Kidz CineFest is back by popular demand, featuring a brand new selection of 12 short films with a total running time of a little over an hour. This block is perfectly tailored to bring joy and excitement to kids of all ages and adults young at heart!
Check out the lineup of shorts:
Bounce, this is not a freestyle movie – Directed by Guillaume Blanchet
Freedom, exploration and the universal bond forged by the game of football (that’s soccer to you Americans). Bounce — This is Not a Freestyle Movie is a playful short film that takes viewers on a trip around the world — to beaches, ski slopes, museums, deserts, bustling cities, rug markets, music festivals and deserted alleys — with one man and his soccer ball.
A Girl Named Elastika – Directed by Guillaume Blanchet
A Girl Named Elastika is a short stop-motion animated film like no other that’s ingeniously filmed on a bulletin board with push-pins and rubber bands. Nothing more can be said about this film — you just have to see it yourself.
The Reinvention of Normal – Directed by Liam Saint-Pierre
Toothbrush maracas, an umbrella with plant pots, a tea cup cooling fan and the reverse bungee. “Go straight off the wall,” said his father, and Dominic Wilcox listened. This short film follows the London artist/inventor/designer on his quest to come up with something creative every day. The result is a font of productivity as he transforms the mundane and ordinary into surprises, wonders and, sometimes, just plain absurdities.
Sammy The Explorer – Directed by Stefan Hunt
When water is scarce, Sammy, an explorer on the island of Sumba, can’t follow his passion, exploring. But when a group of surfers give them clean drinking water, he doesn’t have to worry about illness or walking to get water. He can explore! (Description given by Arabella, age 12)
Gnarly in Pink – Directed by Ben Mullinkosson & Kristelle Laroche
Gnarly in Pink is a short film that shows girls can be as good, if not better than, boys. What I like about this film is you can be two things: gnarly and pink. (Description given by Bella, age 12)
Gobi Grizzly – Directed by Gabriella Garcia-Pardo & Joe Riis
The Gobi Desert is home to many life forms, including the two-hump camel and what could be our closest link to the first brown bears on the planet. (Description given by Henry, age 11)
Sun Dog – Directed by Ben Sturgulewski
Man’s best friend has never been truer than in this endearing, intimate portrait of skier Santiago Guzman and his loyal canine companion Conga. Living deep in the mountains of Patagonia, the pair spends idyllic days scouting big lines on the steep Argentine mountains together from their base in a backcountry hut known as Refugio Frey. The snapshots of their life together are brief and beautiful: Conga’s coat ruffling in the wind as she chases a ball of snow, a spindrift cresting over a ridgeline as the duo get ready to descend, Conga bounding after Guzman in an effort that is both graceful and goofy. The heart can’t help but swell in this short portrait of fidelity, love and snow.
The World Is As Big Or As Small As You Make It – Directed by Heidi Ewing & Rachel Grady
In North Philadelphia, local kids gather at a rec center to participate in a modern-day pen pal program. Through digital technology, these teens connect, bond, share and forge friendships with peers around the world — Nigeria, France, Kazakhstan — proving that the horizons can always be expanded and that the world is as big or small as you make it.
Marcel The Shell With Shoes On: 3 – Directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp
A conversation with Marcel, the shell with shoes. Yeah. (Description given by Jake, age 10)
Vasu Sojitra: Out On A Limb – Directed by Tyler Wilkinson-Ray
After developing a blood infection at 9 months of age, Vasu Sojitra lost his right leg in an amputation. That didn’t stop him from discovering — and pursuing whole heartedly — an unbounded love of skiing that shaped his life. Today, Sojitra shreds bumps, hucks rocks, plunders powder and, with the help of outriggers and incredible will, accesses backcountry lines. Out on a Limb is a short profile of an individual proving that disability can be a mere hiccup instead of an impediment to your dreams.
Parker’s Top 50 Favorite Things About Northwest Rivers – Directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp
A kid states his favorite things to do and experience by the river. (Description given by Wiley, age 13)
Submarine Sandwich – Directed by PES
Submarine Sandwich combines things that we use in everyday life with food. This caught my eye because he’s using everyday things and turning them into food. (Description given by Henry, age 11)
