Heartwarming, magically original stopmotion film about the director’s Italian grandparents, who, through trial and error, escape poverty to find happiness and prosperity in France. The totally deserved winner of the European Film Award for best Animated Film of Europe.

The village of Ugheterra, situated on top of a mountain in Piedmont, Northern Italy, was once inhabited by families sharing the same surname. A century later, the village has fallen into disrepair, including the ancestral home of director Alain Ughetto’s grandparents. Cesira, who was in love with Luigi, one of the 11 children of the Ughetto family, settled in the mountainous region where land and food were scarce. Luigi and his brothers migrated to France and Switzerland during winters in search of work.

Despite the difficulties, new families were formed, houses were built, and dreams of a better life were nurtured. With a playful stop-motion animation style, Alain Ughetto’s film pays tribute to his parents and grandparents, who labored with their hands throughout their lives. The film is a warm, humorous tribute to a bygone era when many Europeans were poor and uneducated, striving to create a better life.