Created from a long-running Dutch comic strip, Pim & Pom are two adorable cats that love getting into mischief. When their doting owner invites her two nieces for a visit, little do Pim & Pom expect that the girls have in mind a different kind of “cat-napping” than they are used to. Will Pim & Pom find their way back to their beloved owner? The musical score and creative animation style make this film one of a kind.
Still mourning the death of his mother, gentle nine-year-old Finn also has to struggle with his father’s insistence that he play soccer. When Finn meets a mysterious old man playing a violin at an abandoned farm, the beauty of the music entrances him. Determined to learn how to play, he sneaks away for lessons. Finding comfort and strength in the music, Finn seems to have found his calling…and much more. Pay attention! There are twists in this story that will make you want to see it twice!
This wordless, evocative, uniquely original animated film follows Cuca, a young Brazilian boy who ventures from his simple countryside home into a neon-infused, carnivalesque metropolis in search of his father. It’s an audio/visual feast. When the credits roll there is a good chance your interpretation of the film might vary from others—but what a ride!
Open your senses to a refreshingly original, uniquely visual animated film from Brazilian artist Alê Abreu. Employing everything from mosaics to watercolors, the film overflows with delight, exploding with vibrant color and samba/hip hop rhythms. The story focuses on Cuca, a young child growing up in the Brazilian countryside with his family. One day, his father leaves to work in the city, leading Cuca to set out for the metropolis, determined to reunite his family. The animation starts simply, but as Cuca ventures further into the world, the visual style takes on a greater complexity, eventually creating a neon-infused cityscape with a variety of strange characters never seen before. The seemingly simple story reveals a number of conflicts between country and city, poverty and wealth, the handmade and machinery in such a way that audiences of all ages will experience the same narrative on different levels. Abreu’s film is captivating, and will keep your attention rapt for its full running time with hardly a line of dialogue all the way to its surprising and emotional finale.
Many films have been made about kids going to extraordinary lengths to avoid school. This stunningly shot documentary (Cesar Award Winner 2014) captures the stories of four children (Kenya, Patagonia, Morocco and India) and their herculean efforts to get TO school. Instinctively, they know that their well-being, and in many ways survival, depend on knowledge and education. This is a film parents might cite the next time their children complain about getting up for school on a Monday morning.
Jackson crosses the Kenyan savannah on foot, heeding his father’s advice, “If the elephants see you, they will kill you! Run away!”; Carlito rides horseback across rocky, scrub-covered plains and rushing rivers; Zahira treks over treacherous Atlas Mountain passes in Morocco with her classmates supporting one another; Samuel depends on his brothers to push his wheelchair over sand dunes and through swamps of southern Bengal. While the breathtaking cinematography reveals the splendor of their homelands, the dangers of these voyages keep you on the edge of your seat. At the heart of this unforgettable film are the children’s resilience and their unstoppable yearning to learn and improve their lives.
GET LOCAL: Family Services Rhode Island: The Walking School Bus
Family Service of Rhode Island’s Walking School Bus provides routes to and from school. The initiative ensures that each child living within a mile of the school, who needs to walk arrives on time and returns home safely, even when a family member is unable to walk with him or her. The Walking School Bus serves Bailey and Fogarty elementary schools in Providence’s South Side neighborhood.To learn more about this program and/or to become a volunteer, click here.