Aylin, de 17 años, se encuentra atrapada entre dos mundos: aceptar o no la muerte de su madre. Un mundo en el que debe luchar por sobrevivir como familia turca en Alemania o volver a casa. Y lo que es más importante, el mundo de enfrentarse a sus miedos en la escuela para tener éxito o permanecer en un violento aislamiento. Encuentra respuestas en la historia de Hördur (el caballo): un poni islandés al que nunca se le permite regresar una vez que abandona su tierra natal. Al armarse de valor para desafiar su estatus en el mundo, Aylin tiende un puente hacia el autodescubrimiento y, como Hördur, nunca mira atrás.

Imagínatelo. Te llamas Gus y vives en el pueblo más aburrido de Holanda. Un día entras en tu habitación y en la cama hay una momia egipcia de verdad. ¿Qué haces? Bueno, lo primero que haces es saltar del susto (por supuesto). Luego cierras los ojos, cuentas hasta diez, cuentas hasta veinte... pero no sirve de nada. La momia sigue ahí.

La momia llamada Dummie (Darwishi Ur-Atum Msamaki Minkabh Ishaq Eboni) murió hace más de 4.000 años cuando sólo tenía diez. Pero gracias a la magia del escarabajo dorado y a un rayo de suerte, ha vuelto a la vida como momia en un mundo muy cambiado.

Al principio, Gus y su padre no saben qué hacer con Dummie. ¿Deben llamar a un museo? ¿A la policía? Deciden invitarlo a su familia haciéndose pasar por un primo de Egipto que ha sufrido quemaduras graves. La vida de Gus cambia por completo cuando se hace amigo de la momia Dummie. Gus matricula a Dummie en su colegio, pero no todo el mundo está contento con este nuevo y espeluznante extraño entre ellos.

Un terrible día, el poderoso escarabajo dorado de Dummie desaparece y la magia se desvanece lentamente. Dummie cae enfermo y Gus y su padre temen que vuelva a morir. Gus debe hacer todo lo posible para encontrar el poderoso escarabajo. ¿Quién ha podido robarlo? ¿Y podrá Dummie salvarse a tiempo? La resolución de este dilema pone de manifiesto la importancia de la tolerancia, la amistad y el hecho de formar parte de una comunidad.

Esta película futurista, con BLADE RUNNER-describe un mundo en el que los robots proliferan tanto como los teléfonos móviles. Desde que su madre falleció, Tibor, de 11 años, depende más que nunca de su amigo de toda la vida, T.I.M. (La Máquina Increíble). T.I.M. necesita una revisión a fondo, así que el padre de Tibor lo cambia por uno mejor. Pero, ¿cómo se mejora a un "amigo"? La búsqueda de T.I.M. por parte de Tibor, una aventura llena de peligros, pone a prueba su amistad.

Dylan, de 12 años, se las apaña prácticamente solo en un pequeño pueblo de Australia Occidental mientras su padre está sumido en el olvido tras la muerte de la madre de Dylan. Un día, en el colegio, descubre un extraño don: la capacidad de fabricar un avión de papel que vuela más largo y más rápido que los de sus compañeros. Así comienza esta encantadora y casi irresistible historia que sigue a Dylan en su camino hacia el Campeonato Mundial de Aviones de Papel en Japón (y, lo que es más importante, hacia un acercamiento emocional a su padre).

The Crocodiles” was a huge hit at our 2011 festival, so screening the second installment of their trilogy was a no-brainer! All the original cast members are back (looking a little older as kids are prone to do), and several new characters assist in solving another town conspiracy. This time the gang of pint-sized detectives stumbles across a plot involving a local factory threatened with a mysterious closure. Worried that their parents will lose their jobs, the young sleuths must work together to uncover the sinister plan.

“The Crocodiles Strike Back” is packed with plenty of adventure and humor. What this film has above and beyond other films made for young adults is a sincere development of characters with real-world domestic situations. There are kids from broken families trying to cope. Racism is tackled, as are stereotypes of the physically challenged, often in humorous ways. These evolving young adults are empowered through their friendship despite entering a difficult age of thinking romantically about each other. There is still teasing but with respect for one another. Dealing with issues relevant to kids around the world, this entertaining coming-of-age film is guaranteed to thrill audiences.

In a contemporary small town around a closed-down factory, bored ‘tween friends, some from broken homes, are looking for creative ways to spend their time. They build forts, issue dares and tease one another. The Crocodiles is the name of this gang of 11-year-olds and a newcomer (who uses a wheelchair) wants in.

Part Hardy Boys, part “Stand By Me,” part “The Outsiders,” this fast-paced film combines classic elements with a larger message of breaking down stereotypes. Please be warned that the dialogue is stronger than an American audience may be used to. There is a domestic abuse scene. Slurs and stereotypes are expressed. However, this difficult dialogue is not used for shock value. It is part of the larger and more important narrative of kids learning how hurtful their exclusionary actions and hateful words can be, then making amends.

Despite Alfie’s close-knit, loving family, he’s always felt that he didn’t quite fit in. On the night of his seventh 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.

A playground fight leads to a journey of self-discovery in this delightful animation from Uruguay. Called to the principal’s office, 10-year-old Anina Yatay Salas (as named by her palindrome-loving father) is given a black envelope and told not to open it for the whole week she is suspended from school. Calling it the weirdest punishment in the history of weird punishments (she looked it up), our young heroine is tormented by what the envelope might contain and her active imagination conjures up all sorts of possibilities. Uruguay’s 2013 official submission to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.

Eskil is an unhappy, self-reliant eleven-year-old boy who is constantly on the move due to his father’s job. Trinidad is the town’s cranky, eccentric woman he is warned to stay away from—but doesn’t. In the time spent with Trinidad building her boat, Eskil discovers a self-awareness that helps restore his relationship with his separated parents. Trinidad gains a supporting friend who helps her achieve a lifetime goal. Children’s films this beautiful and genuine are rare.

Two of Spain’s most beloved comic book characters, Zip and Zap, come to life in this rollicking adventure. With summer coming, the twin brothers are caught stealing the answers to their final exams, so instead of the fun-filled vacation they expected, Zip and Zap are sent to a strict boarding school run by a no-nonsense headmaster named Falconetti. The school is worse than they could have imagined. Fun is absolutely forbidden, and the suspicious Falconetti and his security guards seem to watch their every move. But that doesn’t stop the brothers from enjoying their summer. After making new friends, they form the Marble Gang, and their ongoing mischief and resistance to authority lead them to discover a mysterious secret that MUST be investigated!

The Marble Gang have to solve Rube Goldberg-inspired puzzles to unlock each door along the way using seemingly trivial items picked up along their journey—and applying video game logic that might be familiar to the young audience. The drab flesh tones and dark rooms that occupy the first half of the film are replaced with flashing lights and mechanical wonders as the gang quite literally travels through the looking glass into secret passages filled with danger and intrigue, a combination that generates “fun, the very thing the headmaster is hopelessly attempting to eradicate.

ZIP & ZAP AND THE MARBLE GANG will entrance kids and speak to their intrinsic rebelliousness with its charms and message to never underestimate the value of fun. It is filled with twists and turns and unexpected whimsical surprises that put the characters in harm’s way (sort of), making it just dangerous enough to be fun for the whole family.