Founded in 2001 by producer Hugh Welchman, BreakThru Films is a prize-winning 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 & 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 the film live. Peter & the Wolf has been screened with live orchestra over 300 times since 2006, including 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.
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).
In 2017, BreakThru Films released "Loving Vincent", the world’s first fully painted feature film, completed in the painting style of Vincent van Gogh. It was then shown for the first time at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in June 2017. The film went on to receive numerous awards as well as Oscar®, Golden Globe and BAFTA nominations.
David Atherton
Nicholas Collon
Carl Davis
Stéphane Denève
Sian Edwards
Rory Macdonald
Mark Stephenson, who pioneered the musical elements of the project, conducted the premiere and has since conducted multiple performances across the world.