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)
Comunidade: Um grupo de pessoas que vive no mesmo lugar ou tem uma característica específica em comum. Às vezes, você pode se sentir parte desse grupo e, outras vezes, nem tanto. A vida na escola, com a família ou mesmo como parte de uma comunidade mundial pode ser desafiadora às vezes. Nesta compilação de curtas-metragens, você verá como outras pessoas tentam viver em uma comunidade que não é exatamente um ajuste natural. Um norueguês cria uma música sobre sua comida indonésia favorita. O que se segue é nada menos que bizarro. Depois, há Zara e sua família de zumbis que têm as melhores intenções, mas não sabem o nível de repulsa das outras pessoas. Por fim, quando um amigo trapaceia no teste de outro, até que ponto ele deve estar disposto a denunciá-lo? Inclua nessa bobina...
MATHILDA AND THE SPARE HEAD - Uma garota se esforça para ser a aluna mais inteligente, mas sua mãe descobre que um cérebro não aguenta tanto! (2020 / 13 mins / Lituânia / dir Ignas Meilūnas / animação / em lituano com legendas em inglês)
CRAMMING - Amigos íntimos, Alex e Yan Bo, alunos do oitavo ano, preparam-se para um teste em uma prestigiada escola preparatória. Quando são acusados de trapacear um ao outro, sua amizade é ameaçada. (2020 / 15 mins / EUA / diretor Dan Perlman / live-action / em inglês e espanhol com legendas em inglês)
APRENDENDO A VOAR - Uma menina, chateada porque sua mãe não a ensina a andar de bicicleta, conhece um garoto que concorda em ajudá-la e eles passam o dia pedalando e conversando sobre a vida. (2020 / 10 mins / EUA / diretor Nicolas Alayo / live-action / em inglês)
FAMILY BONDS conta a história da pequena raposa Hugo e de sua família não convencional, na qual o amor é mais importante do que o patrimônio. (2019 / 17 mins / Alemanha / dir Maria Schmidt / animação / sem diálogo)
UM PRESENTE ESPECIAL: A história de um criador de problemas Lili, Stretch e ZéGordo (também conhecidos como os Desordeiros) decidem surpreender sua amiga Rosita decorando sua escola para o jantar anual de Natal da vizinhança, mas eles não esperavam lidar com Stinky, que é um garoto ciumento e está disposto a estragar a decoração e o evento. (2019 / 7 mins / Moçambique / dir Nildo Essá / animação / em português com legendas em inglês)
AJUDA, EU ME TORNEI VIRAL! - Um pequeno documentário sobre Audun Kvitland, que faz uma canção de amor sobre um prato indonésio chamado Nasi Padang depois de passar férias no país. A música se torna viral e é imediatamente ouvida por milhões de pessoas depois que ele a publica no YouTube. Kvitland é convidado a voltar para a Indonésia sem saber o que esperar, mas logo depois de aterrissar, ele é recebido por um corredor de bateristas no aeroporto. A partir daí, ele embarca em uma jornada divertida, peculiar e inesperada, na qual as pessoas se unem por meio de culturas, idiomas e tradições, com comida e música. (2020 / 20 mins / Noruega / dir Audun Amundsen / documentário / em inglês, norueguês e indonésio com legendas em inglês)
ZARA E AS OUTRAS: Miss Miss - Zara nunca ouviu falar de um "concurso de Miss", ela só sabe que as meninas da classe dizem que é uma forma de decidir quem é a garota mais bonita. Quando o pai maluco de Zara leva um balde de cocô de alce fresco para o evento, as coisas tomam um rumo inesperado... (2020 / 13 mins / Noruega / dir Nils Johan Lund & Bjørn Sortland / animação / Norueguês 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)
Once again PCFF is delighted to offer a Spanish language shorts reel. The films of CineEspañol come from Spain, Colombia, Argentina and Mexico. A super creative mix of narratives that include a sister who will stop at nothing to bring joy to her brother’s life, a detective team that will remind you of Roger Rabbit, and a live-action film that might make you wonder if he really needs THAT chair…?! Films on this reel include…
BLUE & MALONE: Impossible Cases – Berta visits the old theater where her grandmother used to work on the eve of its demolition and finds out it’s not completely abandoned. Mortando Malone and Big Blue Cat, her old imaginary friends, are there to help with an impossible case — to recapture her capacity to dream. (2020 / 20 mins / Spain / dir. Abraham López / live action & animation / in Spanish w/English subtitles)
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)
THE SIZE OF THINGS (El tamaño de las cosas) – Diego lives with his father in a house without things, without furniture, without anything. One day he finds a chair deep in the woods. Diego takes the chair back home but the father disagrees and orders him to return it. At night, the father recognizes the boy ́s feeling of disappointment and allows Diego to bring the chair again. Diego returns to the forest but something has happened, something really big. He can ́t bring the chair this time. (2019 / 12 mins / Colombia / dir. Carlos Felipe Montoya / live action / in Spanish w/English subtitles)
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)
CROCODILE (Cocodrilo) WINNER 2021 Audience Choice Award Best Short Live-Action Film- As on every other afternoon, Alicia prepares a cup of tea and watches her favorite YouTube channel: VictorGaming, a role-playing video games channel. Victor, the YouTuber, is answering questions from his fans. Alicia has a very important thing to say to him. (2018 / 5 mins / Spain / dir. Jorge Yudice / live-action / in Spanish w/English subtitles)
MARIA CAMILA’S GIFT – In a park, nine-year-old Maria Camila gives any passerby a piece of paper with something written by her. Immediately after reading it, people begin to impersonate different animals. What power does María Camila have to transform them? (2019 / 12 mins / Mexico / dir. Andrés Molano Moncada / live-action / in Spanish w/English subtitles)
Who or what do you care for? Sometimes those who care for others are not whom you would think. The stories told on this reel include a witch’s attempts to placate a baby she originally cared for in quite a different way, a fox who takes a baby bird “under his wing”, and a mother who decides it’s time to tell her daughter about her birth mother. They all share a theme about someone caring for another who is quite unlike themselves. Included on this reel are…
THE MAGIC FOREST AND THE THINGS – A six-year-old narrator teams up with an illustrator to tell a story about a land that has apple, chocolate, and dog food trees. (It’s not on any map!) Things go awry when a giant is asked to pick these trees for people to build their houses with. The giant was all too obliging to the point of picking almost all the trees! The people then realized you MUST be more efficient with the way you use these resources if everyone is going to have a home to live in. They adjust their ways and high fives all around! (2020 / 4 mins / USA / dir. Dave Russo / animation / in English / all ages)
THE PROMISE (PCFF 2021 Winner Children’s Hospital Jury Prize!) – The Promise is an urban fairy tale that plays out on the mean streets of a suffering city. Here, a young thief tries to snatch an old woman’s bag but she cannot have it without giving something in return: “the promise”. It is the beginning of a journey that will change her life and a chance to change the world for good. (2020 / 7 mins / UK / dir. Chi Thai / animation / in English / all ages)
THE LEAF – A larger than life sailor gets an autumn leaf from a small girl. It reminds him of his home and for how long he has not been there. He runs home to meet his old parents. What will he find? (2020 / 6 mins / Belarus / dir. Aliona Baranova / animation / non-dialogue / all ages)
THE FOX AND THE BIRD – A solitary fox finds itself improvising fatherhood for a freshly hatched baby bird. Two paths cross and a family is formed until fate reminds each of the life it is meant to lead. (2018 / 12 mins / Switzerland / dirs. Sam and Fred Guillaume/ animation / non-dialogue / all ages)
THE WITCH AND THE BABY – An aging witch needs a baby for a spell to make her young again. But when she brings home a recalcitrant infant things don’t go according to plan. (2020 / 5 mins / Russian Federation / dir. Evgenia Golubeva/ animation / in English / all ages)
AURORA – Once upon a time, there was a little girl who fell in love with a beautiful horse named Aurora. This expressive animation evokes children’s drawings and the texture of storybook illustrations. Aurora is a bittersweet story about love, friendship, and growing up. (2020 / 5 mins / USA-Canada / dir. Jo Meuris / animation / in English / all ages)
TOBI AND THE TURBOBUS is a heartwarming story about growing up in a wolf pack and finding the right place for yourself. Sometimes this requires leaving old friendships behind in order to start new, more supportive ones in the future. (2020 / 7 mins / Germany / dir. Verena Fels / animation / in English / all ages)
REHAK – A young girl discovers Rehak, a magical drawing hidden behind her bedroom wallpaper. She thinks she has found a new friend when in fact someone else has found an old one. (2020 / 7 mins / UK / dir. Pierre B / live-action & animation / in English / all ages)
TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF LOVE – A young girl is old enough to start to learn about her adoption story. Her mother’s explanation shows she has given this conversation a lot of thought! (2020 / 6 mins / USA / dir. Alyce Vest / animation / in English / all ages)
MAÏJA – In the Nordic Islands, Maïja, a young girl, waits for the return of her father, away at sea. But the weather is worsening and her father is not coming back. (2019 / 7 mins / France / dirs. Arthur Nollet, Maxime Faraud, Mégane Hirth, Emma Versini, Julien Chen, Pauline Charpentier / animation / no dialogue / all ages)
ROSE – Rose’s life-long security blanket represents her mother’s love, which she clings onto as a toddler, tosses aside as a teen, and realizes she desperately needs at the start of adulthood. (2020 / 3 mins / USA / dir. Emily Kimes / animation / in English / all ages)
ATHLETICUS: The Encounter – A turtle “meeting” a puffin leads to the birth of an epic figure skating couple! (2019 / 3 mins / France / dir. Nicolas Deveaux / animation / no dialogue / all ages)
STOLEN KISSES – “When my grandmother had to move to an elderly home because she had dementia, I thought things would go downhill from there. But on the contrary. She met a man there, Rinus also diagnosed with dementia, and they fell in love. Unfortunately, he got mentally worse than her and had to move away to another home. I was shocked that nobody asked my grandmother and their feelings were so easily dismissed. Although my grandmother forgot a lot of things, she kept on asking me where Rinus was. Her feelings for him she did not forget. I wanted to tell this story. But since there are already many films with the theme of dementia, I thought it would be enlightening to see the story through a child’s eyes. Children also experience these sorts of things and can give us a fresh, sometimes funny, perspective. My grandmother died on October 20th, 2020 aged 96. She hadn’t yet seen my film, but I’m proud to have this also in loving memory of her.” – Lidi Toepoel (Director) (2020 / 14 mins / Netherlands / dir. Lidi Toepoel / live-action / in Dutch w/English subtitles / Ages 8+)
An unbeatable team of five teenage friends, the Peppercorns, unites to find out who is behind the kidnapping of a missing oceanographer who has discovered a means of getting rid of plastic waste in the ocean. A race against time begins to save her life and their future.
PCFF 2021 WINNER Special Jury Award Best Narrative Feature!
Jack raves about his younger brother Gio, whom he believes to have superpowers. As he grows older he realizes that his brother is special in other ways. In a moment of uncertainty, Jack decides to deny having a brother from his classmates. But he failed to take into account that a brother like Gio is a personality impossible to deny to anyone. The consequences are a hard lesson learned in this poignant, humorous coming-of-age-story full of clashing emotions. Will Jack dare be as natural as his brother? Based on a true story.
We are delighted to be able to re-present this Festival Flashback from five years ago!
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 understanding of life’s limitations.
2016 Festival Flashback!! Five years ago we invited this thought-provoking documentary to our festival. With the situation in the Middle East still far from resolution, this film speaks volumes about the hurdles people face to live in peace.
QUASE AMIGOS é um documentário sobre duas meninas israelenses - uma árabe e uma judia - que moram a apenas 40 milhas de distância, mas que, em muitos aspectos, vivem em mundos diferentes. Participando de um programa on-line que promove o intercâmbio educacional e a amizade, as duas meninas se correspondem com cautela e acabam se encontrando pessoalmente. A experiência é profundamente comovente para elas, suas famílias e o público que assiste a esse filme comovente. Mas quando o conflito atravessa gerações, a mudança é lenta e "quase" tudo pode ser um começo...
Estreia na Nova Inglaterra
TESOROS (Spanish for “treasures”) is the wonderful new film by director Maria Novaro (DANZON). Refreshingly told from the children’s perspective, it examines topics from fanciful ideas about finding treasure and exploring new places to social anxiety and fitting in, and is a charming window into the heart of a child’s world.
The action kicks off when a family moves to a small town on Mexico’s Pacific Coast and find it hard to assimilate because they are different from the rest of the community. They are not excited about the new place or the new school, but siblings Dylan and Andrea join the local school and slowly settle in, making new friends. Soon, Dylan notices his new city has an uncanny resemblance to a treasure map and daydreams about finding treasure left behind by Sir Francis Drake. He convinces the entire class that treasure is underfoot, and gets everyone to participate in the search.
The slow days of living by the coast, loving families and burgeoning friendships between the children are the real story here.There are many vignettes of children with their kin, all different, showcasing the many configurations of loving families, and many scenes illustrating the peaceful Mexican lifestyle.
Novaro elicits relaxed and natural acting from the children. Some of the older protagonists are in their teens, yet the audience feels part of their group, as if you knew them. The overall tone is reminiscent of one’s own childhood, with some dull moments idly passing by, including those grueling days at school, contrasted by very exciting times with friends, running around and chasing after…something. TESOROS takes us on an enchanting voyage that ends with a find far more precious than a lost pirate’s treasure trove.