In this new adaptation, Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” is seamlessly transported to 1948 Bavaria, post-World War II. 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.
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.
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.
Having lost his left leg to bone cancer, Ka is left with only one leg to jump with. When he is discharged from the hospital, Dr. Chen gives him a present: a child’s picture book titled “Rolypoly.” The doctor tells him, “Jump five million times, and you’ll see Rolypoly.” Thus begins a story of a boy, an aging children’s book author wishing to correct a past misdeed (theft) and a Chinese village that embraces them both.
The film took three years to make due to the difficult process of combining live action with animations. All the stories (the animation parts) in the movie were bedtime stories the director told to his son 15 years ago. The main actor playing the author, Tien Bien, is a famous stage actor in Taiwan. All the children are non-professional actors.
This beautiful and warmhearted adventure once again demonstrates that some of the best animated films come from Japan. A loving family of river rats is driven from its riverbank home by a human construction project. Needing to find a new place to live, a father and his two young sons, Tarta and Chichi, negotiate the everyday yet unexpected dangers of a city, surviving only with the timely help of a string of unlikely friends: a dog, a cat, a sparrow, and a wise sewer-rat. Kids will delight in the eager, irrepressible Chichi, who treats their journey as a fun adventure and who has a knack for getting into trouble. Throughout, gentle lessons unfold about balancing trust and caution, coping with loss and longing, and discovering one’s strengths and proper home — all set against the backdrop of a disconnected human world unaware of its impact on nature.
Divercine International Children’s Festival 2007 Children’s Jury Award; Ene and Tõnis Kask Foundation of the Estonian National Culture Foundation 2006, Best Film; Latvian Film Festival 2007, Best Feature Length Animation;\Mill Valley Children’s Film Fest 2008, Audience Award; TINDIRINDIS International Animated Film Festival 2007, Best Feature-Length Animation
This feature-length animated film from Estonia is a gentle, spirited film full of wacky contraptions, silly/happy songs, and a warm and refreshingly un-cynical sense of humor. Lotte is a cheerful girl dog who lives in Gadgetville, a village crazy about inventing Rube Goldberg-esque machines. The town is abuzz about the Japanese bee Susumu, who introduces Gadgetville to the concept of judo. After the town becomes obsessed with the sport, Lotte and her three friends try to help Susumu get back to Japan to test their new skills in an international judo contest.
The Blue Gnomes that live in a mountain are in charge of the “magic silver” that brings sunlight to every day. The Red Gnomes are farm Gnomes with low opinions of those uppity Blues. After the magic silver is stolen by a gnome , the theft brings out the best between the two gnome groups to restore the daylight. With gnome hats to die for and a sleigh chase Tarantino would envy, this is the film that broke opening-day box-office records in Norway.
Balancing work and family time is never easy, especially if you live where you work. The growing tensions at home lead 11-year-old Eva to run away and make clear to her parents how she feels. What Eva doesn’t know is that she is running into a world of trouble. This suspenseful film turns from a domestic mystery into a criminal one, and only Eva and her friends can solve it.
Based on the famous book by Dutch writer Jan Terlouw, “The Secret Letter” explores the relationship between fathers and daughters, and looks at what happens when you start to doubt everything you thought you knew.
What if you found something that made you wonder if you really know your dad? In tracing Kattaka’s quest to answer this question, “Wintertochter” unfolds into a road movie (from Berlin deep into Poland) about friendship between different generations and nations and the courage to face life’s difficulties. Through her inspiring trip, she comes to realize that history can shape identity, family isn’t always biological and the choices we make now can affect our future for the better.
Sixteen-year-old Chandani has a burning desire: She wants to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a mahout, a traditional elephant caretaker in Sri Lanka. This is customarily a job only for men; all the other mahouts around her doubt her abilities and oppose her plans. This is a small story with much large implications: If Chandani succeeds, she will be the first female mahout ever. Some of the most powerful scenes are the ones when nothing is spoken.