Once upon a time, in an enchanted kingdom, there was a king (Jean Marais), a queen (Catherine Deneuve), and their only daughter. They all lived happily...until the queen died. On her deathbed, she made the king promise that he will only re-marry someone more beautiful than she. After searching the world for such a woman, the king realized that the only one who met this description was his daughter (also played by Deneuve). So he asked his daughter to marry him!

The princess turned to her fairy godmother (the enchanting Delphine Seyrig), who tried to save the girl from this incestuous fate by telling her to make impossible demands for her wedding gifts. One demand was for the skin of the king's most precious possession: a magic donkey whose droppings were made of gold and jewels. But, such was the king's desire to marry his daughter that he satisfied all her demands. The princess had no choice except to flee the castle, hidden under the donkey skin and protected by her godmother's magic...

Jacques Demy (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg - SFFF 2004, and The Young Girls from Rochefort - SFFF 2011) adapted Donkey Skin from the classic fairytale by Charles Perrault (of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Little Red Riding Hood fame), published in the 17th century and a favorite of French children. The film was shot in part in the Castle of Chambord, the biggest of the "Loire castles," built by King François I (construction took 28 years, 1519-1547).

With catchy music by Jacques Demy's favorite collaborator, Michel Legrand, Donkey Skin is a dreamlike, eccentric, and joyful musical fantasy.

It makes a great pairing with Sylvain Chomet's Attila Marcel, an homage to Demy, also in this year’s SFFF program. Treat yourself to a "Double Musical Feature" on Saturday, June 21!

Catherine Deneuve also stars in On My Way, a road movie premiering this year at the Festival. Enjoy a "Deneuve Double Feature" on Sunday, June 22!

Shown with Mille-Pattes et Crapaud (The Centipede and the Toad) by Anna Khmelevskayaby.