Pretty Anna-Lena
The calamitous course of a little girl’s passion for finery.
Age Range: 12
Assembly
Using paint-on-glass animation, Jenn Strom creates a beautiful tribute to the (disappearing) art of film splicing and editing, and to the all-women filmmakers of Studio D and founder Kathleen Shannon.
Hannah and the Moon
When Hannah’s mom is too busy to talk to her, she seeks the comfort of her only friend, the moon. But one day the moon disappears.
Small
When 12-year-old Noortje goes to the spa for her first massage, she is surprised to find a male masseur assigned to her. Massages are supposed to be relaxing — but with the unfamiliar feeling of a stranger’s hands on her skin, she has a hard time letting go!
The Princess, The Prince, and the Green-Eyed Dragon
The Prince just wants to read his newspaper. The Princess is looking for some excitement. And a thoughtful dragon is searching for a useful birthday present for his grandmother. In the end, they each get what they deserve.
Fifteen
It’s Vianney’s quinceañera, her fifteenth birthday, and she is getting ready for her party. But when things do not go as planned, the best efforts of parents and friends cannot change the fact that she is “not alright”.
Emmeline
A sweetly comic and playful celebration of what it means to be different — the fable of an awkward girl named Emmeline.
The House
In this dreamy, hypnotic film, images morph and flow through shifting frames of reference, making everything topsy-turvy, as a girl attempts to care for her grandmother within an ever changing house.
Through You
A young woman struggles through the crowd on her way to the store. As she passes these strangers, some leave a mark — but only one leaves a mark that sticks.
Ballet Story
With shades of Black Swan, jealousy and rivalry (and shards of glass) at a ballet school for girls.
Agnieszka
A young girl creates her own world in which she feels safe.
Crocodiles without Saddles
This intimate portrait of 12-year-old Kaddi Wandaogo uses a mix of archive, interview and video diary footage to express her deep feelings and experience growing up between German and African families.
A Monster in the Reservoir
A lonely monster lives in a secluded reservoir surrounded by mountains. He is almost discovered by a young girl, but is too scared to reveal himself. As time goes on, many different people visit the reservoir — but neither the girl nor the monster forget their chance encounter.
The Red Carpet
Rubina was born into poverty in the slums of Mumbai — the only world she knew until she landed the role of Latika in the Academy Award®-winning film Slumdog Millionaire. Despite that experience, Rubina’s life seems remarkably unchanged as she talks about her home and her dream of seeing herself on the screen once again.
Astrid
Astrid is fed up with not being allowed to do what she likes, so instead of going home with her mom, she steps onto a passing bus and runs away to hang out with her friends. However this one transgression leads to another, and soon Astrid is facing a life or death question that she is not quite capable of handling.
Neverland
Twelve-year-old Jeanne is spending a weekend with her parents at Disneyland in Paris. In a moment of indiscretion, Jeanne discovers a startling realization about her father.
Strong
“Can you imagine being huge — but graceful and beautiful and just gorgeous?” That’s Olympic weightlifter Cheryl Hawthorn describing her sleek, 5,000 pound, 1979 Lincoln Continental. But as we can so plainly see, it is Cheryl herself who is huge and graceful and gorgeous. And strong. By the age of 15, she was US weightlifting champion. By 17, she became the youngest athlete to win an Olympic weightlifting medal. She held the National title for 11 consecutive years. But perhaps even more compelling than her prowess as an athlete, is her poise and grace as a person. Tipping the scales at 300 pounds, Cheryl defies conventional notions of female beauty. Yet, whether she is working with her Olympic trainer, cooking at home with her mom in Savannah, or laughing about the difficulty of doing simple things like buying a dress or finding a chair that won’t collapse under her weight — it is precisely her strength and beauty that shine through. In our fitness-obsessed culture, where 18 pounds overweight is termed “obese,” Cheryl’s success makes us rethink how we see the female body and expands our notion of what it means to be powerful, healthy, and beautiful.
Starry Starry Night
Starry Starry Night is the imaginative, whimsical and emotionally resonant coming-of-age story of Mei, a day-dreamy seventh-grader whose life seems to be falling apart around her. To escape her parents’ relentless bickering, Mei immerses herself in a fantasy world of her own creation, populated by oversized origami animals and shadowy beasts that tag along with her on what would otherwise be dreary daily excursions. Meanwhile, shuffled from home to home by his mother, troubled newcomer Jay avoids contact with his new schoolmates and becomes an instant target for their derision and taunting. Brought together by their shared loneliness (and love of shoplifting), Mei and Jay sneak away to her grandfather’s isolated cottage in the countryside in an attempt to escape a reality that nonetheless, comes crashing in on them. Based on the graphic novel by Taiwanese writer Jimmy Liao, Starry Starry Night is a charming and honest portrayal of all the wonderful, life-changing, sometimes-painful events that can happen when you’re 13 and finding your place in the world.
Princess
Lois, 7 years old, has the same dream as her friends: to be a princess.
Mister Mirror Man
A stubborn fish collector goes overboard in the hunt for a rare catch.
In The Sea Where I Was Born
In a style between fairy tale and video diary, Sina describes her mother’s journey from war-torn Eritrea to Italy to her unborn sister.
Quiet Mujo
During soccer practice in Sarajevo, Mujo sends the ball flying into a nearby cemetery. Searching for the ball becomes a welcome escape for Mujo. But instead of the ball, he discovers another graveyard visitor.
Layla’s Melody
Eleven-year-old Layla lives in an orphanage in Kabul, and despite the many sacrifices she has endured — including not seeing her family for four years — her passion for music and education keeps her optimistic.
Marina’s Ocean
Marina yearns to see the ocean, but her disability interferes. Unable to travel to the beach with her sister and her friends, she sets out on an adventure of her own.
Giovanni and the Water Ballet
Ten-year-old Giovanni wants to be the first boy to compete in the Dutch Synchronized Swimming Championships. With his first “girlfriend” Kim cheering him on from the sidelines, will he fulfill his dream?
Chalk
Two thirteen-year-old professional gymnasts are competing at a national training camp when their friendship is put to the ultimate test. With subdued tones, filmmaker Martina Amati eloquently captures the unspoken tension between friends who are also rivals.
The First Step
Sacha, 12, is a solo figure skater trained by his father to become a champion. But his real dream is to skate–just once–with his crush, Rebecca.
Birds of Passage
Featuring a breakthrough performance from on adorable duck! Cathy’s always known her dad was eccentric, so she’s not entirely surprised when he gives her an egg for her birthday (though she got a cell phone from her mom). The duckling inside will think the first thing it sees is his mother, and even though she promises to watch it dutifully, it’s Cathy’s friend, Margaux, who is there when it hatches. While the friends both think Margaux will make an excellent caretaker, her parents see the wheelchair she’s confined to as too great an obstacle, and send the duckling away. So the girls set out on their own to prove them wrong. Refreshingly matter-of-fact, their ensuing search becomes not just for their web-footed friend, but also for friendship, independence, and belonging.
Secrets of War
Netherlands, 1943. Best friends Tuur and Lambert spend their time dreaming up adventures and discovering secret passages in the caves and forests that surround their close-knit village. Homemade wooden pistols serve as props in their playful war games, as they make light of the conflict that is building all around them. When new girl Maartje enters their social circle, the boys’ friendship faces a challenge typical of adolescence — and Lambert begins to feel more and more like the third wheel. But as the ramifications of German occupation encroach upon the children’s daily lives and the secrets of Maartje’s past come to light, Lambert’s jealousy has consequences more devastating than he can imagine. Secrets of War, with its lush backdrops and strong emotional performances from three young leads, expertly balances the universality of shifting young friendships with the moral complexity of war.
Belle & Sebastian: The Adventure Continues
The sequel to Festival 2015 Grand Prize winning feature Belle and Sebastian places us back in a sweeping panorama of the French Alps. Sebastian and his best friend, Belle, are on a mission to find Angelina, whose plane crash-landed on her return from the battlefields of WWII. Their bravery is in full force as they partner with a mysterious pilot and a gutsy new kid to take on the countless dangers, obstacles, and secrets they encounter in the expansive terrain. With a wink and a nod to classic family adventure films, Belle and Sebastian: The Adventure Continues is true to its title — bound to satisfy returning fans and win over new ones.