Tales Beyond Belief (CFFS 2018)

December 4, 2017

Sun, Jan 28, 2018 @ 3:30 PM
Sat, Feb 3, 2018 @ 5:30 PM

Ages 8+. 77 min.

Colors are vivid and lessons are timeless in this collection of animated films exploring myths, legends and fairy tales from around the globe. Anything is possible in these worlds created from scratch: justice falls down from trees, children can save the world from chaos and bring forests back to life, kings learn lessons from mythical beasts, a swan can transform, the life of a man who loves her, and a hunter can be kidnapped by a whale and taken to a land of enchantment.

Short Films in this Program:

The Unicorn
West Coast premiere! One day, a little king was walking in the forest of his little kingdom and spied an extraordinary creature, white as snow and fast as the wind… Watch the trailer >

(Remi Durin, France/Belgium, animation, 2016, 13 min, French, with English subtitles)

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The Old Man and the Pears
Seattle premiere! A magical form of justice emerges from the ground. Watch the trailer >

(Sun Jing, USA/China, animation, 2016, 5 min, nonverbal)

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Way of Giants
Seattle premiere! In a forest of gigantic trees, Oquirá a six year old indigenous girl, will challenge her destiny and learn to understand the cycle of life. Watch the trailer >

(Alois Di Leo, Brazil, animation, 2016, 12 min, nonverbal)

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The Hunchback and the Swan
West Coast premiere! A classic tale of friendship and belonging, narrated by UK’s first Storytelling Laureate, Taffy Thomas. Watch the trailer >

(Dotty Kultys, UK, animation, 2017, 9 min, English)

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The Little Match Girl
West Coast premiere! Hans Christian Andersen’s classic tale of a young girl who tries to sell matches. Unsuccessful and cold, she burns them all, and finds moments of warm accompanied by happy visions. Watch the trailer >

(Anne Baillod and Jean Faravel, Switzerland/France, animation, 2016, 9 min, nonverbal)

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Li.Le
West Coast premiere! In a magic forest dying without light, Lile is looking for her missing reflection and the key to bringing all the trees back to life. Watch the trailer >

(Natia Nikolashvili, Georgia, animation, 2017, 9:45 min, nonverbal)

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Creation
North American premiere! The creator of the universe, and all its creatures, makes one small mistake.

(Yulia Baygulova, Russia, animation, 2017, 6 min, nonverbal)

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Periphery
North American premiere! A boy journeys to a precipice every day, where he help assure the stability and safety of the whole world.

(Sasha Vasiliev, Russia, animation, 2017, 4 min, nonverbal)

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The Mountain of SGaana
West Coast premiere! As a young fisherman cruises along a rugged shoreline, a tiny mouse in Haida regalia appears and starts to knit a blanket. A story unfolds on the blanket as it grows longer, illustrating the ancient tale of Haida master sea hunter Naa-Naa-Simgat and his beloved, Kuuga Kuns. Watch the trailer >

(Christopher Auchter, Haida Gwaii/Canada, animation, 2017, 10 min, nonverbal)

Content advisory: The story of the “Little Match Girl” is, of course, quite sad, but also, timeless and beautiful. Indigenous characters living in the Amazon are scantily clad, but not naked, in “Way of Giants.

Dream Chasers (CFFS 2018)

December 4, 2017

Sat, Jan 27, 2018 @ 1 PM
Wed, Jan 31, 2018 @ 1 PM

Ages 8+. 76 min.

Who says being a kid is easy? The young people in these films must overcome all kinds of challenges, big and small, to follow their dreams. Meet a non-gender-conforming kid who finds courage in a new friendship, a boy who works to buy the basketball hoop of his dreams, a girl who craves familiar food in a place far from home, and another boy who learns not to rely on superstition.This collection also includes a film about boys from Senegal who just want to go to the movies, and concludes with a documentary about a talented young Iraqi refugee, living in Lebanon. A fast-paced film from India, championing the right of all children to education, and “Can You See the Future,” from Turkey, round out the program.

Short Films in this Program:

Can You See the Future?
West Coast premiere and winner of the CFFS Plural+ Prize, for a international film by a filmmaker 25 years or younger! If you look closely, you can see that children are always dreaming of what they will be. This film encourages us all to support those dreams.

(Ismet Kale, Turkey, live action and animation, 2017, 2 min, nonverbal)

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Cup of Tea
West coast premiere! Expect the unexpected in this film about a chance encounter between a young teacher and a knowledge-hungry boy.

(Jitendra Rai, India, live action, 2016, 3 min, nonverbal)

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Hoop Dreamin’
A young man learns that through hard work, sacrifice, and with a strong mother’s love, any dream can be realized.

(Nick Brooks, USA, live action, 2017, 6:17 min, English)

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Sammy Paramaribo: Bittersweet
West Coast premiere! Sammy from Almere goes on vacation to her aunt in Paramaribo, where she discovers the different foods of Suriname and makes new friends.

(Barbara Bredero, The Netherlands and Suriname, live action, 2015, 8 min, Dutch, with English subtitles)

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Samedi Cinema
Seattle premiere! Two young avid cinephiles are desperate to see a movie on the big screen of their local cinema before it closes its door forever. Watch the trailer >

(Mamadou Dia, Senegal, live action, 2016, 11 min, Fulani, Wolof and French, with English subtitles)

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Mrs. McCutcheon
West Coast premiere! Tom, a 10-year-old, prefers the flow of a dress than the cut of a pant. Now at his third school, Tom is having trouble finding acceptance from the other kids in the class — except for Trevor, a tough little charmer who also suffers prejudice due to his Aboriginal heritage. Together, the pair sets off for the school dance. Watch the trailer >

(John Sheedy, Australia, live action, 2017, 16:30 min, English)

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The Autograph
Seattle premiere! Shaunak, a star-struck 10-year-old, bumps into his television idol at a mall and scores an autograph on the palm of his hand. But to save this lucky charm, Shaunak stops washing his hands — leading to consequences that don’t leave him very happy or feeling lucky. Watch the trailer >

(Mohit Modi, India, live action, 2016, 19 min, English and Hindi, with English subtitles)

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Spotlight on Merna
US premiere! After fleeing Iraq, Merna becomes a superstar by participating in The Voice Kids, but her biggest dream is to be able to live in a safe environment. Watch the trailer >

(Mirjam Marks, The Netherlands, live action, 2016, 15 min, Arabic and English, with English subtitles)

Content advisory: In “Hoop Dreamin’,” a mother briefly mentions smoking, but doesn’t do it. “Mrs. McCutcheon” includes brief scenes of bullying and two instances of mild profanity, spoken by children (in a comedic way) on the playground.

Caleidoscopio de Sueños (CFFS 2018)

December 4, 2017

Saturday, Feb 3, 2018 @ 3:30 PM

Ages 6+. 60 min.

Co-presented with Seattle Latino Film Festival! These films from Spain, Mexico and Argentina will fill up your senses with color, light, sound, and the beautiful music of the Spanish language. Perfect for fluent speakers and language learners alike, with stories about friends, families, adventure, and love of nature.

Short Films in this Program:

The Earth at My Hands: Without Bees
World premiere! Mara is afraid of bees, until she learns how important they are to food and life on Earth. Watch the trailer >

(Nicolás Conte, Argentina, animation, 2016, 4:24 min, Spanish with English subtitles)

The Earth at My Hands: Dirty Air
World premiere! Mara discovers the effects of acid rain produced by air pollution and begins to use her bike to save the environment. Watch the trailer >

(Nicolás Conte, Argentina, animation, 2016, 4:24 min, Spanish with English subtitles)

Elena and the Shadows
Seattle premiere! Elena is alone in her world, until Felix befriends her and shows her how to access other universes.

(Cesar Cepeda, Mexico, animation, 2016, 7:33 min, nonverbal)

Colores
North American Premiere! Tito, a blind boy from the city, goes on the adventure of his life with a little girl from the countryside. Together, they will use all their senses to find their way home. Watch the trailer >

(Samy Natsheh and Arly Jones, Spain, animation, 2017, 19 min, Spanish with English subtitles)

Pieces of the Jigsaw Puzzle
Seattle premiere! Yola’s life changes completely with the arrival of her brother Rodrigo, who has cerebral palsy. Together, day by day, they forge a bond of incredible closeness. Watch the trailer >

(Raúl “Robin” Morales Reyes, Mexico, animation, 2016, 28 min, Spanish with English subtitles

Content advisory: “Pieces of the Jigsaw Puzzle” deals with bullying and discrimination due to disability.

Into the Magic (CFFS 2018)

December 4, 2017

Wed, Jan 31, 2018 @ 10:30 AM
Sat, Feb 3, 2018 @ 10:30
Sat, Feb 3, 2018 @ 11:00 AM

Ages 6+. 70 min.

Some days start out the same old, same old, but then shift suddenly into something extra-special. These animated films celebrate times when special places and powers are revealed, out of the blue. You’ll meet a man who can wake up a whole town, a girl who learns to cast a spell, birds that outsmart a weasel in an explosion of color and sound, and a forest creature who finds the bravery to take an exciting journey. Close your eyes, and make a wish. It might just come true!

Short Films in this Program:

Big Block Singsong Wizard
West Coast Premiere! A soulful wizard sings about the many skills he’s mastered. Now, if he could only cast a spell!

(Warren Brown, Canada, USA, animation, 2017, 2 min, English)

Kite
A young boy chases an errant kite to a mysterious cave high in the mountains.

(Gavin Moran, USA, animation, 2015, 2:20 min, nonverbal)

Awaker
North American Premiere! Long ago, in a cold Nordic country, a man toils at his job of waking people up. But one day, a shiny bell changes his life. Watch the trailer >

(Filip Diviak, Czech Republic, animation, 2017, 9:31 min, nonverbal)

Between the Trees
US premiere! A young boy, lost in a dense forest, finds help in the form a peculiar creature.

(Frank Harper, UK, animation, 2016, 5 min, nonverbal)

Peppercorn Babycorn Unicorn
Seattle premiere! Left unattended, a young girl hijacks her grandmother’s cauldron to make a unicorn, with mixed results! Watch the trailer >

(Makoto Koji, Australia, animation, 2015, 4:44 min, nonverbal)

Elena and the Shadows
Seattle premiere! Elena is alone in her world, until Felix befriends her and shows her how to access other universes.

(Cesar Cepeda, Mexico, animation, 2016, 7:33 min, nonverbal)

The House of Colors
Seattle Premiere! A young girl wishes to live inside her favorite television show, but the wondrous trees of La Plata, a mysterious house, and her loving Mother’s secret, cause her to change her mind.

Watch the trailer >

(Nicolás P. Villarreal, Argentina, animation, 2017, 9 min, English)

A Small Escape
Seattle premiere! A pair of scissors reaches out to other household objects with one aim in mind — to fly away from home.

(David Sandell, Sweden, animation, 2016, 2:39 min, nonverbal)

Weasel
US premiere! A hungry Weasel sneaks up on a flock of birds living on a last standing tree, but then disaster turns into something completely unexpected. Watch the trailer >

(Timon Leder, Slovenia, animation, 2016, 11:35 min, nonverbal)

Fruits of Clouds
West Coast premiere! A little furry creature makes a great discovery by overcoming the fear of the unknown. Watch the trailer >

(Katerina Karhankova, Czech Republic, animation, 2017, 10 min, nonverbal)

Tall Trees, Big Sky, and Me (CFFS 2018)

December 4, 2017

Sunday, Feb 4, 2018 @ 11 AM

Ages 7+. 64 min.

Peer up at a canopy of trees, dip your toes in a cool stream, and dodge an icy snowball during these films about outdoor adventures with friends and family. Grab your gear for more great short films to remind you that nothing is better than spending time in nature!

Short Films in this Program:

Moon Girl
Seattle Premiere! A little bug wears beautiful red shoes and dreams of a match made in heaven.

(Julie Rembauville, France, animation, 2016, 3 min, English)

Autumn
North American premiere! Autumn is in a hurry to paint her colors on the world. But there isn’t much time: Winter is on the way.

(Helene Letourneur, France, animation, 2016, 3 min, nonverbal)

Nino & Felix
Seattle premiere! With a lot of imagination, and a few snowballs, two very different boys find a way to become the best of friends. Watch the trailer >

(Marta Palazzo and Lorenzo Latrofa, Italy, animation, 2016, 8:11 min, nonverbal)

Colores
North American premiere! Tito, a blind boy from the city, goes on the adventure of his life with a little girl from the countryside. Together, they will use all their senses to find their way home. Watch the trailer >

(Samy Natsheh and Arly Jones, Spain, animation, 2017, 19 min, Spanish with English subtitles)

The Boy and Boris
World premiere! A lonely boy discovers a friendly monster that only he can see. Watch the trailer >

(Johnny Dutch, USA, live action, 2017, 6 min, English)

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
West coast premiere! Based on the classic children’s book, this gorgeously hand-drawn film follows the adventures of siblings and their pet dog as they go on an all-day, outdoor adventure in search of bears. Watch the trailer >

(Joanna Harrison and Robin Shaw, UK, animation, 2016, 25:25 min, English)

Content advisory: This is a program about adventures and animals, and so may include scenes that will be intense for the most sensitive young viewers In “Nino and Felix,” boys imagine battling each other physically, and then become friends. “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt,” includes an encounter with … well, a bear!