French animated film "Arco" -- an optimistic adventure financed by Oscar winner Natalie Portman and adored by critics -- seems to have what it takes to make a run to the Academy Awards thanks to director Ugo Bienvenu.

But the whole experience -- from a premiere in Cannes to expectations for Oscars glory -- has Bienvenu feeling "bizarre" and wondering if he even wants the statuette.

"Awards are both blessings and curses. (...) They create pressure for the future," the 38-year-old Bienvenu told AFP in an interview in Los Angeles, as he campaigns for his film, a dreamy vision of a peaceful future.

"My craft is to make things, and to make things, you have to be light, at ease enough to imagine."

This sincerity of purpose has allowed the comic book illustrator to produce his first feature f

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