Little Amélie or the Character of Rain

SYNOPSIS: Amélie, a Belgian child in Japan, explores life with her companion Nishio-san. Her third birthday becomes a turning point, marking the beginning of life-altering events that shape her understanding of the world.

DIRECTOR: Maïlys Vallade

Passionate about cinema and special effects from a young age, Maïlys Vallade studied Graphic Arts at the prestigious EPSAA School in Paris. She later continued her education in animation film direction and concept development at Gobelins, also in Paris. During her time there, she created three student short films: The Hermin (2006), Garuda (2008), and The Lighthouse Keeper (2009). These films received several awards, including the Cristal for Best Graduation Film at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

Vallade began her professional career in 2010, contributing to a range of animated feature film productions. Her work includes visual development for Adama, The World of Breaths (2015) and animation for Ernest and Célestine (2012). She also contributed to The Little Prince (2015), At the Top of the World (2015), The Swallows of Kabul (2019), A Man is Dead (2018), I Lost My Body (2019), Calamity (2020), and Séraphine on which she focused on storyboarding, as well as background design, layout, and 2D animation.

The Little Prince (2015) won the César Award for Best Animated Film in 2016 and the British Academy Children’s Award for Best Feature in 2017. I Lost My Body (2019) earned numerous accolades, including the André-Martin Award for Best French Feature Film, the Cristal for Best Feature, and the Audience Award at the Annecy Festival, as well as the Critics’ Week Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

In addition to her work in animation, Vallade is also a graphic author. Her credits include Itanésie, Calamity, and Séraphine. Most recently, she co-directed, co-wrote, and storyboarded Little Amelie (2015) alongside Liane Cho Han.

DIRECTOR: Liane-Cho Han Jin Kuang

Liane-Cho Han Jin Kuang is a multidisciplinary artist and filmmaker known for his contributions to both the artistic and narrative aspects of animated cinema. With a background spanning art direction, animation, and directing, his work is characterized by visual sensitivity and poetic storytelling.

He is best known for co-directing Little Amélie or the Character of Rain (2025), a visually rich and emotionally resonant film that explores memory and childhood through a lyrical lens. His earlier work includes contributions to acclaimed animated features such as The Little Prince (2015) and The Illusionist (2010), where he worked in the art and animation departments, helping shape the unique visual identities of these award-winning films.

Directed by: Maïlys Vallade, Liane-Cho Han Jin Kuang

Year of production: 2025

Country: France

Duration: 1h 15m