One day, the adventurous Juliette and her sister Carmen find an enchanted toy and get swept away into the Kingdom of the Winds. They are transformed into cats and find themselves in a fantastical new world full of flying divas, technicolor dragons, and other mind-melting creations. When Juliette causes an accident that draws the ire of the local inhabitants, the Mayor gives Juliette to the beautiful songstress Selma and sentences Carmen to marry his son as punishment. The sisters must find a way to escape before the wedding bells ring, but the key to their journey home lies with Sirocco, the mysterious wizard feared for his ferocious storms.

A psychedelic fairy tale years in the making comes from the imagination of director Benoît Chieux. With captivating creatures and a vibrant Seussian world, Sirocco and the Kingdom of the Winds is a kaleidoscopic fantasy adventure bursting with charm and wonder.

Primeiras impressões – The films on this reel are curated for the youngest minds. Some narratives are driven by music. Others use a wide array of animation styles to tell stories that might inspire a giggle (or two). By the end you will have “visited” six different countries through film.

Os filmes e a programação de filmes estão sujeitos a alterações sem aviso prévio.

BIRDS BY THE WAY – Times and circumstances change, but the duo of a Worm and a Bird stands the same!  (2022 / 10 mins / Russian Federation / dir. Alla Vartanyan / no dialogue)

DILLY DIGGER – Dilly is a curious little mole who loves to dig. Day in. Day out. Dig, dig, dig. But he is not so good at staying on task. Today, Dilly is supposed to find mushrooms for dinner but gets distracted by a funny butterfly, a fuzzy caterpillar and a friendly Giraffe. Will Dilly find the mushrooms and keep his promise?  (2022 / 10 mins / Canada / dir. Eva Colmers / in English)

HUSH HUSH LITTLE BEAR – While the bear parents are away looking for berries and honey, the baby bears stay at home with the sheep. But what bear cub can resist a ball of yarn? Certainly not these two. Based on the traditional Latvian lullaby.  (2022 / 4.5 mins / Latvia / dir. Māra Liniņa / in Latvian w/English subtitles)

LLAMAS AT THE LAUNDROMAT – Got dirty clothes? Join two stylish llamas as they dance and sing their way though the steps of doing laundry at the laundromat.  (2022 / 2 mins / Canada / dir. Martha Grant / in English)

NIMBUS – Nimbus is whimsical story about a worker cloud who lives in Cloud City – an imaginary world in the sky. One day, his somewhat menial daily life is interrupted by a small surprise at work. As his day takes a turn, he finds himself thrown into an entirely new and unexpected world. With its charming characters and a backdrop of epic painted cloudscapes, this film reminds us of the small joys and bits of magic we encounter in our daily lives.  (2022 / 5 mins / USA / dir. Rémy Poisson / no dialogue)

EDMOND & LUCY  (The Music of Nature) – Meet Edmond, the squirrel, and Lucy, the bear cub, with their daily adventures in the forest: Nature is their best playmate!
Edmond and Lucy are raised as brother and sister in a majestic chestnut tree they call home, a kind of radiant city of the forest. Playing and growing up in the heart of nature, unravelling its mysteries and living adventures in the great outdoors… what a wonderful life! (2021 / 12 mins / France / dir. François Narboux / in English)

NOUNOURS – A baby girl stumbles across a box. In it, she discovers a new friend, a teddy bear. Like a dream, we are transported through moments in their relationship, flashes in time, as the girl begins to run, play, and learn about the world. But as she grows older, the time comes to pack away childish things for good…  (2021 / 3 mins / Canada / dir. Lou Rigoudy / French a few English subtitles)

OUR PIGGY – Our piglet is still experiencing some adventure. Discover the magic of vacuum cleaners, wires or the fact that things sometimes buzz. Rediscover the world!  (2021 / 4.5 mins / Czech Republic / dir. Jaromír Plachý / no dialogue)

ROBOTS DON’T TELL JOKES – Robot thinks he has a wonderful joke, so he keeps trying to tell it, but none of the other robots ever laugh. They tell him “robots don’t tell jokes…” Will Robot give up on his awesome joke or will he find his tribe? Stop-motion using mainly wood scraps and metal pieces. (2022 / 3.5 mins / USA / dir. Kelli Caldwell / in English)

SUZIE IN THE GARDEN – Suzie bikes with her family to an outdoor area where families garden, play and just relax in nature. Upon finding a key she ventures on to a plot she has never seen before.  (2022 / 13 mins / Czech Republic / dir. Lucie Sunková / in English)

 

 

A powerful film that gives us a glimpse into the experiences of foster youth and the fragility of the foster care system. We witness the reality of being a foster youth while also seeing that every person’s experience is different and nuanced. This film shows us the tragic consequences of this “broken system” but also shows us the positive impact that individuals and families can have when the system works. 

 

 

As 12-year-old Justine reflects, “Kids are part of a marriage, and I don’t like this marriage anymore. What do I do?” Perspectives matter in this film which  leads to a very insightful, and sometimes cringey, story of how families might need to take a time out now and then to evaluate their own levels of happiness. 

 This film is for anyone who is about to become, is or was thirteen. Dear Thirteen is a poetic exploration of coming of age in the modern world. Weaving together stories of thirteen-year-olds from France, Australia, Mexico, Nepal and the US, video diaries and candid interviews reveal how global issues are shaping and being shaped by young people.  WARNING: A deer is hunted and dressed on camera.

U.S. Premiere!!

Just at a time when Russia is behaving like the Soviet Union of yore PCFF IS premiering THE ASPHALT SUN. This film is an amazing time capsule with its re-creation of an era when Brezhnev was President, people schemed ways to defect to the west, consumer goods were scarce and skateboard culture was just arriving. If you couldn’t afford a skateboard, you made one!

The film follows 15-year-old Artyom’s tumultuous relationships with friends, family and a young woman he adores but is unable to express his feelings for. Skateboarding becomes his sanctuary while he tries to navigate his life to a place of confidence and resolution.

Great acting, outstanding cinematography and a narrative that anyone who was, is, or will be fifteen might relate to.

To animate something is to give it the illusion of having life. The materials animators “bring to life” are unlimited. This year LET’S GET ANIMATED includes a whiteboard that expresses an evolving adoration between two people on a ball team, an ocean filled with creatures that look familiar in shape but whose composition is in opposition to their environment, and a textile-designed dinosaur that swallows a pathogen with a personality! Included on this reel are…

ATHLETICUS: Guides – Two flamingoes find a colorful glove on a ski slope. Of course it MUST be headwear to a flamingo! (2019 / 3 mins / France / dir Nicolas Deveaux / animation / no dialogue)

DOG OF MY DREAMS – True love doesn’t always have to be about people. Stop motion collage animation with our original, Ants on a Log song of the same title. (2020 / 2 mins / USA / dirs. Anya Rose , Julie Beth / live action & animation / in English)

FLOREANA – On a remote island in the future, people are training for an important mission. Take a look at the mechanics of this training facility and the creatures within. It’s simply otherworldly. (2018 / 4 mins / Denmark / dir Louis Morton / animation / no dialogue)

COVID BACH – This free-flowing stream of consciousness animation is set to J. S. Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier. The fully hand-drawn images weave in and out between abstract and nightmarish visions. Then the dream ends . . . but does it?  (2020 / 2 mins / Canada / dir Elizabeth Lewis / animation / no dialogue)

NOS QUEREMOS – Charming scribbled animation is set to an original coming of age song portraying the love of two oddball friends. (2020 / 3 mins / USA / dir Steve Mosqueda / animation / in English)

THE 7 KIDS – A wolf hired to babysit lambs. What could possibly go wrong? Who would hire such a babysitter? (2020 / 5 mins / Russia / dir Marina Karpova / animation / in English)

THE BEAUTY – 2021 Global Awareness Short Film Winner! The Beauty is a poetic journey through a fascinating underwater world, where plastic and nature become one. (2019 / 4 mins / Germany, Egypt, France / dir Pascal Schelbli/ animation / no dialogue)

PUMPER’S PARADISE – In a world populated with fitness addicts the biggest challenge they confront can be boring, everyday situations! (2019 /  2 mins / Germany / dir Eddy Hohf / animation / no dialogue)

OM NOM NOM – One day, a hungry dinosaur came across a weird jumping egg in the forest. He swallowed it, and then felt some strange rumblings in his tummy. Maybe it wasn’t such a good egg afterall… (2019 /  3 mins / Japan / dirs Minato Matsuda, Haruna Ueno, Tomoko Taiga / animation / no dialogue)

A TINY TALE – A dog is abandoned on the side of the road. Attached to a street light, he stays alone until the day he meets a young astronaut wannabe and a professional cyclist who keeps on trying to beat her highest score. (2020 /  7 mins / France / dirs Sylvain Cuvillier, Chloé Bourdic, Théophile Coursimault, Noémie Halberstam, Maŷlis Mosny, Zijing Ye/ animation / no dialogue)

THE CHIMAI AND THE STORM – After a great storm, a very old Chimai (spiritual healer) tends to the damage created in the forest and the toppling of a massive tree. She finds an unexpected surprise and a great power is revealed. (2020 /  8 mins / Argentina / dir David Bisbano/ animation / no dialogue)

WILD LEA – Lea is a strong, lonely, and floral cat who discovers the complexity and the perks of friendships after falling from a tree. A very caring ragdoll named Ciro tends to her injuries and introduces Lea to his family of fixed-broken things. Unlike Lea, they have a fear of going anywhere outside the home. The day would come when they would need to overcome that fear to help their friend. Super imaginative animation where forks, toilet paper and napkins come alive! (2019 /  9 mins / Colombia / dir María Teresa Salcedo Montero/ animation / in Spanish w/English subtitles)

Quando foi a última vez que você assistiu a um filme iraniano? Ou melhor ainda, qual foi a última vez que viu ou aprendeu algo sobre o Irã? É provável que a maioria dos americanos encontre histórias sobre o Irã nos noticiários e, geralmente, não são boas notícias. Bem, o cinema está bastante vivo no Irã e as histórias que eles contam não são o que está na mente dos apresentadores. Elas tratam principalmente da vida de iranianos comuns que vivenciam as alegrias e tristezas de trabalhar duro e chegar ao amanhã. Incluído em IRÃ: Eixo do povo é um documentário sobre uma garota iraniana que só quer andar de bicicleta nas ruas da cidade, mas é repreendida repetidas vezes por ser menina. Gando é outro documentário que relata a história de uma garota que foi ao rio para buscar água, mas encontrou um crocodilo? Evidentemente, esse é um problema comum nesse vilarejo. Depois, há várias animações impressionantes sobre os mundos que nós, humanos, criamos ao nosso redor. O Irã é realmente um eixo em torno do qual giram as histórias da vida cotidiana das pessoas. Os filmes desse rolo incluem...

UM LINDO DIA - Um professor do ensino fundamental tem a oportunidade de dar uma bolsa de livros nova para um aluno de sua classe. Para decidir, todos escrevem um nome em um pedaço de papel e o jogam em uma sacola. O professor retirará o vencedor. Mal sabia ele que... o problema estava resolvido! 🙂 (2014 / 3 mins / República Islâmica do Irã / dir Sousan Salamat / live-action / Persa com legendas em inglês)

BORDERLESS - Delaram é uma adolescente que nasceu com síndrome de Down. Ela sabe muito bem que é tratada de forma diferente pelos outros e sente que há uma fronteira entre todas as pessoas que encontra. Delaram criou um mecanismo de enfrentamento exclusivo para manter a felicidade em sua vida. A imaginação pode ser uma ferramenta poderosa. (2020 / 13 mins / República Islâmica do Irã / dir Behrad Sahebgharani / live-action / Persa com legendas em inglês)

GANDO - Nas províncias de Sistan e Baluchistan, no Irã, a água corrente é escassa. Os moradores precisam ir a lagoas e rios locais para obter o que precisam diariamente. Quando se está na margem do rio, é preciso ter muito cuidado, pois lá também vivem os gando (crocodilos iranianos). Esse documentário conta a história de uma menina de nove anos chamada Hawa, que perdeu o braço em um dia de coleta de água. É também uma história sobre, apesar de o gando ser uma ameaça, os moradores respeitam o gando porque acreditam que ele ajuda a trazer a água. (2020 / 8 mins / República Islâmica do Irã / dir Teymour Ghaderi / documentário / Persa com legendas em inglês)

WOODEN SWORD - Dois garotos se encontram em um banco de praça enquanto aguardam o retorno de seus pais. Mal sabem eles que seus pais não formaram uma amizade semelhante à que acabaram de ter. O que eles veem a seguir pode ficar com eles para sempre. (2019 / 7 mins / República Islâmica do Irã / dirs Behzad Alavi, Sousan Salamat/ live-action / Persa com legendas em inglês)

THE ROTATION - Há uma guerra entre duas tribos para reivindicar o sol no céu. Como resultado dessa guerra, o sol é aniquilado e o vulcão entra em erupção. Essas duas tribos morrem e um novo sol é criado pela lava. Vários séculos se passam e as novas tribos continuam a guerrear por sua reivindicação ao sol no céu. O triste ciclo continua. (2020 / 7 mins / República Islâmica do Irã / dir Hazhir As'adi / animação / sem diálogo)

RAINBOW - Um jovem vendedor de flores que trabalha em uma esquina se depara com algo que não é dele. Os eventos que se seguem mostram seu arrependimento e a incompreensão das intenções de outras pessoas. (2020 / 11 mins / República Islâmica do Irã / dir Mohammad Khalili/ live-action / Persa com legendas em inglês)

UMA GAROTA DA PARSIAN ...é um documentário perspicaz sobre um grupo de jovens mulheres iranianas que desejam andar de bicicleta e a resistência que encontram de homens de todas as idades. (2019 / 20 mins / República Islâmica do Irã / dir Parinaz Hashemi Mobarakeh / documentário / Persa com legendas em inglês)

O DÉCIMO PRIMEIRO DEGRAU - Um pequeno filhote de leão, nascido em um zoológico, vive em uma jaula de apenas dez degraus. No décimo primeiro degrau, ele bate a cabeça contra as barras, mas um dia o zelador do zoológico deixa a porta da jaula aberta.... (2020 / 11 mins / República Islâmica do Irã / dir Maryam Kashkoolinia / animação / Persa com legendas em inglês)

RAYA - A família de Raya está tendo uma disputa com o proprietário e o despejo está no horizonte. Ela e vários de seus amigos também têm um problema com um professor na escola e decidem resolver o problema com suas próprias mãos. Raya aprende da maneira mais difícil como não lidar com problemas que possa ter com outras pessoas. Felizmente, ela demonstra esse conhecimento logo em seguida. (2019 / 14 mins / República Islâmica do Irã / dir Sepideh Berenji / live-action / Persa com legendas em inglês)

 

Essa compilação de quatro filmes tem vários tópicos instigantes para se pensar e, esperamos, depois falar sobre eles. Eles incluem as lutas de jovens mulheres afegãs que são músicos em uma época em que parece que o Talibã voltará ao poder. Outros filmes da Holanda e da Argentina acompanham famílias que estão lidando com crianças em jornadas de gênero desconhecidas para elas. O último filme, 2ª ClasseO filme, que é bastante relevante para o que está acontecendo aqui em nosso próprio país quando se trata de reagir aos supremacistas brancos. O rolo inclui os seguintes filmes...

SOMETHING ABOUT ALEX - Um jovem adolescente desenvolve uma estreita amizade com o namorado de sua irmã mais velha e precisa confrontar a profundidade de seus sentimentos quando o casal anuncia que vai se mudar. (2017 / 18 mins / Holanda / dir Reinout Hellenthal / live-action / holandês com legendas em inglês)

ORCHESTRA FROM THE LAND OF SILENCE - Você derrotará a fera com o poder da música. Zohra - a primeira orquestra feminina do Afeganistão. As meninas estão se preparando para sua jornada para tocar em um concerto na Europa. Vemos a realidade cotidiana delas no Afeganistão contemporâneo pelos olhos de Marzia, uma garota de 16 anos. Depois de chegar à Europa, algo inesperado acontece e quatro membros da orquestra decidem fugir... (2020 / 30 mins / Afeganistão, Eslováquia / dir Lucia Kasova / documentário / inglês, persa e eslovaco com legendas em inglês)

O NOME DO FILHO (El Nombre del Hijo) Lucho, um garoto trans de 13 anos, não costuma passar muito tempo com seu pai. Quando ele sai de férias com ele e sua irmã mais nova, a nova proximidade coloca seu relacionamento à prova. (2020 / 13 mins / Argentina / dir Martina Matzkin / live-action / espanhol com legendas em inglês)

2ª CLASSE (2ª CLASSE - Prêmio Especial do Júri 2021 de Melhor Curta-metragem de Ação ao Vivo!) Esta é uma história sobre uma professora do ensino fundamental que é violentamente atacada uma noite por um neonazista. Depois de se recuperar o suficiente para voltar à sala de aula, ela descobre que o homem que a atacou é o pai de um de seus alunos. O que ela faz? E por quê? Esse filme exige uma conversa após a exibição. AVISO: Cena gráfica com palavrões. Idade recomendada 13+ (2018 / 13 mins / Suécia / dir Martina Matzkin / live-action / Sueco com legendas em inglês)

 

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)