Introduction
A sweeping family adventure, My Penguin Friend is a triumphant tale of friendship between a lonely father and a little lost penguin who recharges his spirit and heals his family with an unshakable, ocean-crossing loyalty.
Humble fisherman João (Jean Reno) has turned away from the world in the wake of tragedy. But when he discovers a penguin drifting alone in the ocean, drenched in oil from a spill, his first instinct is to help. To his wife’s (Oscar nominee Adriana Barraza) dismay, he not only rescues the sea creature but takes the flightless bird under his wing. For the first time in years, João starts to feel joy, even if he cannot fathom just how unbreakable a bond is being formed.
When the penguin suddenly disappears back into the immense wilds of the ocean, João believes it is impossible that he will ever see his friend again. But thousands of miles away, the penguin is caught in misadventures of his own, determined to use his unique GPS-like powers to find his way back to the place he now considers home.
Based on an emotional true story that riveted the world and filmed on the spectacular coasts of Brazil and Argentina, My Penguin Friend is a tale that traverses the magic of the ocean, the beauty of nature, and the transformative power of love.
Interview
(Edited for content and clarity)
Glen Dower:
Messrs Reno and Schurmann, how are you, Good Sirs?
Jean Reno:
Hi, Glen.
David Schurmann:
Hey, How are you doing?
Glen Dower:
I am great, thank you. Mr. Schurmann, let’s start with you. Thankfully, you insisted on real penguins as much as possible in the film. Was that derived from your confidence in your documentary filmmaking career?
David Schurmann:
Yes, I think from that, I wanted to be as authentic as possible. That’s another reason why we convinced the producers to shoot in Brazil as well, which is very close to the original location. So, I wanted to bring as much of that authenticity as we could. I knew it was going to be challenging, obviously, working with animals is challenging, but penguins especially, being a bird, and not a lot of people have worked with real penguins. So, those things definitely attracted me to work with real penguins, because even though I knew it would be challenging, it was absolutely a necessity to be able to portray it right.
Glen Dower:
Yes, and I didn’t realize I wanted ‘Penguin-Cam; in my life. Now I just want it all the time! It’s just fantastic. I love every part of that aspect. It’s exceptional. Mr. Reno, what a delight to meet you, Sir. Obviously, this film gives the audience a great feeling just watching it. You feel better. Was this one area that attracted you to the script and the story?
Jean Reno:
Ah, it was everything! Everything. I mean, protect the planet, protect the sea, take care of animals. I have two dogs and I speak with my dogs and they understand. And I don’t give orders. I have two Australian Shepherds and they’re very intelligent. I mean, we have a planet and we have to protect that planet and to give that planet, if it’s possible, in good shape to our kids. And movies like this help. I discovered the penguin.
For me, a penguin was romantic, was in a movie, and was a bird. No, he has a spirit. He can communicate with me. I can work with him. And the story of the movie is a true story. They had a relationship for eight years. The penguin came back and came back again, which is amazing. There’s a little magic in there. And all those things put together and to spend two months in Brazil, by the sea is not a bad thing!
Glen Dower:
Great work if you can get it, for sure. So you had 10 penguins to create DinDim, the hero of the film, which is amazing. How did you both approach the penguins, to begin with? Did they have different characters for different scenes? How did you approach them each morning?
David Schurmann:
The first thing we did when I met Gabeli, our penguin whisperer or trainer. He looks like Gandalf! Quite a character. He told me in the first meeting, we’re going to have a cast of penguins. I said, no, we only need one. He goes, ‘No! We need a cast because each penguin does a different scene because they have different personalities.’ I was like, ‘What?!’ ‘Penguins have personalities?’ ‘What do you mean? They all look the same.’ He goes, ‘No. They are very different. Some of them are more nervous.
They like to walk around. Others are very chilled. Those are the ones you want near the actors to interact. Then there are other ones that are curious.’ So he cast those penguins and said, this one is for this, this one is for that. It was quite amazing to see the process of working with them, understanding them, and understanding their time. I don’t know if you know this, but penguins only work until 3 pm. We have a cutoff time. I said, great union, right?!
They do that because they’re morning animals. They swim in the morning and they come back. That’s their instinct. By midday, they come back to land. By the afternoon, they’re not doing anything. So we had everybody watching the clock to prioritize the penguins until 3 p.m. After 3 p.m., no penguins could come to set. They were all relaxing by their pool, literally. It was interesting, the process we had to go through to understand where and how to work with penguins. It was beautiful to see Jean working with the penguins because he had three weeks to get used to it.
Glen Dower:
It was a great experience watching the film and a great experience meeting you both. Good luck with the release, guys. Thank you so much for your time, gentlemen.
Jean Reno:
Thank you, Glen!
Roadside Attractions will release MY PENGUIN FRIEND only in theaters on August 16th, 2024.
