Azur & Asmar in cinema-concert

Enjoy a wonderful family moment during the Azur and Asmar concert tour in May 2025 in Nantes, Lille, and Lyon!

The author of the unforgettable Kirikou trilogy, Michel Ocelot has created a new animated masterpiece with Azur and Asmar (2006), which has left its mark on a generation. Inspired by Tales from a Thousand and One Nights, Azur and Asmar addresses social issues such as social inequality and the discovery of foreign cultures through the story of two foster brothers—Azur, the blond, blue-eyed boy, and Asmar, the dark-haired, black-eyed boy—raised by the same woman in a green and flowery land. Abruptly separated by life just after childhood, they are both driven by the desire to find the Djinn Fairy and embark on an epic journey rich in lessons that will reunite the two brothers.

Gabriel Yared’s original music, specially rearranged by Robin Melchior for this format, will be performed by the Yellow Socks Orchestra, accompanied by Mohamed Najem on the Ney flute and Yousef Zayed on the Oud, in perfect sync with the film’s big-screen projection. It’s an opportunity for the whole family to rediscover this touching and eventful tale, suitable for children and adults alike.

Film Synopsis

Once upon a time, there lived Azur, blond and blue-eyed, son of the lord of the manor, and Asmar, dark-haired and black-eyed, son of the nanny, who raised them like brothers in a green and flowery land. Life suddenly separates them.
But Azur never forgets his childhood companions or his nanny’s fairy tales across the sea. As he grows up, he returns to the land of his dreams, in search of the Fairy of the Djinns. There he meets Asmar, also determined to find and win the fairy, braving all the dangers and spells of a world of wonders.

Michel Ocelot – Director

A French director who distinguished himself in animated cinema, best known to the general public for his Kirikou trilogy of animated films produced between 1998 and 2012. He is also the screenwriter and director of the triptych Princes and Princesses (2000), Tales of the Night (2011), and Ivan Tsarevich and the Changing Princess (2016), made with paper cutouts. He has also received awards for Azur and Asmar (2006) and Dilili in Paris (2018), which earned him the 2019 César Award for Best Animated Film.

Gabriel Yared – Composer

French composer and arranger of Lebanese origin. He has been writing film music since the early 1980s. In 1993, he received the César Award for Best Film Score for The Lover, and in 1997, he won the Oscar for Best Film Score for The English Patient. He has written ballet music for Carolyn Carlson and Roland Petit, including the ballet Clavigo, which premiered at the Paris Opera in 2002. He has also composed the theme music for the TF1 television news programs, broadcast from 1990 to the present day.

Yellow Socks Orchestra

The Yellow Socks Orchestra is a French symphony orchestra specializing in film music. It was created in 2015 by the production company uGo&Play and placed under the musical direction of Nicolas Simon. The Yellow Socks Orchestra participates in numerous film concerts throughout France: Jurassic Park, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, La La Land, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter…. Under the exceptional direction of Joe Hisaishi, the Yellow Socks Orchestra recently performed – with 250 musicians on stage – the most beautiful music from the universe of Hayao Miyazaki (Studio Ghibli).