Julián’ Lead Roles Open Casting Call

SEARCHING ACROSS CANADA FOR TWO LEAD ROLES IN A NEW ANIMATED FEATURE FILM!

The roles are both OF AFRO-CARIBBEAN DESCENT

TALENT MUST BE ABLE TO LEGALLY WORK IN CANADA
TALENT MUST RESIDE IN CANADA

Project: JULIÁN
Animated Theatrical Feature Film (Theatrical distribution)
Distributor: TBC
Production Companies: Aircraft Pictures, Cartoon Saloon, Folivari, Sun Creature, Wychwood Media
Note: From Wychwood Media and five-time Oscar® nominated studio Cartoon Saloon. Inspired by the picture book Julián is a Mermaid by Jessica Love.
Aircraft Pictures is an Academy Award® and Emmy Award® nominated producer of scripted content for kids, families and young adults.

Producer: Paul Young, Anthony Leo, Andrew Rosen, Charlotte de la Gournerie, Thibaut Ruby, Damien Brunner, Lewis Taylor
Directore: Louise Bagnall
Writer: juliany taveras
Tentative Outside Recording Dates: September 4 – 29, 2023 (Talent will only be needed for 2-3 days each)
Recording location: Toronto (in studio)
Rate: ACTRA IPA

[Julián] LEAD

• • Seeking talent of Afro-Caribbean descent.
  • Seeking talent 7-12 (talent to sound 7).
  • Open to male/female/non-binary talent.
  • Knowledge of the Spanish language is a plus, but not a strict requirement. Julián is not himself fluent in Spanish and speaks it deliberately by repeating Abuela’s words.

A creative, instinctive kid of seven years; existing at many an intersection, each one a portal of possibility. In this moment, he’s teetering on the edge, ready to burst it all open.
He is a happy, secure, and confident young boy.
Also, he might just be a mermaid.

[Abuela] LEAD

• • TALENT MUST BE ABLE TO SPEAK SPANISH
  • Abuela is in her 60s – however, we are open with the age as long as the talent have the the voice profile we are seeking.
  • Seeking talent who are of a Hispanophone Caribbean background, ideally specifically from the Dominican Republic.
  • Abuela is Afro-Caribbean, born and raised in the Dominican Republic.
  • She speaks Spanish frequently and confidently. English is her second language, which she learned in Brooklyn as a young adult. A Brooklyn accent in English is less important, as Abuela learned English in a cultural melting pot that includes many other non-native English speakers.

She is stoic, firm, but with a natural tenderness in her voice. Her voice should have a gravitas that comes with age and experience but there should be no frailty that suggests an elderly woman.

The grandmother of Julián. She is the best kind of elder, wise and caring, but still messy and complicated in her own right. Brilliant, but bound by the mistakes of the past, she has closed herself to further pain, hardening her heart. Unbeknownst to her, Julián will be the key to cracking it open.
– TALENT MUST BE ABLE TO SPEAK SPANISH

Synopsis: The wide-eyed JULIÁN spends a summer of discovery in NYC with his ABUELA. Nearly strangers, they brace themselves for tense conversations and new adventures. The colourful chaos of Abuela’s world, and the stories she tells him, awakens something within Julián… questions about who he is and who he could be. Julián’s curiosity is piqued when he discovers magic that seems to flow from his very fingertips! He knows it must be connected to something deeper… and the Brooklyn block outside Abuela’s door may just provide a clue. A trio of girls, Julián’s new best friends, dazzle him with talk of a beautiful mermaid goddess, one with the power of transformation – The wondrous YEMAYÁ! Her magic bears a striking resemblance to Julián’s recent discovery… The girls plan to meet her at the spectacular Mermaid Parade and Julián is eager to join them, he wants nothing more than to be a mermaid! However, Abuela sees things a little differently. She knows all too well the dangers of the ocean, of Yemayá, and the power she wields. She is keen to make up for lost time with Julián, but she’s desperate to protect him too. Abuela isn’t ready to let him go, so instead she offers Julian a choice: She will bring him to the parade – only if he gives up on Yemayá… Julián agrees, delighted to have Abuela on his side. They become close, spending time together making a costume and enjoying each other’s company. But still, Julián finds himself drawn to the sea, to Yemayá and the freedom they promise. Julián, believing he can change Abuela’s mind, reveals his true intentions, magic and all. But Abuela’s pain runs deeper than Julián could possibly know. She won’t let him go. Despite her betrayal, Julián refuses to give up. Driven by fierce emotion and magical power, he summons a huge storm that carries him off to the ocean. Once there, Julián’s dream can finally come true, but only if he is willing to leave everything behind. It’s now or never for Abuela. If she doesn’t want to lose him, she must prove that she is ready to accept all those parts of Julián, and herself, that she has closed off for so long. Julián feels himself being torn in two – bound to Abuela and Yemayá equally. However, his summer of discovery has shown him that the answer lies somewhere between the two. Julián is of land and sea, a child of Abuela and Yemayá, a boy and mermaid. Julián is magic! The storm clouds disappear and Julián and Abuela fully embrace. By the time they return to their block they are forever changed but forever connected. They have both been truly transformed!