BreakThru Films

Founded in 2001 by producer Hugh Welchman, BreakThru Films is a prizewinning film and animation production company with offices and studios in London, Lodz, and Gdynia, Poland. BreakThru Films established its reputation with its slate of prize-winning shorts (over 20 international awards and nominations including two BAFTA nominations, Official Selection at Cannes, Canal+ Prize, Chicago, and TCM prize).

In 2005–6 BreakThru produced the stop-motion puppet animation film Peter & the Wolf, specifically for distribution in concert venues with live orchestras. Peter & the Wolf premiered at London’s Royal Albert Hall, with Philharmonia Orchestra accompanying live. Peter & the Wolf has been screened with live orchestra over 300 times since 2006, including playing at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic. The film was an overwhelming critical success, picking up the Rose D’Or, the Annecy Cristal, and the Oscar® for best short animation in 2008. Commercially Peter & the Wolf was no.1 on iTunes in the US and in the UK was no.1 in the iTunes film charts for over one year. It has been sold to television and released on DVD in over 40 territories worldwide, and has been released theatrically in selected territories. Following on from the success of the film, BreakThru produced “Peter & the Wolf Live” which has been in London’s Royal Festival Hall as part of their family program for the past three years, and has been put on in cities throughout the UK, Europe, and North America.

Peter & the Wolf was produced as a co-production with Poland, and after the positive experience of working in Poland, BreakThru set up BreakThru Films Sp. z o.o. in July 2007. After the Oscar, BreakThru was invited to come up with an idea for a film to celebrate Chopin’s 200th Anniversary, resulting in The Flying Machine (starring Heather Graham and Lang Lang, Official Selection TIFF, Best feature film at LA 3D Film Festival); The Magic Piano (Shortlisted for Best Short Animation Academy Award); and The Chopin Shorts (a collection of short films all set to Chopin’s etudes, played by Lang Lang, and including Little Postman, winner of Best 3D short at the LA 3D film festival). Currently Magic Piano & The Chopin Shorts is being promoted for live accompaniment after its successful premiere in New York’s Lincoln Centre in 3D, accompanied by two prodigies of the Lang Lang Foundation.