Two days of films for children and about children with engaging educational activities

All films and children’s activities: UDC auditorium, Building 46 East. Campus Map

All films are projected digitally on professional quality 20,000 lumens DLP equipment.

Tiny, precocious Kirikou is born into an African village upon which a sorceress called Karaba has cast a terrible spell: the spring has dried up, the villagers are being blackmailed, the men of the village have either been kidnapped or have mysteriously disappeared. Kirikou wants to rid the village of Karaba’s curse and understand the cause of her wickedness. His adventure-filled voyage leads him to the Forbidden Mountain, where the Wise Man of the Mountain, who knows of Karaba and her secrets, awaits him. Charming, wise and exciting and a perennial favorite in France, this beautifully-animated African myth has won numerous awards and director Michel Ocelot has gone on to direct new animation, notably Azur and Asmar, to critical acclaim.

Recommended for young children

Sept 26, 3:30pm (In French with English Subtitles); Sat. Sept 27, 10:30am (In English)

Adventurous Emily, skeptical Gavin, and the unruly Toddster set out on a journey to find the dreaded ghost of Captain LeRouge, a pirate whose treasure-laden ship was rumored to be lost in the Louisiana bayou over two hundred years ago. What they find is an adventure beyond their wildest imagination including a ghost pirate and the magical swamp creature "Labou," whose whistles, per Louisiana legend, are rumored to be the original inspiration for jazz. With the help of Labou, the three unlikely friends race to stay one step ahead of two super-zealous southern developers and local politicians to try and discover the long lost treasure in time to save the swamps from destruction.
Best of Fest Award, Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. Producer/Director and star Marissa Cuevas attending. Presented in association with The Girl Scout Council.

Recommended for ages 5 and up.

Sat. Sept 27, 2:30pm

The film follows Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Ainu tribe, who is cursed by a demonised boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure from the Forest Spirit. Along the way, he encounters San (The Princess Mononoke), a young human woman fighting to protect the forest and Lady Eboshi, the head of Tatara Ba (Iron Town). Ashitaka is forced to find a middle ground between the two ambivalent forces. Based on Japanese folklore, the film is a riveting example of Miyazaki’s animation skills, an action adventure and a humanistic story. This film is already a classic among lovers of anime.

Recommended for ages 7 and up

Sat. Sept. 27, 4.30pm

Dhrang is a sleepy village in a north-western arid area in Kutch- a district of Gujarat. While grazing the camels, two children find they have strayed across the Pakistan border. The story unfolds as the children try to get back their camels. A film for children that is full of humor and charm, yet set in a politically-charged context that teaches about national divisions and their consequences.

Friday Sept. 26, 2:00pm

There once was a girl named Anna Young. She was the perfect child. One day, Anna wakes up with a horrible illness. She looks like a sad version of Marilyn Manson and is terribly moody. When her parents take her to Dr. Artmanns' clinic for the unruly child, she is tested in the mad doctors' labyrinth. And the result is shocking.

Fri. Sept. 26, 12.00 noon, Sat. Sept 27, 1.00pm.

Featuring: Luxo, Jr. (1986), Red's Dream (1987), Oscar-winning Tin Toy (1988) Knick Knack (1989), Gerri's Game (1997), Oscar-winning For the Birds (2000); Mike's New Car (2002).; Boundin' (2003); Jack-Jack Attack (2005); One-Man Band (2005); Mater and the Ghost Light (2006); Lifted (2007).
The effervescence and talent of Pixar’s shorts all in one go, this series, which follows the evolution of Pixar Studios (who brought us The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Finding Nemo,Wall.E and many more) deserves to be seen again on the big screen.

Short and stylish, simply made for children and made brilliantly…

Fri. Sept. 26, 12:30 noon; Sat. Sept 27, 1:30pm

Third-graders Suzy and Jenny are on a mission to break into their elementary school over the weekend and save the poor goldfish that are captive in their classroom. Unfortunately for the two girls, it turns out that a little knowledge really is a dangerous thing.
Third-graders, Suzy and Jenny are on a mission to save their classroom’s goldfish. But everything they know is working against them…

Fri. Sept. 26, 1:00; Sat. Sept 27, 12:00 noon; Children’s Shorts Program

The story of two sisters who exist in a threatening world of giant machinery. When a snatched retreat to the sisters' broken playground is interrupted by a flying book, one of them is offered an opportunity to escape the world for a better life.

Fri. Sept. 26, 1:00pm.; Sat. Sept 27, 12:00 noon; Children’s Shorts Program

A little girl is colorblind but finds magic in the world around her

Fri. Sept. 26, 1:00pm; Sat. Sept 27, 12:00 noon; Children’s Shorts Program

With help from three friends, a lost toad finds his way home. A film made by children, for children.

Fri. Sept. 26, 1:00pm; Sat. Sept 27, 12:00 noon; Children’s Shorts Program

The adventures of 10-year-old Jeff as he journeys to rescue his lost Cat's Eye marble at recess, across a schoolyard fraught with danger, in order to win the 'marble championship of the world'.

Fri. Sept. 26, 1:00pm; Sat. Sept 27, 12:00 noon; Children’s Shorts Program

EDGES OF THE LORD is a powerful exploration of historical horrors through the perspective of a child. Haley Joel Osment stars as Romek, a Jewish-Polish boy who is spirited into the countryside to avoid the coming Nazi threat. There, he is integrated into the family of a kind farmer, and the local priest (Willem Dafoe) takes Romek under his wing. Writer-director Yurek Bogayevicz skillfully juxtaposes social upheaval and chaos with the confusion and change associated with adolescence and growing up, and was rewarded the Best Screenplay prize at the Polish Film Festival for his efforts. Though this is a mainstream US production, the film has never been released theatrically in the States.

Friday, Sept. 26, 7:15pm

While playing outside, nine-year-old Michele discovers Filippo, who is chained to the ground at the bottom of a hole. Michele is unsure whom he should tell about his discovery, eventually spilling the beans to his closest friend. Michele's parents learn of his discovery and warn him to forget whatever he saw. The 1978 setting of this film, was the year in which kidnappings in Italy reached an all-time peak of nearly 600. The film is based on a story by acclaimed author Niccolò Ammaniti who also wrote the screenplay. Watching this film you immediately know you are in the presence of great literature and subtle filmmaking.

Sat. Sept 27, 7:30-9:30pm

Directed by Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), this classic film is based on the true story, in 1954, of two girls, Juliet Hulme and Pauline Rieper, who murdered one of their mothers - one of the most bizarre and notorious cases in New Zealand's history. The girls came from very different backgrounds but shared an outrageous love of fantasy and novel writing. The friendship quickly blossomed with the girls creating a complex fantasy life. The film is a study of an extraordinary friendship; a joyous, exhilarating relationship between two teenage girls, filled with humor, intelligence and two wonderful imaginations - and the tragic outcome of that relationship. With superb acting, the film is powerfully compelling and emotionally demanding.

Friday Sept 26, 9:00pm