2013 festival film list
Alfie the Little Werewolf
Ages 8 and up. Directed by Joram Lursen / (Netherlands, 2010) / Dutch with English subtitles / 95 mins.
Despite Alfie’s close-knit, loving family, he’s always felt that he didn’t quite fit in. On the night of his 7th birthday, he finds out that he was right—he’s actually a werewolf! Alfie tries to keep this new identity a secret, but his brother Timmie finds out and tries to convince him to use his awesome powers against the school bullies. As Alfie thinks carefully about the consequences of using his powers, he learns even bigger lessons about balancing his life while accepting the werewolf within.
Bacalar
Ages 8 and up (threatening scenes of capture). Directed by Patricia Arriaga-Jordán / (Mexico, 2011) / Spanish with English subtitles / 96 mins.
When twelve-year-old fledgling detectives Santiago and Mariana witness the kidnapping of endangered Mexican wolf cubs, they spring into action to stop the traffickers and return the cubs to the local nature reserve. Staying one step ahead of the local authorities, our heroes must rely on teamwork, keen powers of observation and a little help from the animal spirits to get the job done! Case closed: you’re in for one wild ride.
Head Games
Ages 12 and up (brain tissue shown and interview driven narrative). Directed by Steve James / (USA, 2012) / 96mins.
This powerful documentary by Academy Award nominated director Steve James (Hoop Dreams) tackles the hot-button issue of the devastating effects of head injuries in sports. With the lens focused on hockey, women’s soccer and, most disturbingly, teenage football leagues, Head Games makes the powerful argument that repeated blows to the head, once considered something to simply shrug off, can have fateful, long-term consequences. Compelling evidence is delivered in interviews with numerous scientists and doctors.
“Part of the romance of sports lies in the thrill of controlled, heroic brutality. Modern athletes are often likened to warriors: they sacrifice, put their bodies on the line and take punishment in pursuit of a noble cause. The rest of us — couch potatoes, season-ticket holders, parents on the sidelines — cheer for the toughest players and the hardest hits. Steve James’s troubling new documentary, Head Games, reckons some of the terrible costs of modern American sports culture.…Head Games is alternately sobering and terrifying. It is painful to watch a grown man struggle to recite the months of the year, and to hear about the shockingly high number of suicides among N.F.L. veterans with C.T.E. It is also chilling to watch youngsters heading out onto the field or the ice accompanied by the usual exhortations from parents and coaches to play hard.
Mr. James, whose Hoop Dreams may be the best sports documentary ever made, is motivated by a fan’s devotion as well as a journalist’s skepticism. Head Games gains credibility and power from compassion for athletes and respect for their accomplishments. But it also tries to open the eyes of sports lovers to dangers that have too often been minimized and too seldom fully understood.” – A.O. Scott, N.Y. Times (Sept, 2012)
Winner of:
Best Documentary, Boston Film Festival (2011)
©2012 Rattapallax, Inc. All rights reserved. Images from the movie “The Human Tower” (Goldcrest Films International)
The Human Tower
Ages 10 and up. Directed by Ram Devineni and Cano Rojas / (USA, 2012) / Hindi, English and Spanish with subtitles / 75mins.
Three countries. One passion. Three hundred bodies — climbing, reaching the sky to build a human tower. In Mumbai, India, a team of men attempt to break the record and build India’s biggest human tower at the one-day Dahi Handi Festival. In Vilafranca del Penedès, Spain, a group of “castellers” (or climbers) formed by men, women and children share their passion with the world following a tradition that goes back 400 years. A legendary coach takes his passion to Santiago, Chile, hoping to empower and help the local groups to improve their performances, while unifying them as a community. The film cuts between the three countries, leading to a major climatic scene that will take your breath away and keep you on the edge of your seat. All it takes is one shaky foot and the human tower falls, sending hundreds of bodies tumbling in the rain or into the mud or onto the crumbling pavement of a forgotten neighborhood. A passion beyond race, borders, and ages. A global story of fearless skills and the heart-bounding suspense of immense human towers.
Human towers are medicine for the soul. You risk your life for a moment of sublime camaraderie and community. Trust is paramount. Building human towers is more than a quirky attraction, more than an international sport and more than a refuge for lost youth. It’s more even than a thirst for the glory of winning. A human tower, when done right, represents an unparalleled passion for human connection that goes beyond race, borders, and ages. In this sense, the world’s best human tower builders represent all of us — all people, all communities, all nations — in our hope for a better future.
Kauwboy
Ages 12 and up (challenging family situations). Directed by Boudewijn Koole / (Netherlands, 2012) / Dutch with English subtitles / 81 mins.
Jojo, a lively 10-year-old with a difficult home life marked by a volatile father and an absent mother, finds solace in an abandoned baby jackdaw (“kauw” in Dutch). Through the special friendship he builds with the bird, the bond between Jojo and his father will be strengthened or broken. That it sometimes takes one death to accept another could be one of several messages this sensitive, but at times challenging, film has to offer.
“In a field dominated by many ambitious and weighty films, the Dutch submission for this year’s foreign language Oscar is appealing for its modesty… The film rests on the two splendid performances at the center. (JoJo) Rick Lens has to hold our attention for every minute of the film, a feat that he accomplishes effortlessly. The actor is completely convincing in his moments of joyous abandon as well as others of frustration and rage. He’s endearing without ever turning cloying, and this is surely a tribute to the skill of director Boudewijn Koole. Loek Peters is equally compelling as Jojo’s rather helpless father. The moments when Peters’ character responds to Jojo with brutality are disturbing, but we always understand the anguish that underlies the character’s anger.” – Hollywood Reporter (Dec 7, 2012)
Winner of:
Best Feature Film, Berlin Int’l Film Festival (Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk Grand Prix)(2012)
Audience Award Best Film, Kristiansand Int’l Children’s Film Festival (2012)
Young Audience Award, European Film Awards (2012)
Official Dutch submission to the 2012 Academy Awards Best Foreign
Le Tableau
Ages 10 and up (some threatening scenes). Directed by Jean-François Laguionie / (France, 2012) / French with English subtitles / 76 mins.
Questions of social stratification, class injustice, racism, and existential uncertainty abound in Jean-François Laguionie’s animated feature Le Tableau (The Painting), a children’s film – yes, that’s right – whose plain, unadorned title belies the artistic beauty that saturates each and every one of its 76 minutes.
Le Tableau overflows with charm and personality, more than enough to ensnare the hearts of adults and kids alike. The film is set within the world of an idyllic, but incomplete painting, whose painter has long since abandoned his hapless creations. In his absence, a power structure emerges, dominated by the fully colored, finished characters (the “All-Dones”) who subjugate the near-complete characters (the “Halfies”), and the bare-bones, near-invisible ones (the “Sketchies”), relegating them to a segregated and hopeless existence.
However, when a Halfie, a Sketchie and an altruistic All-Done unwittingly find a way to leave the painting, they undertake a journey to meet their version of “the Creator,” and, along the way, learn the value of equality and acceptance.
“Enchanting! This consistently enjoyable, inventive and beautifully crafted tale is a color riot suitable for all ages! A constant feast for the eyes!” – Variety (Aug, 2012)
Lotte and the Moonstone Secret
All ages. Directed by Heiki Ernits and Janno Põldma / (Latvia/Estonia, 2011) / Dubbed in English / 73 mins.
It’s not often that a sequel far outshines the original, but Lotte and the Moonstone Secret is that movie! Lotte, the irrepressible canine heroine, and her invention-loving relatives are back! She takes us on a wonderful journey where you will visit with lunar rabbits, ballroom-dancing cats, fitness-mad cows and singing penguins in pants. Light, but not lightweight, charming but not silly, genuinely funny both in visuals and dialogue, Lotte is a breath of animated fresh air!
Modern Times
All ages. Directed by Charlie Chaplin / (USA, 1936) / 86 mins.
Once dubbed “the most famous man in the world,” Charlie Chaplin has long been recognized as one of the preeminent icons of both comedy and cinema. From 1914 until 1967, Chaplin wrote, directed, produced, and starred in over 80 films, quickly advancing from basic slapstick to a unique comic style—immaculately constructed, deeply human, and always hilarious. Modern Times is one of his most acclaimed works that can make a child (or the child in us) laugh with abandon while truly empathizing with the down and out Tramp.
Because of its cultural significance, Modern Times was selected by the Library of Congress in 1989 for preservation in the National Film Registry.
People in Motion
Ages 10 and up. Directed by Cedric Dahl (USA, 2012) / 56 mins.
Parkour might be considered controversial, but seeing it is not. Cedric Dahl’s documentary follows five west coast parkour practitioners who share a passion for movement. Characterized as a physical “type of freedom,” “kind of expression,” and “state of mind,” parkour-style stunts can be seen in action films from Bond to Bourne. But there’s much more to it than chasing the bad guy with acrobatic moves. As one practitioner comments, “If you listen to the movement it teaches us to touch the world and interact instead of being sheltered by it.”
Salaam Dunk
Ages 10 and up (visual-emotional effects of war). Directed by David Fine / (USA, 2012) / Arabic, Kurdish and English / 81 mins.
Director David Fine’s documentary takes something many American youths are familiar with (basketball), and moves us on a true-life journey to a land many of us are unfamiliar with (Iraq). The result is extraordinary. Salaam Dunk is an insightful look into young Iraqi life as experienced by a current women’s college basketball team. The players are a fascinating and genuinely inspiring bunch, and the squad’s mere existence provides a stirring example of the possibilities for young Iraqis outside the country’s war zones. What they overcome on the court, you have seen in other movies; what they must overcome in their Iraqi society, you have not.
“Of the majority of images and video to be coming from Iraq right now, SALAAM DUNK stands aside from the pack… While lighter fare than we’ve seen coming out of the Middle East recently, SALAAM DUNK is not a work to be dismissed.” – INDIEWIRE
Winner of:
Grand Jury Award, Florida Film Festival (2012)
Grand Jury Award, Nashville Film Festival (2012)
Gold Plaque, Chicago Int’l Film Festival (2012)
*MINI DOUBLE FEATURE*
School’s Out: Lessons from a Forest Kindergarten
All ages. Directed by Lisa Molomot / (USA, 2012) / English and Swiss German with subtitles / 36 mins.
No classroom for these kindergarteners. In Switzerland’s Langnau am Albis, a suburb of Zurich, children 4 to 7 years of age, go to kindergarten in the woods every day, no matter what the weatherman says. The filmmakers follow the forest kindergarten through the seasons of one school year to make their documentary film ‘School’s Out: Lessons from a Forest Kindergarten’. This eye-opening film looks into the important question of what it is that children need at that age. There is laughter, beauty and amazement in the process of finding out.
Stetson, Street Dog of Park City
All ages. Directed by Nancy Ogden / (USA, 2012) / 22 mins.
Stetson is a small terrier that has been abandoned on the wintery streets of Park City, Utah. He is cold and alone, but he doesn’t give up. Searching for nothing more than bite to eat and a warm place to sleep, he finds much more. While wandering through the familiar sites of Park City, he finds a new home. Based on the children’s book by Jeanine Heil and directed by South Dartmouth, MA native Nancy Ogden.
Tom and Hacke
Ages 10 and up (Remember Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn? There is a murder, haunted house and many scenes involving danger, though violence in the film is not graphic). Directed by Norbert Lechner / (Germany, 2012) / German with English subtitles / 97 mins.
In this new adaptation, Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is seamlessly transported to 1948 postwar Bavaria. Both those familiar with the story and those new to this classic American tale will delight in the characters of Tom and Hacke — two adventurous, fatherless boys who experience the thrill and terror of being on their own in a sometimes dangerous world.
Tony 10
Ages 10 and up (challenging domestic situations). Directed by Mischa Kamp. (The Netherlands, 2012) / Dutch with English subtitles / 85 mins.
Tony, almost ten years old, is desperate to prevent his parents from splitting up. He begins to suspect that his father has fallen for another woman – specifically, the Queen of Holland. Tony takes matters into his own, young hands and confronts the Queen herself – over a ping-pong table. He eventually learns to accept that some things just cannot be fixed, including his parents’ marriage. Tony’s story has all the elements needed to tell this complicated, modern day fairy tale with lots of love, originality, humor, and confidence. Tony 10 takes the sensitive subject of divorce and shows that happiness can be found by starting new relationships and redefining old ones – with help from the Queen of course!
Twigson in Trouble
Ages 8 and up. Directed by Arild Ostin Ommundsen / (Norway, 2011) / Norwegian with English subtitles / 72 mins.
When a child makes a twig his best friend, a parent may worry. Fear not, for this twig (Twigson) has Junior’s best interests at heart! Twigson is married to a white birch that just had a baby (“He has my face but your bark”). When the new Daddy Twigson disappears, Junior needs to use imaginative ways to find him. But as any fortune cookie may tell you, “when you look for one thing, you might end up finding something else completely.” Based on the popular children’s book series by Anne Cath Vestly.
Wickie and the Treasure of the Gods
Ages 8 and up (a few crass comments). Directed by Christian Ditter / (Germany, 2011) / German with English subtitles / 92 mins.
Wickie longs to be a big, strong Viking like his father, Halvar. When Halvar is kidnapped, it’s Wickie’s brain that must save his father and not his under-developed Viking brawn. He leads the men on this swashbuckling adventure as they set off over raging oceans, tropical beaches and dangerous icy wastelands, all in pursuit of the legendary treasure of the Gods (which contains the key to his father’s release). Suspending disbelief will ensure a smile on your face. Made by Christian Ditter, director of previous PCFF crowd favorites Crocodiles 1 and 2.
Wunderkinder
Ages 12 and up (Story set during the Holocaust with threatening situations depicted mainly with implicit, not explicit, violence and deadly outcomes). Directed by Marcus O. Rosenmuller/ (Germany, 2011) / German with English subtitles / 96 mins.
“Thanks to the Hitler-Stalin non-aggression pact, Poltava, Ukraine, in 1941 was still a place where the fruits of civilization—in the case of Wunderkinder, music—flourished. Of course, all that changed when the Nazis invaded, and Marcus O. Rosenmüller’s achievement is to evoke those pre- and post-invasion times through the eyes of three children, all of them gifted musicians.
Pianist Larissa (Imogen Burell) and violinists Abrascha (Elin Kolev) and Hanna (Mathilda Adamik) share a great love of music and a friendship based on the joy they take from constant discovery—all three dream of playing Carnegie Hall one day. When the Nazis invade, the three of them—Larissa and Abrascha being Jewish and Hanna being German—find their friendship torn apart and their worlds collapsing through no fault of their own….
Dedicated to the memory of the half-million children who perished in the Holocaust, Wunderkinder is a moving tribute to innocence.” – Palm Springs International Film Festival
Lovingly directed as a poem to lost innocence, Wunderkinder is not a “children’s film.” It is a film from a child’s perspective that may help some families talk about the loss and destruction of World War II and the horror of the Holocaust. It is highly recommended that parents watch the trailer before deciding to see the film with their families.
Compilations & Short Programs
The Best of New York International Children’s Film Festival 2012
Kid Flix Mix
All ages. English, musical or non-dialogue / various lengths totaling 60mins.
The ever popular Kid Flix Mix and Party Mix are back! These compilations showcase the best shorts of last year’s New York International Children’s Film Festival. You will enjoy seeing several favorites from Providence festivals past and be introduced to a new slate of wonderful films currently traveling the world’s festival circuit.
B/W Races
Italy / Animation, Jacopo Martinoni, 2010, 2.5 mins.
A quirky, black and white cut-paper animation about a car race – in which a rogue driver who runs others off the track gets his comeuppance. Home-made sound-effects add to the lo-fi fun. Vroooom.
Balloon Moon
Portugal / Animation, Jose Miguel Ribeiro, 2010, 5 mins.
With sumptuous colors and artful stop motion animation, a cardboard boy and his ladybug friend set sail into a deep blue moonlit sea and have a dream adventure.
Behind
Canada / Animation, Ga Young Back, 2011, 3 mins.
After a trying and scary day, a little girl feels all alone – until she realizes that her best friend has been with her and taking care of her the whole time.
Diversity
USA / Animation, Anthony Dusko, 2010, 1 min.
This instructive cartoon teaches important lessons of life, like how to do the happy dance.
Ernesto
UK / Animation, Corinne Ladeinde, 2011, 7 mins.
Seven-year-old Ernesto feels left out when he realizes he’s the only kid in school who hasn’t lost any baby teeth. Ernesto resorts to drastic measures to get rid of them; his teeth, however, have other plans…
The Gruffalo’s Child
UK / Animation, Johannes Weiland/Uwe Heidschotter, 2011, 26 mins.
One wild and windy night, the Gruffalo’s child ignores her father’s warning and tiptoes out into the snow in search of the Big Bad Mouse. This follow-up to the Oscar-nominated original is adapted from the enormously popular Gruffalo picture books by British author Julia Donaldson.
Gulp
UK / Animation, Sumo Science, 2011, 2 mins.
Aardman Animations and Sumo Science follow up last year’s wonderful diminutive Dot (which set the world record for smallest animated character) by notching it up a few orders of magnitude. Shot on an expansive seaside location, they set a new record for the world’s largest stop motion set, in this story of a fisherman who gets swallowed by a whale.
Keenan at Sea
USA / Animation, David Cowles/Jeremy Galante, 2010, 2 mins.
This adorable, hummable tune from NY acoustic pop group The Girls was the theme song for the 2012 NY International Children’s Film Festival! “A salty sea and a boat for three as we sail past the coral reef… we wave goodbye to the sandy beach far away… la la la la!”
Metro
USA / Animation, Jake Wyatt, 2011, 5 mins.
A young girl chases a mysterious fox through a secret door and into a subterranean wonderland to retrieve her stolen train ticket.
Twist & Shout
Japan / Animation, Yosuke Kihara, 2010, 3 mins.
Two cute-as-buttons Japanese puppets travel to Abbey Road to find inspiration and shoot the video for their ukulele cover version of “Twist and Shout.”
Who is Not Sleeping?
Sweden / Animation, Jessica Lauren, 2010, 4 mins.
Rabbit is sleeping over at Teddy Pig’s house. It’s going to be lots of fun! They are playing and drinking hot chocolate, but when the lights go out something doesn’t feel quite right.
The Best of New York International Children’s Film Festival 2012
Party Mix
Ages 8 and up. English or subtitled / various lengths totaling 68 mins.
The ever popular Kid Flix Mix and Party Mix are back! These compilations showcase the best shorts of last year’s New York International Children’s Film Festival. You will enjoy seeing several favorites from Providence festivals past and be introduced to a new slate of wonderful films currently traveling the world’s festival circuit.
The Dancer
USA / Documentary, Seth Stark, 2011, 11 mins.
This uplifting true story about orphan Satish shows shades of Slumdog Millionaire. Beautiful village and pastoral scenery and quick-cut montages revel in the bustling colors, sounds, tastes, and textures of India, while Satish’s indomitable spirit and joyfulness prevail against all odds.
Dawn
Canada / Animation, Jean-François Proulx, 2010, 1.5 mins.
When a bump in the road causes an unexpected chain of events, a truck driver’s life flashes before his eyes.
Dripped
France / Animation, Leo Verrier, 2010, 9 mins.
A fantastic imagining of how Jackson Pollack came upon his “drip” and action-painting style: through devouring (literally) all the styles of the modern past.
Extinction of the Sabertooth House Cat
USA / Animation, Damon Wong, 2010, 3.5 mins.
Though scientists have conjectured, none could truly say what caused the demise of the Sabertooth House Cat. But now this hard-hitting documentary reveals startling new evidence to detail the dramatic last moments of one of Earth’s littlest known creatures.
The Girl and the Fox
USA / Animation, Tyler J. Kupferer, 2011, 5.5 mins.
An enemy becomes a friend as a young girl has a life-and-death encounter with a snow fox at dusk in the frozen forest.
Hello, I Like You
USA / Experimental, Mixtape Club, 2011, 2 mins.
Created by Brooklyn’s Mixtape Club, this quick-cut musical montage plays with texture, shape, pattern, and movement – with rope, leaves, nuts and bolts, and eye hooks twisting, dancing and popping to a soothing electronic beat.
Luminaris
Argentina / Animation, Juan Pablo Zaramella, 2010, 6.5 mins.
From the director of past NYICFF favorites Lapsus and Journey to Mars comes a brilliantly executed, visually unique and immensely amusing stop motion short that took home the audience award at the prestigious Annecy Animation Festival. In a world controlled and timed by light, one man has a plan that could change destiny.
The Maker
Australia / Animation, Christopher Kezelos, 2010, 5 mins.
In a dark room, a glass-eyed puppet is constructing a look-alike companion, while the sands drain away in an hour glass and violin music plays in a minor key. He completes the puppet, but she doesn’t come alive. At last her eyes open and they share a few brief moments of togetherness before the sand runs out.
Maximum Boost
Switzerland / Live Action, Rolf Hellat, 2010, 5 mins.
With inventive use of sound, including crackly original audio from the Apollo 13 space mission, Remo and his grandmother blast off from a rainy playground in Switzerland on a journey to the moon.
The Storyteller
India and UK / Animation, Nandita Jain, 2011, 10 mins.
Nirmala lives in a seaside village with her grandpa, who recites her favorite story about a fisher boy. Yet lately he’s been forgetting some of the details.
MIT + K12: Engineering Rules
Ages 8 and up. / (USA, 2012) / 77 min.
MIT+K12 is a video project done in collaboration with Khan Academy that arose from a simple question: What can Massachusetts Institute of Technology do — right now — to improve K-12 science, technology, engineering, and math education in the U.S.? MIT’s students are inspired, they’re really good at math and science, they’re funny, and they happen to have access to some of the most sophisticated laboratory and experimental facilities in the world. The answer resulted in the making of nearly 100 mini-documentaries that focus on specific scientific areas. We are just showing 12 of the videos on topics ranging from flying robots, to the early development of common vegetables, to the physics of unicyling, to polymerase chain reactions, to welding and glassblowing. These students have brought their distinctive styles, talents, and personalities to this medium and created content that inspires as much as it educates. There will probably be a filmmaker/scientist or two in the crowd to look out for…
Films:
Pixel Engineering: Long Exposure Photography (6:23)
Space, So Close, So Far (7:17)
How 3D Glasses Work (5:32)
The Invention of the Battery (8:30)
The Rock Cycle (4:32) Layers of the Earth (6:27)
Indoor flying Robots (5:37)
Time for Me to Leaf (8:44)
The Doppler Effect (5:04)
Forces on an Airplane (8:32)
Earth’s Tilt Part 1 (5:38)
Bridges Part 1 (4:56)
Your Shorts Are Showin’
2013 Editions
Age appropriateness dependent on edition. / Approximate runtimes are 70-80 mins. for each edition.
PCFF proudly presents this year’s Your Shorts Are Showin’ programs. We have compiled three age appropriate reels of short films that were either invited or submitted and selected by our jury. Included is a wide assortment of animation, live action, musicals, and narrative driven stories.
Depending on your age or the ages of your film fanatics, choose from YSAS Kindergarten Edition, YSAS Elementary School Edition, and YSAS Middle/High School Edition. Film makers might be in attendance!
WINNER! SPECIAL JURY AWARD FOR BEST SHORT
Pasteurized
Directed by Nicolas Villarreal / Argentina, 2012 / 8 mins.
You could say this is just another cat in space, finds milk factory on his way to the moon with a roller coaster delivery system movie… but then you might be hard pressed to think of something comparable. Come for the ride and discover an new kind of “Milky Way”.
WINNER! AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD FOR BEST SHORT
Maybe…
Directed by Pedro Resende / USA, 2012 / 9 mins.
It can be a rite of passage. The moment just before asking someone out on a date can be tortuous. To think about what you want to say and how you want to say it… Let’s just say the young man in this film learned from his mistakes quickly and rebounded in a very creative way. Pay attention boys!
*KINDERGARTEN EDITION*
Quinn’s New Video Game
Directed by Heather Freeman, / USA, 2012 / 3 mins.
The director recorded a conversation with her four-year-old son who wanted to create a video game. The film takes the viewer through their plans using her son’s drawings integrated with her animated landscapes. Combining ideas that reflect the humorous intersection of a child’s imagination with conventional video game tropes results in a one of a kind film you wish you could make with your own child.
Papa Cloudy
Directed by Akiko McQuerrey, / USA, 2012 / 5 mins.
Papa Cloudy is a working class cloud with occasional odd jobs. Whether it’s mending broken hearts in his laundry pile, catching lonely hearts with his fishing pole or helping parched cacti in the desert get some needed rain… he is there for them!
Kitchen Wars
Directed by Mink Lin, / Taiwan, 2011 / 5 mins.
A master chef and two young chefs man the kitchen of a restaurant in the forest. The two junior chefs must prove themselves in challenges the master chef designs before advancing to full chef status. But that’s no easy task, as they must fashion dishes not only meeting culinary standards of color, flavor and aroma, but with shapes the master chef specifies.
The Knitting Girl
Directed by Enson Huang, / Taiwan, 2012 / 6 mins.
The knitting girl can turn balls of yarn into all types of surprises. Whenever the girl finds herself in difficulty, she is always able to knit the item she needs with her yarn. Whether it’s a woolen bird that comforts lonely birds, a woolen sheep to make the shepherd boy that lost his sheep laugh again, or a woolen fan to fight against the evil witch’s lightning, the Knitting Girl brings out the courage in young viewers with her super wisdom.
Flight of the Fantasy
Directed by Anthony Pang / USA, 2012 / 6 mins.
Flight of the Fantasy tells a story of a young, playful, imaginative boy with a passion for playing with his toy airplanes in his back yard. Recreating battle sequences in his head he is able to heroically accomplish mission after mission. All is well until he is conscripted to take head on…. The dastardly green chilies!
SNAP
Directed by Thomas G. Murphy / Belgium & UK, 2012 / 7 mins.
A sea creature, inspired by his hunger, takes a path of self-empowerment to catch his next meal. Undaunted by the selfish, bullying behavior of his own kind around him, he successfully reaches out to learn from others. The results will leave you tongue tied!
Rainy Day Friends
Directed by Jerry Lee / Taiwan, 2012 / 5 mins.
Rainy Day Friends tells the story of a little girl that was born into the world on a rainy day, but has never seen rain. One morning, realizing her father forgot his work hat, she chases after him and finds herself in a strange and wonderful railroad car full of animals along for the ride.
Rainy Day Ducks
Directed by Danielle Heitmuller / USA, 2012 / 3 mins.
On a rainy day a young girl come across a family of hungry ducks lost in the city. She leads them through the streets to guide them around urban threats that make this no place for a duck. In this classic film tale the characters are puppets and the backgrounds are artfully done with watercolors and pastels.
Young(ish)
Directed by Renee Felice Smith / USA, 2012 / 7 mins.
Sometimes it takes a film like this one to remind you that EVERYONE was a kid at one time. By all appearances you would think this elderly couple desires nothing more than a good bench to sit on in the park. Little do the kids know they want the playground PIRATE SHIP!!
Jonah and the Crab
Directed by Laurel Cohen / USA, 2012 / 9 mins.
Mourning the loss of a pet, a young boy named Jonah unexpectedly finds a hermit crab on the beach. This new crustacean friend lifts Jonah’s spirits, and the two become inseparable. A dilemma arises when “LOST, PET CRAB” posters start to appear around the neighborhood. Jonah is torn between keeping his best friend and doing the right thing.
Moon Cakes
Directed by Chang Liu, / China & USA, 2012 / 13 mins.
Moon Cakes is a simple story fashioned as a modern day fairy tale in China about a lonely boy’s attempt to make his dream come true through the delicacies of dessert made only on the moon. After watching this beautifully animated film you will never look at the moon or slingshots in the same way again.
*ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EDITION*
While You Weren’t Looking
Directed by Jeremy Mackie / USA, 2012 / 11 mins.
This contemporary story of a daring young girl looking for adventure and a mother looking to keep her safe comically represents a dilemma families live through every day. Too much protection can be stifling… to little can be dangerous. Parents and children will equally enjoy how the mother and daughter try define what works best.
Harbor Tales
Directed by Yuichi Ito / Japan, 2011 / 18 mins.
What happens when a young red brick gets tired of sitting in place all day? In Harbor Tales, a beautiful stop-motion animation, a red brick leaves his building in order to explore the harbor around him and find a boat to take him to new and exciting places. Anyone who has ever wondered what’s happening right over the horizon will empathize with the little red brick.
Goldfish Love
Directed by Elin Gronblom / Finland & USA, 2011 / 14 mins.
A whimsical short story about a French accented pet goldfish (with an attitude) named Gandhi, who longs to swim in the open sea. One day he is purchased by a struggling musician named Rufus. Gandhi inspires Rufus to compose like he’s never composed before and a friendship evolves between the two dreamers. Trouble in the water arrives when the attractive record producer enchants Rufus with shark like charm. Oh the tragedie! Or is it?
Wolf Dog Tales
Directed by Bernadine Santistevan / USA, 2012 / 7 mins.
One day an ancient one took his grandson out for a walk, when suddenly, out of nowhere, they came across two wolves in a fight to the death–the battle between the good wolf and the bad wolf…the fight that goes on inside all of us. The one that wins is the one that you feed. Wolf Dog Tales is a beautifully animated film that takes us through a series of stories inspired by ancient wisdoms of what animals teach us about respecting life and earth.
Big Feet
Directed by Biz Thorsen / USA, 2011 / 6 mins.
As a large footed young man trying out for a soccer team surprisingly discovers while chasing an errant kick… he’s not alone in this world! You might be surprised to see whose company he shares! Directed by Cumberland Rhode Island’s own Elizabeth Thorsen!
Spycat and the Paper Chase
Directed by Darren Lim / Singapore, 2011 / 6 mins.
Not based on a true story…. Spycat hunts down Captain Chico, whose latest scheme involves robbing the world of every paper product there is. The epic battle of feline vs canine continues!!
Do Something
Directed by Jerome Stern / USA, 2012 / 7 mins.
A seven year old son has been playing video games all day while his mother tends to a crying infant. With her patience running short she encourages the couch napping Dad to take his son out and DO SOMETHING. With this prompting the father and son begin a journey that will take them to places they never expected. The two of them discover that, while they may not agree on most things, they are a lot more connected than they had ever previously imagined.
The Kid
Directed by Gilad Thaler / Czech Rep, Israel & USA, 2012 / 9 mins.
Peter, a friend and neighbor, helps out in a pinch to babysit Jake, an 8 year old boy with an intense fear of heights. Through their experiences of playing and watching a movie, Peter comes up with an idea of helping Jake overcome his fear. Heads up with this kind of therapy!
B-Boy
Directed by Lisa Cohen / USA, 2011 / 14 mins.
Thirteen-year-old Eli navigates two diverse cultures while coming of age as a bar mitzvah and a competitive break dancer, in this moving, short documentary about the power of passion, dedication and community. Eli, aka “E-Break,” is a studious school kid on the brink of adolescence whose talent for dance lands him a coveted position on a crew that competes in battles all over the country. It is a world of fierce talent and loyal bonds, and as Eli finds his way, he dreams about winning to fanfare – and reflects on the importance of friendship, family, and losing with grace.
*MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL EDITION*
Ad Alta
Directed by Lucy Reevely / USA, 2012 / 8 mins.
Who said silent films are not made anymore? This interestingly shot short film about a prospering street vendor competing with a struggling one on the streets of New York City has many things to say without ever saying a word. The piano accompaniment accurately captures the emotional ups and downs as two very dissimilar people gradually come to live (and sell) in harmony.
Make it a Great Day
Directed by Joshua Jones / USA, 2012 / 7 mins.
Mother Nature’s peculiar sense of irony creates a convoluted path of survival for a newborn chick with fortunate timing. By hatching after getting thrown into the refuse this chick freed himself from a predestined journey to a poultry butcher. Now all he has to do is fend for himself in an unfamiliar world. An interesting story with a multi-interpretative outcome.
The Last Prank
Directed by Richard Schall / USA, 2012 / 7 mins.
Two hand puppets know their days are numbered when they are tossed into a “for garage sale” box. As a last hurrah to celebrate their good ol’ days together they come up with a list of pranks to pull on their host family one last time. The morning of the yard sale becomes a time of comic mayhem if you were a puppet… or a total nightmare for the unsuspecting family.
Breathe In
Directed by Kate Dolan / Ireland, 2012 / 11 mins.
The unexpected death of a close friend is difficult for anyone. For nine year old Grace it is a journey handled with deft sensitivity by director Kate Dolan. Working through Grace’s perception of death, her guilt, and eventually accepting the circumstances brings Grace relief and wisdom far beyond most of her peers will experience for years.
Fired!
Directed by Greg Ash / UK, 2012 / 20 mins.
Talk about a world of empowered children!! Seven year old Harry is very disappointed with the birthday present his Dad gives him. Evidently it’s the last straw for Harry’s tolerance of a bad Dad. He fires his Dad and interviews all types of men to replace him. Eventually Harry decides that unemployed Jay is the man and Dad is forced to leave his house and look for a new family down at the DadCentre. But wait! All is not lost. His original Dad knew all along he was making a BIG mistake and conspires with another to set things right.
Dragon Watching: A Documentary
Directed by Kyle Collins / USA, 2012 / 4 mins.
Kyle Collins documentary is a comedic and poetic video that AS220 is proud to claim as part of its ongoing video class through the AS220 Youth Studios Communications Department. Kyle tells the story of watching dragons in Providence through beautiful cinematography and satiric voice-over musings. Greg Robinson and Justin Espinal also helped in creating this film as part of the production crew. Rest assured there were no dragons harmed in the making of this film!
Stakeout
Directed by Kit Pongetti / USA, 2012 / 16 mins.
Inspired by the films of John Hughes, STAKEOUT takes a fresh and specific look at the comfort and beauty of friendship, then the stinging pain of inevitable change. Set in 1986 suburbia, two high school best girlfriends, Cyd and Sarah, make a game out of staking out parties from their car, complete with curtains, a briefcase, walkie talkies and snacks. Through binoculars, they watch and judge the “typical” high school teens as they enter the party and engage in the usual antics of developing adolescents. Only this night, when Sarah decides to enter the party in search of her brother, Cyd elects to stay in the car alone. Her efforts to entertain herself come up short, whereas when Sarah returns, we find she’s had the night of her life.
Fatal Vittles
Directed by Devin Bell / USA, 2012 / 4 mins.
This dark, yet whimsical animated short makes a musical out of listing 26 things you should NEVER put in your mouth. Hopefully the outcomes were always obvious to the viewer!