Imagine this. Your name is Gus and you live in the most boring village in the Netherlands. You walk into your bedroom one day and there’s an actual Egyptian mummy sitting on your bed. What do you do? Well, first you jump out of your skin (of course). Then you close your eyes, count to ten, count to twenty…but it doesn’t help. The Mummy is still there!

The Mummy named Dummie (Darwishi Ur-Atum Msamaki Minkabh Ishaq Eboni) died over 4,000 years ago when he was only ten years old. But thanks to the magic of the golden scarab and one lucky lightening strike, he has come back to life as a mummy in a very changed world.

Gus and his father have no idea at first what to do with Dummie. Should they call a museum? The police? They decide to invite him into their family by pretending he is a cousin from Egypt who has suffered bad burns. Gus’ life changes completely as he becomes best friends with Dummie the Mummy. Gus enrolls Dummie into his school but not everybody is happy with this creepy new stranger in their midst.

One dreadful day, Dummie’s powerful golden scarab goes missing and the magic slowly fades away. Dummie falls ill and Gus and his dad fear he may die all over again. Gus must now do everything he can to find the powerful scarab. Who could have stolen it? And can Dummie be saved in time? This dilemma’s resolution brings to light the importance of tolerance, friendship and being part of a community.

This futuristic film, with BLADE RUNNER-esque grit, depicts a world where robots are as prolific as cell phones are today. Since his mother passed away, Tibor, age 11, has relied more strongly than ever on his lifelong friend T.I.M. (The Incredible Machine). T.I.M. is in need of a major overhaul, and so Tibor’s father trades T.I.M. in for an upgrade. But how do you upgrade a “friend”? A peril-filled quest, Tibor’s search for T.I.M. puts his friendship to the ultimate test.

Dylan, age 12, copes pretty much on his own in small Western Australian town while his father is in a state of oblivion following the death of Dylan’s mother. One day at school he discovers an odd gift: the ability to craft a paper plane that flies longer and faster than any of those of his peers. So begins this charming and near-irresistible crowd-pleaser that follows Dylan as he folds his way toward the World Paper Plane Championships in Japan (and more importantly, emotionally closer to his father).

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.

** USA PREMIERE** 

While attending a super-cool summer camp where campers compete to build the highest multi-story, self-standing structure possible using scrap wood, a best friendship between two adolescent boys is greatly tested. A series of misunderstandings and hurtful slights, some intentional and some not, creates a building tension that grips the viewer’s attention—and empathy—to the end. Director Marien Rogaar has constructed a film with an amazingly caring hand. Don’t miss this USA PREMIERE!