Zaa, the Little White Camel & White Mane

Zaa, the Little White Camel (Zaa, petit chameau blanc)
Dir. Yannick Bellon, France, 1960, 23 minutes

White Mane (Crin blanc: le cheval sauvage)
Dir. Albert Lamorisse, France, 1953, 31 minutes

This month’s family cinema program pairs two short films focusing on the relationship between children and animals. Both films tell of animals whose environments are disrupted by human presence, yet form special bonds with children. Zaa follows the journey of a white camel returning to the oasis it calls home and finds an unlikely ally in a young boy. Albert Lamorisse’s White Mane portrays the unexpected friendship between a young boy and a wild horse escaping ranchers in the Camargue region of France. With rare sensitivity, both filmmakers explore themes seldom addressed in mid-century cinema—the fragile harmony between humanity and the natural world.

Restoration for Zaa by Les Films de l’Équinoxe with the support of the CNC