A mysterious virus breaks out in Paris, turning gay men into homosexuals in a new film that looks set to turn heads, and do so in style, when it makes its world premiere in Midnight Screenings at Cannes on Sunday, May 17, and runs through Monday. Don’t worry, this isn’t a story ripped from the headlines, but rather the story of an irreverent French cartoon comedy called Jim Quinn.
The titular Jim is Jim Parfitt – yes, that’s actually French for “perfect” – an eccentric influencer and social media “King of Gym Queens” whose world comes crashing down when he contracts said virus, dubbed Heterosis. In Mon Dieu, he even lost all his social media followers – except for Lucien, the closeted virgin. The odd couple must go on a road trip through the French capital and the Marais district, the beating heart of the city’s queer scene, in search of a cure rumored to not only cure Jim, but also save the LGBTQIA+ community from extinction.
This satirical work is created by Nicolas Athani and Marco Nguyen in their directorial debut. They co-wrote the film with Simone Balto and Bryce Chevellard. The producers are David Alric and Arthur Delapis of French animation studio Bobbypills (Commando Creatures). A global constellation handles sales.
The voice cast is led by Alex Ramirès and Jérémy Gillet, and also includes the likes of gay porn icon François Sagat, singer Philippe Katerine and drag performer La Briochée.
“Inspiration comes from our lives,” Nguyen says. THR on Jim Quinn. “I’m gay, and when I arrived in Paris, I was 17, and I discovered a whole new world. The gay culture was very rich and had many communities, including the pagan scene, which were all great inspiration for the film.”
“I’m the second gay guy on the team. We met during one of these cool parties you see,” Balto shares [in the film]And so we started the project. We both wanted to talk about the LGBTQ communities in Paris, so Jim Quinn It’s a love letter to them and all the wonderful people. He says the cast of colorful characters is influenced by the creators, their friends, ex-lovers, and other people they’ve met THRHe explained: “I came to Paris from the countryside when I was 20 years old, and I can definitely recognize myself in Lucien.”
Those in the know will also recognize real-life Paris bars and venues in the film. But it was especially important for the creative team to accurately portray the diversity of the queer community. “We worked with a lot of people and had them read the scripts, because we wanted to really represent these communities,” Athani explains. “We were so relieved to find that they loved it and really recognized themselves.” Along with focusing on Paris and celebrating its queer culture, the team also highlights the universal themes the film touches on, from identity and sense of visibility to (body) image and fame on social media.
Shevilard, who worked as an animator Despicable me 2I enjoyed developing eccentric characters that aren’t as popular as Minions, at least not yet. “After working on big, long films, being more creative as a writer was really refreshing,” he says.
Of course, the creative process behind Jim Quinn It involved a lot of discussion, including when it came to different jokes and puns. An example of this is the long debate over the name “Gaistapo” of one of the groups featured in the film, Due to the historical significance. But the creative team ended up feeling like it worked.
In light of the backlash against gay rights in different parts of the world, how did the creators handle the political references in the film? “It’s still a comedy,” Nguyen says. “We just looked for the right tone and the right sense of humor [address even some] Heavy topics, but in a light way.
Balto recalls that work on the film began during a period when he was not feeling anxious. “The French parliament had just approved gay marriage. I was definitely feeling very comfortable with my sexuality. We had a feeling that we were living in a golden age,” he says. “But over the years of struggling to make the film, everything changed. And now [parts of the film will] It seems very political. But we never wanted to be too political or lecture.”
now, Jim Quinn The crew can’t wait to bring the film, the laughs and the party to Cannes. “Until recently, we expected to have this very small film that would be seen by a number of people,” Balto asserts. “Cannes changed everything after seven years of telling us it would never work.”
The creators have their fingers crossed for that Jim Quinn It will connect with audiences and help fund more adult animated films in the future. Could there be a Jim Queen 2? “If the movie is a success and people want more, I’ll be more than willing to go for the second movie,” Nguyen says.
