirth points out that one of the key themes of this enchanting Grimm tale and their new film is the social pressure to be beautiful at any cost. “Vanity has become a cultural obsession,” he observed. “So many young people — especially women and girls — live under the weight of being judged by their appearance. Sinistra’s villainy grows out of that. She’s simply a person who bought into the idea that youth and beauty are the only things that matter. That’s a pressure audiences today know all too well, and our tale takes a stand against it.”

Gray added that music is a key anchor of the project: “Beyond Sinistra’s villainy and lovable heroes, we wanted hooky tunes people could hum on their way out of the theater. With this amazing cast, every song just soared.”

Showtimes and tickets for Flower of the Dawn at SIFF available here. Lucky 27 Media is handling sales for the film.