More Than A Selfie 2020
How many selfies do you take and like? You are so much more than one image could capture. This shorts compilation shares stories of developing or accepting one’s own identity. The stories from around the world include a young woman who is torn wanting to do well at school but at what cost…? A girl who hates her name until she finds out who it’s from and a young man with a talent for photography… with film! These stories (and others) might expand the way you identify with the world around you.
Multi-national / in English or with English subtitles / 74 min / 13+ (profanity, parental alcoholism)
Film lineup is subject to change without notice.
A Million Eyes
A gifted young photographer, grappling with his mother’s alcoholism, sets out to capture something he loves.
USA, 2019 / in English / Richard Raymond / 24 min / Live Action.
Post No Bills
On an urban city wall plastered with posters Noodle Boy must face his fears and make his way through a series of obstacles and challenges in order to save Miss Fortune from the city’s clean up crew.
Canada, 2018 / no dialogue / Robin Hayes / 6 min / Animation.
She Who Wasn’t Tamed
Hanie, a highschool student tries her best to not to disappoint her parents and her teacher at the poetry competition. After meeting Ghazal her priorities change significantly.
Iran, 2019 / in Farsi with English subtitles / Saleh Kashefi / 15 min / Live Action.
Dela
Dela is a beautiful little girl with a mind of her own. She lives with her dad, a cook, on the magical island of Itaparica in Brazil’s Bay of All Saints. Dela does not understand why the kids at school make fun of her name and her hair. But she is determined to sort it out.
Brazil-South Africa, 2019 / in Portuguese with English subtitles / Bernard Attal / 8.5 min / Live Action.
Invincible Boy
A wildly imaginative boy’s mission to become a superhero is challenged when his optimistic view of the world begins to crumble.
USA, 2019 / in English / Julian Park / 20 min / Live Action.
Represent
A young man’s world is turned upside down during a school field trip to the art museum.
USA, 2019 / in English / Chris Heck / 6 min / Live Action.
Passionate Pursuits
Collection short synopsis:
People with a passion so strong, they live, practice, or focus more effort towards their goal than anything else they know. Get inspired, do stuff! This reel includes a muralist that wants to inspire creative action, two Palestinian boys needing one more soccer card for their collection and a flamingo that gives it his all on gymnastic rings. What’s your passionate pursuit?
Multi-national / In English or w/English subtitles / 75 min / Age 10+ / (one scene full of profanities)
Film lineup is subject to change without notice.
Gunpowder
A man runs out of gunpowder tea and goes through one heck of a time trying to get more!
France, 2019 / no dialogue / Romane Faure, Nathanael Perron, Léa Detrain, Benoît de Geyer d’Orth, Pei-Hsuan Lin, Anne-Lise Kubiak / 5.5 min / Animation.
ATHLETICUS: Anneaux en gymnastique artistique
A pink flamingo manages a great score on the gymnastic rings…? Something is fishy here!
France, 2019 / no dialogue / Nicolas Deveaux / 2 min / Animation.
Maradona’s Legs
During the 1990 World Cup, two young Palestinian boys are looking for “Maradona’s legs”; the last missing sticker that they need in order to complete their world cup album and win a free Atari.
Germany-Palestine, 2019 / in Arabic with English subtitles / Firas Khoury / 20 min / Live Action.
My Letter to the Oil Men
Papilou is a fourteen year old boy in Nigeria that lives on the edge of a heavily polluted piece of land. His backyard contains thousands of liters of crude oil due to a leak in a pipe. It affected the food grown around him. It forced his now separated family to move to the city. Papilou wants the oil pollution to be cleaned up. He writes a letter to Shell Oil who is responsible for the pollution. A protest has to start somewhere.
Netherlands-Nigeria, 2019 / in English / Xander de Boer / 15 min / Documentary.
Katapult
During the fall of the Soviet Union the thirteen-year-old Nana comes from America to a small village near Budapest, where she meets Gau, a boy her age whom she befriends immediately. When her visit to Hungary comes to an end, the friends have to say a painful goodbye. Oceans apart, Gau hatches a plan to reunite with Nana… using a catapult?! Love has no bounds.
Hungary, 2019 / in Hungarian with English subtitles / Balázs Szövényi-Lux / 27 min / Live Action.
Comfort
You can outgrow the bedroom you grew up in but you really never leave it behind.
Australia, 2019 / no dialogue / Matthew Koh / 4 min / Animation.
Five Minutes to Sea
The mother issues her decree: before you get back in the water, you have to take a break and sit quietly for five minutes. For the little girl, these five minutes feel like hours. Time slows down all around her as she watches bathers enjoy a day at the beach.
Russia, 2018 / in Russian with English subtitles / Natalia Mirzoyan / 7 min / Animation.
199 little heroes: Cynthia from Burundi
12 year old Cynthia lives in the poorest area of Burundi. Both parents died from Malaria. Her days start with fetching water without having any breakfast. She walks miles to school daily to seek an education with hopes of becoming a member of Parliament some day.
Germany-Burundi, 2018 / in Kirundi with English subtitles / Lina Luzyte / 12 min / Documentary.
Spirit: A Martian Story
NASA sought evidence of life on Mars. That search begins with water, and the search for water begins with the study of the rocks and the soil. That was the historic mission of the rovers SPIRIT and OPPORTUNITY. This is SPIRIT’S story.
USA, 2019 / in English / Stimson Snead / 10.5 min / Animation-Documentary.
Romy’s recently divorced mom needs help with after school daycare for ten-year-old Romy. Her grandmother Stinereluctantly offers to look after her granddaughter in her apartment above her hair salon. This arrangement allows Romy to see her Grandmother in a completely different light. At first witnessing Stine’s emotional aloofness and careless, forgetful ways she quickly comes to realize her grandmother is suffering from oncoming dementia. Now she and Romy realize they need to rely on each other to get through their days together. As memories fade the love grows stronger between them.
Netherlands-Germany / 2019 / Dutch with English subtitles / 89 min / Ages 10+ (divorce, difficult struggles for a grandparent)
Raised since infancy at a German astronaut training facility can lead to some interesting personality traits. Self reliant, confident and one of a kind could all be said to describe 11 year old Rocca. With her father on a space mission she must now attend a normal school for the first time. Her carefree and uber-confident ways instantly stand out. From the class bully to the homeless man she befriends on the way to school, the world around Rocca can’t help but be changed by her fearless optimism and caring for others as she herself learns to adjust to the new world around her.
Germany / 2019 / German with English subtitles / 101 min / Ages 10+ (early life tragedy, bullying, some profanity)
Their swords drawn and mighty laser guns at the ready, Sune, his younger brother and his best friend Sophie regularly embark on epic fantasy battles. Yet as the summer holidays draw to an end, ten-year-old Sune has a different challenge waiting for him in the real world: a new classmate, whose name is also Sune. This new boy is making quite an impression on the other students and even Sophie too! In fear of losing Sophie to his namesake and eventual nemesis, Sune decides to reinvent himself, with tumultuous consequences. Sometimes being yourself IS the best way to be!
Sweden / 2018 / In Swedish with English subtitles / 89 min / Ages 8+ (mild profanity)
A fairytale-like adventure that feels like part dream, part reality. A young man crash lands on a mysterious island and has to travel across it to find his way out. The challenge is not to get caught by a giant creature that won’t stop pursuing him. Whether the creature is real or just a manifestation of our hero’s inner demons is up for debate. There is something rather rudimentary about the animation itself but the aesthetic only adds to the film’s strange and absorbing power, creating a hypnotizing atmosphere that, in its best moments, manages to spirit us away. Not a word is spoken but the film score speaks volumes.
Latvia / 2019 / no dialog / 75 min / Ages 10+ (malevolent creature that will not stop chasing)
For Sam, a week of vacation at the beach with the whole family is a week full of ruminating on life, death, and …Tess! He’s haunted by the notion that his family will all die someday, most likely before he does, seeing as he’s the youngest. So Sam resolves to prepare with “aloneness training”. On the first day of training he meets the elusive Tess who is carrying a big secret. Sam is drawn into her adventure which makes him realize that one should cherish the time they have with family rather than plan for a time when they are gone. Acting on this new knowledge he makes a drastic decision that puts his friendship with Tess at risk and might change Tess’ life forever.
Netherlands / 2019 / In Dutch with English subtitles / 82 min / Ages 10+ (profanity, sexual references by a teen)
BABE is celebrating its 25th anniversary year!?! (We couldn’t believe it either.) As Roger Ebert wrote about this unique and amazing film, “BABE is a movie made with charm and wit, and unlike some family movies it does not condescend, not for a second. It believes it is OK to use words a child might not know…and instead of the usual contrived melodrama of most kids’ pictures, this one develops a story that depends on the character and upbringing of the animals involved. It knows things, and teaches lessons.” Enuf said!
Australia / 1995 / in English / 91 min / All Ages
Six years ago, Benjamin’s mother vanished after a burglary in their apartment. Now her only son is an orphaned, up n’ coming computer hacker, running small scams to help out his fellow students. But when the government comes looking for him with a recent photo of his mother, he finds himself on the run from an insidious conspiracy unable to trust anyone.
Denmark / 2019 / 97 min / Ages 10+ (profanity, threat of violence and bodily harm)
What happens when a diverse group of LGBTQ youth dares to be “out” on stage to reveal their lives and their loves? THE YEAR WE THOUGHT ABOUT LOVE goes behind the scenes of one of the oldest queer youth theaters in America, with a camera crew slipping into classrooms, kitchens, subways and rehearsal rooms. Boston-based True Colors OUT Youth Theater transforms daily struggles into performance for social change. With wit, candor and attitude, this cast of characters captivates audiences who may be surprised to hear such stories in school settings. THE YEAR WE THOUGHT ABOUT LOVE introduces a transgender teenager kicked out of her house, a devout Christian challenging his church’s homophobia and a girl who prefers to wear boys’ clothing even as she models dresses on the runway. When real bombs explode outside their building, the troupe becomes even more determined to share their stories of love to help heal their city. Brave, encouraging, and funny…these are the inspiring LGBTQ youth leading us into the future.