I’Mpossible – This program celebrates stories of unique, fun, and ferocious folks who are rejecting stereotypes and living their authentic selves. Historic prejudices, gender journeys and coming-of-age are all explored.

FILMS AND FILM LINE-UP ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE.

ADJUSTMENT – The nine year-old Shahrokh, humiliated and pushed away by his family and friends, makes up his mind to “adjust” himself to his new identity even if it inflames the behaviors of those around him.  (2022 / 17 mins / Islamic Republic of Iran / dir. Mehrdad Hasani / Persian w/English subtitles)

CORVINE – An eccentric boy has trouble fitting in at school due to his obsession with crows. It really becomes too much until one day a connection is made that will change his life.  (2022 / 10.5 mins / Canada / dir. Sean McCarron / no dialogue)

FOR THE SECOND TIME – Sareh, is a school girl who comes from a religious family. She loves acting but her family has other thoughts about the role of girls in society. Secretly preparing herself for a student theater production she is determined to let nothing get in her way.  (2022 / 18 mins / Islamic Republic of Iran / dir. Leila Akhbari / Persian w/English subtitles)

 

INTO LIGHT – When a child reveals who they truly are on the inside, how does a parent set aside their own expectations to help them become their most authentic self? Set against the Northern landscape of Yellowknife, Sheona McDonald’s new documentary, Into Light, captures a season of change as a mother and child navigate the complexities of gender identity together. As elemental changes parallel this extraordinary journey, the return of brighter days uncovers a confident and social little girl with an encyclopedic knowledge of dinosaurs, a deep love of animals, and a parent who fully embraces this magical person.  (2021 / 19 mins / Canada / dir. Sheona McDonald / in English)

 

PAY ATTENTION TO THIS IMPORTANT MESSAGE – The amazing Molly takes us on a journey through her own mind and into the world of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. (2022 / 3.5 mins / United Kingdom / dir. Alexander Amelines / in English)

RACHEL – Animator Rachel Reid talks about how to be an animator and encourages others to follow their dream. (2022 / 3 mins / USA / dir. Toko Shiiki / in English)

UNSUNG WOMEN: Alice Guy – This is an episode of Unsung Women, a stop motion series that points out with humor the invisibility process that women have undergone through history. We all know Lumière and Méliès, the great inventors of cinema! However, at the same time, there were pioneering women directors, such as Alice Guy-Blaché… A name that remained unknown for a long time, Alice Guy-Blaché was an incredible cinema pioneer whose name had been forgotten… until today!  (2021 / 3 mins / France / dirs. Julie Gavras, Mathieu Decarli / in English)

UNSUNG WOMEN: Oona Musha – This is an episode of Unsung Women, a stop motion series that points out with humor the invisibility process that women have undergone through history. Ah, Japan… With its well-behaved geishas in silky kimonos, and its samurais busy with swordplay… Confronted with these imposing stereotypes, the onna-musha are not well known, yet these women had a very particular function: warfare. (2021 / 3 mins / France / dirs. Julie Gavras, Mathieu Decarli / in English)

UNSUNG WOMEN: Viqueen – This is an episode of Unsung Women, a stop motion series that points out with humor the invisibility process that women have undergone through history. Archaeologists were perplexed: how can a tomb of a great Viking warrior contain such a small skeleton? It only took a DNA test to reveal the obvious: this grand burial is that of a woman! (2021 / 3 mins / France / dirs. Julie Gavras, Mathieu Decarli / in English)

France was the number two country from which we received submissions this year. (U.S. was #1, can you guess #3? The answer is at the end of the film synopsis!) With so many good ones to choose from we NEEDED to have a French film reel this year. The language is common between them but the styles run the gamut. Some highlights include two eight-year-olds who decide to embark on their own Montreal adventure, earthworms singing about their role in what could be your backyard, and a kingdom where “fashion rules the day”…until Ridicule arrives! Film on this reel include…

SONG OF AUTUMN (CHANSON D’AUTOMNE) is one of a series of animated shorts that are inspired by the poems of Paul Verlaine. Young filmmakers who have just graduated from French animation schools interpret Verlaine’s poems in film. PCFF is showing three of these films this year.  (2020 / 3 mins / France / dir. Jean-Baptiste Marchand / animation / in French w/English subtitles)

WEDNESDAY (MERCREDI)  Iris and Leo are waiting for their school bus, just like any other day. This morning, however, it does not arrive. Facing no rules but their own, the two eight-year-olds embark on an urban adventure, one they shall never forget, roaming the streets of Montreal.  (2020 / 10 mins / Canada / dir. Lisa Delhom & Jérémy Paquet / live-action / in French w/English subtitles)

DOLIUM PÉPLUM – Recreating battle is one of the oldest games children play. In this short film from France, a vineyard is the setting for two epic forces to fight to the bitter end. (A little irony for U.S. viewers with the red vs. blue costumes.) A super creative short film with make-it-yourself costumes, weapons and battle accoutrements, you will sense the influences of classic battles depicted from Braveheart, Henry V, Kurosawa and even a little Monty Python. 🙂  (2020 / 9 mins / France / dir. Théo Nodet / live-action / in French w/English subtitles)

THE JELLYFISH (LA MEDUSE) – In an ocean infested by plastic, a little being leaves his reef and goes on an adventure on a jellyfish… (2019 / 4 mins / France / dir. Mélanie Peltier / animation / no dialogue)

THE NATURAL ORDER OF THINGS  (L’ORDRE DES CHOSES) -An unintelligent insect, at the lower level of the food chain, survives its position as prey in the forest. But suddenly, the established order is overthrown. The insect provokes a sequence of accidents that build upon the other. (2019 / 4 mins / France / dir Luce Grosjean / animation / in French w/English subtitles)

WORMS OF EARTH (TERRE DE VERS) – Naked, slimy and rampant bros; No legs, no teeth, and no toes; We dig with no mischief, your burden we relief; We’re at your service, there is no artifice; The Earthworm team is here, as tight as musketeers. The lyrics say it all! (2019 / 8 mins / France / dir Hélène Ducrocq / animation / in French w/English subtitles)

LUPIN – A young wolf ventures out of his burrow for the first time, while his mother is busy hunting. Lost and frightened, he finds shelter in a garden. Jeanne, Gaston and Louis, the hunters’ children, find him and decide to bring him back to his home in the woods. (2020 / 11 mins / France / dir Hélène Ducrocq / animation / in French w/English subtitles)

CONQUISTADOR is one of a series of animated films that are inspired by the poems of Paul Verlaine. Young filmmakers that have just graduated from French animation schools interpret the poems into their visions on film. PCFF is showing three of them this year. (2020 / 3 mins / France / dir Jérémie Cousin / animation / in French w/English subtitles)

THE FAITHFUL FISH (LE POISSON FIDÈLE) – What would you do with a sculpin (a non-edible fish) that keeps biting on to your hook? Three children on vacation near a lake in Maine try and try and try to catch another fish. (2019 / 8 mins / Belgium / dir Atelier Collectif / animation / in French w/English subtitles)

PROMENADE SENTIMENTAL is one of a series of animated films that are inspired by the poems of Paul Verlaine. Young filmmakers that have just graduated from French animation schools interpret the poems into their visions on “film”. PCFF is showing three this year. (2020 / 3 mins / France / dir Emily Tronche / animation / in French w/English subtitles)

À LA MODE – In a kingdom tormented by fashion crazes, a queen and her court must always keep up with the new trend. If not, an abominable monster will consume them: the Ridicule. But with the arrival of a disarmingly natural cowboy, this nation of fashion victims laughs, and a simple question arises: what if the Ridicule isn’t what we think?  (2020 / 9 mins / France / dir Jean Lecointre / animation / in French w/English subtitles)

ATHLETICUS: One Rink for Two – Flamingoes are rehearsing their figure skating number when the ice rink is invaded by a troop of elephant hockey players. The winner of this power play will find their time on the ice trunk-ated! (Ouch!) (2019 / 3 mins / France / dir Nicolas Deveaux / animation / no dialogue)

VANILLE – Vanille, a young Parisian girl who recently arrived in Guadeloupe, dives into an adventure tinged with mystery, meeting picturesque characters and a magic flower. These are holidays that promise to be rich in twists and turns! PCFF’s first film ever from Guadeloupe! And it’s soooo good! (2020 / 30 mins / France & Guadaloupe / dir Guillaume Lorin / animation / in French w/English subtitles)

 

 

 

 

This documentary offers an extraordinary and tender examination of family life in ways that feel both personal and universal. When their mother is imprisoned, Ale and his sister Rocio’s relationship is faced with the greatest challenge possible: they must work together to parent their two young siblings.They promise to help each other and keep their family together until their mother is released, but as undocumented Honduran immigrants, living, working and studying in Mexico is difficult. Soon the prison wall that keeps their mother away gives rise to other emotional barriers that prevent the brother and sister from understanding each other. Just as they start to lose hope the family’s life takes an unexpected twist.

Important note from the director:

In 2014 I worked for a non-profit organization which helps convicted women, overseeing their cases and helping their re-introduction to society. I met Rocío and Alejandro’s mother on one of my visits to prison, and I was immediately struck by her energy and clear-headedness in such a terrible environment. The other inmates had a great respect for her.

The moment I pointed my camera at them and conducted my first interview I felt drawn to them, and I was particularly intrigued by the way they were handling the situation. The whole thing seemed to me like an extremely difficult predicament, but here I saw two courageous individuals with a great sense of humor who were willing to keep fighting. And I deeply admired them.

I later found out more about their story. Their life had been full of ups and downs from an early age, but the family had stayed together and remained strong through all of it. That history had turned them into very unique individuals; they were a great, tight-knit family and their ties were deep and complex.

Based on a true story. Set in 1943 as Germany occupies France, 13-year-old Fanny is sent with her little sisters to a foster home for Jewish children. When the orphanage becomes unsafe, the staff desperately organizes the departure of the children to Switzerland. Fanny and her sisters travel to the border, where the children are suddenly left to fend for themselves. Fanny takes the lead in this inspiring tale of bravery, strength and survival.

Demolishing stereotypes without wrecking their cars, the Speed Sisters are the Middle East’s first all-female car racing team. With high-octane talent and the marketing savvy to draw attention to their camera-friendly lineup, this diverse, engaging, real-life group competes throughout the West Bank in Palestine’s makeshift motor sports circuit. They navigate Israeli checkpoints and restrictive societal expectations to evolve into potential role models for a new generation of young Arab women.

 

Cathy’s tenth birthday is tough enough without her eccentric father giving her an egg as a gift along with a warning: “Be there when it is born so the bird recognizes YOU as its mother.”  After a game of hide-and-seek goes awry, Cathy’s friend Margaux unknowingly becomes the “mother.” Unfortunately for the bird and Margaux, her parents believe Margaux is unable to care for this pet from her wheelchair. It takes a duckling, a great friend and a temporary flight from home to alter everyone’s impressions of life’s limitations.

 

Aylin, age 17, finds herself caught between worlds: A world of accepting her mother’s death or not. A world of struggling to survive as a Turkish family in Germany or returning home. Most importantly, a world of facing her fears at school to succeed or to remain in violent isolation. She finds answers in the story of Hördur (the horse): an Icelandic pony is never allowed to return once it leaves its homeland. By developing the courage to challenge her status in the world, Aylin develops a bridge to self-discovery, and like Hördur, never looks back.

Reading the title might make you clap hands with your neighbor in time to the well-known chant. This wonderful documentary explores this rhythmic rite of passage, usually between young girls, in the US and around the world. Contemporary and historical footage are intertwined creating what some admiringly refer to as “hand graffiti,” “jazz of the streets” and “percussive poetry.”   As it swings between games and interviews with young girls, LET’S GET THE RHYTHM has a beat; its incandescent musicality brings this hand-clapping universe to life!

“T-Rex” is an intimate, true coming-of-age story about a new kind of American heroine. in 2012, women’s boxing debuted at the 2012 Olympics. Fighting for gold from the USA is Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, just 17 years old and by far the youngest competitor. From the hard knock streets of Flint, Mich., Claressa is undefeated and utterly confident. Her fierceness extends beyond the ring as he protects her family at any cost, even when their instability and addictions threaten to derail her dream. Claressa does have one stable force in her life. Coach Jason Crutchfield has trained her since she was just a scrawny 11-year-old hanging out at his gym. Jason always wanted a champion, but never thought it’d be a girl. Her relationships with her coach and her family grow tense as she gets closer to her dream, but Claressa is determined. She desperately wants to take her family to a better, safer place and winning a gold medal could be her only chance.

ALMOST FRIENDS is a documentary about two Israeli girls—an Arab and a Jew—who live only 40 miles away but in many ways live worlds apart. Participating in an online program that fosters educational exchange and friendship, the two girls correspond with caution and eventually meet face-to-face. The experience is profoundly moving for them, their families, and the audiences who see this touching film. But when conflict spans generations, change is slow and “almost” anything might be a start…