Ballet Story
With shades of Black Swan, jealousy and rivalry (and shards of glass) at a ballet school for girls.
Age Range: 18
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.
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.
The Idol
Based on a true story, The Idol chronicles Mohammad Assaf’s remarkable rise from a challenging life in Gaza to worldwide sensation and symbol of hope. Whenever he sings, everyone within earshot stops in awe of Mohammad’s beautiful voice. A lack of money and access to instruments won’t stop the ten-year-old and his sister, Nour (with whom he shares a deep bond, a tiny bedroom, and an obsession with music), from performing wherever they can with their makeshift band. It’s Nour who recognizes the true potential of her brother’s talent, and makes him promise to share his gift with the world. It isn’t until years later, feeling stuck and with few prospects, that he finally sees his voice as a ticket out. Risking serious consequences, Mohammad ventures on a journey to audition for Arab Idol to pursue his dream and fulfill his promise.
Lou
Twelve-and-a-half-year-old Lou lives alone with her absurdly immature mother, Emma. She spends her days playing with her new cat, eating at the local Chinese restaurant, and spying on her dreamy neighbor Tristan, obsessively journaling his every move. Her mom has been in a funk lately, eating junk food in her pajamas, playing video games, and generally behaving more like a teen than her on-the-cusp-of-adolescence daughter. But all this changes with the arrival of the new bohemian neighbor, Richard, who ignites her goofy mother’s romantic interest and triggers and series of increasingly embarrassing episodes that test the long-suffering Lou’s patience and sympathy. Director Julien Neel has turned the French comic and animated TV series into quirky, mom and daughter buddy movie, with vibrant and brilliantly kitschy bubble-gum production and design and plenty of cringe-worthy, awkward comedic situations, as it humorously celebrates the bonds of female friendship.
Belle & Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian is a timeless story of a boy and his dog–a story of friendship, courage, and loyalty–set against the jaw-dropping scenery and alpine panoramas of Haute Maurienne-Vanoise region of France. Sebastian lives with his grandfather, Cesar, in a vertiginous mountain village, where he crosses paths with a giant and dirty Pyrenean Mountain Dog who the locals have dubbed “The Beast” for allegedly killing their livestock. But Sebastian sees something good in the misunderstood canine and befriends the animal, renaming her “Belle.” Their budding friendship is put to the test when Nazis march into town looking to root out a band of resistance fighters who are guiding Jewish refugees to neighboring Switzerland. With their intimate knowledge of the nooks and crannies of the alpine valleys, Belle and Sebastian join the struggle and help point the way to safety.
Beatles
Considering themselves the Fab Four of Oslo, Kim and his three best friends attempt to harness their devotion to the greatest band in the world — the Beatles — into a band of their own. The change that seemed to embody the sixties is echoed in the boys’ own adolescent lives, as complications with girls, parties, protests, family, (did we mention girls?) threaten the bonds of the bandmates. Louis Williams as Kim leads the charming cast of newcomers with as much charisma as Sir Paul himself, while a soundtrack of Beatles songs captures the romance, drama, and playfulness of the times. Based on one of the most beloved novels in Norway and packed with the melodrama synonymous with growing up, BEATLES reminds us that, no matter what form it takes, all you need is love.
When Marnie was There
When shy, artistic Anna moves to the seaside to live with her aunt and uncle, she stumbles upon an old mansion surrounded by marshes, and the mysterious young girl, Marnie, who lives there. The two girls instantly form a unique connection and friendship that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. As the days go by, a nearly magnetic pull draws Anna back to the Marsh House again and again, and she begins to piece together the truth surrounding her strange new friend. Based on the novel by Joan G. Robinson, and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, When Marnie was There has been described as “Ghibli Gothic,” with its moonlit seascapes, glowing orchestral score, and powerful dramatic portrayals that build to a stormy climax.
April and the Extraordinary World
Paris, 1941. A family of scientists is on the brink of uncovering a powerful longevity serum when they are suddenly abducted by a mysterious force, leaving their young daughter April behind. Ten years later and without any trained scientists, Paris is stuck in the steam age. April lives alone with her best friend, a talking cat named Darwin, carrying her parents’ research in secret. Soon she is mixed up in a far-reaching conspiracy and on the run from government agents. Whip-smart and determined, she continues her quest to find her parents and discover the truth behind their disappearance. Extraordinary indeed, April’s world is a steampunk paradise filled with cleverly outlandish inventions and gadgetry, designed by Jacques Tardi in the same simple but stunning style of his iconic graphic novels.
Little Door Gods
Door Gods are traditionally placed as ornaments to ward off evil, but in Little Door Gods, these ancient characters come alive in a stunning 3D, cross-dimension adventure. The Spirit World is facing unemployment: with humans caring less and less about the Gods, the currency of belief is dwindling and their world is in disarray. The threat is very real for Door Gods Yu Lei and Shen Lu, who decide to prove their worth by entering the human realm. Their unconventional plan leads to some tumultuous — and hilarious — results. While Yu Lei seeks to conquer a ferocious monster, Shen Lu finds purpose with a small family struggling to keep their delicious noodle shop afloat. The fate of the ancient world (and an ancient soup recipe) is at stake!
the case of hana and alice
case of hana and alice defies genres by combining them: part buddy-comedy, part detective story, all wrapped up in a charming coming-of-age tale. Moonstruck Alice is new to a school that she soon discovers is consumed with the mystery of a missing classmate. Her path to make sense of it all leads her right back to her reclusive neighbor, Hana, and the two quickly bond over their desire to close the case. A silly and slapdash investigation ensues, sending the girls all over the city and into the lives of a carousel of quirky characters. As the mysteries unfold, so does a touching friendship between the girls, portrayed with as much authenticity as the photorealistic animation that accompanies it.
Love is in the Fair
Boy meets girl. Boy buys girl candy apple. Boy and girl kiss on top of the ferris wheel. Destiny awaits.
I Am Yup’ik
For the Yup’ik Eskimo community in Alaska, basketball is everything. When they travel across hundreds of miles of frozen tundra for a tournament, it is clear that their team spirit is just as strong off the court.