KUAP
If you’ve ever been the youngest of the group, you’ll sympathize with the little tadpole who always falls a tad behind in the charming KUAP.
Festival Year: 2019
Hybrids
Epic creature clashes depict a landscape we’ll inherit if we’re not mindful.
Floreana
Take your mind for a ride with Floreana’s illustrated flights of fancy through unimagined possibilities.
GRANBAD
After he’s pressured to graffiti a wall, a boy reveals his feelings—and his dyslexia.
Juni
Life in Curaçao may seem idyllic, but teens who feed themselves a diet of tough posturing and iguana stew make life challenging for a boy and his younger friend.
Home Sweet Home
A collage of stories bind granddaughter and grandmother despite time and distance.
Dilili in Paris
Travel to the bustling cafe culture of Paris in the Belle Epoque with Dilili, a bright young girl with perfect diction, grace, and eagle-eyed smarts as she begins to investigate a nefarious plot by the ominous Master Men. Together with Orel, a delivery boy who ferries her around jewel-toned Paris as only expert animator (NYICFF alum and Kirikou creator) Michel Ocelot could conceive, Dilili will stop at nothing until justice is restored. Our supersleuths journey through a turn-of-the-century world so evocative, you just might spot Picasso, Proust, or Marie Curie in the substrates and salons of the City of Lights.
A Town Called Panic: The County Fair
The last time we saw Horse, Cowboy, and Indian, they were accepting the Grand Prize at NYICFF 2014. Now the uproariously ridiculous trio is back with more fast-talking, herky-jerky stop motion antics in their latest adventure, The Agricultural Fair. Add the energy of their wickedly-witted directing duo—Ernest & Celestine’s Vincent Patar and Stéphane Aubier—and the result is a huge sum of laughs. But that’s not all. We’ve also added three of their classic A Town Called Panic shorts to multiply the frenetic fun in this special Festival Fast Forward/Flashback!
Double Trouble
Instead of a summer in Canada with her parents, Julka is stuck in Warsaw with an aunt who barely takes notice except to scold. When she forgets to lock up the house, letting thieves enter in, it’s her aunt’s unluckiest break—but it just might be her chance at adventure. Julka must convince her young new neighbor, Olek, to help her recover stolen plans that could uncover the location of a precious, long-lost piece of art. Despite their differences, they join forces in this heist-meets-art-history caper where nothing and no one is quite what it seems.
Aïlo: A Lapland Odyssey
From the heights of the Arctic poles to the bottom of the temperature scale, Aïlo and its panoramic Lapland landscape captivate with cinematic splendor. Follow a young reindeer’s first year at close range, filled with moments of puzzlement, wonder, struggle, and delight as Aïlo, guided by his mother, must navigate an icy world. Sharing the terrain with Aïlo are a hilariously wiley and ever-wiggly stoat, an endlessly curious red-eared squirrel, and sharp-eyed wolves, in this snowy story fashioned through witty narration and clever cross-cutting.
Catmos
The (cat) power of the cosmos can fuel you once you connect your charger to the energy and yin-yang fusion of Catmos.
Cerulia
In this meticulously crafted stop-motion menagerie, Cerulia may seem like delicate porcelain, but as the creepiness mounts, it’s the audience who just might crack first!
FISH
The choices we make at mealtime sometimes have a very big impact for a seemingly picky eater with a lot more on his mind.
A Field Guide to Being a 12-Year-Old Girl
Who doesn’t need A Field Guide to Being a 12-Year-Old Girl—whether you are, have been, or ever wanted to be one—in this wry comedy.
ZOG
Meet the fabulous, freethinking Zog in this brand new film from Magic Light Pictures (creators of NYICFF 2018’s The Highway Rat and 2016’s Revolting Rhymes
YOVER
Switchbacks and other creative hacks are always handy, as hardworking Yover demonstrates what it takes to push through adversity.
Xavier
A father is told his son isn’t like the others, but he knows his fledgling drummer boy will find his own beat.
The Shadow of Cairo
The Shadow of Cairo must take on a different mission and guise in the face of harassment during her first superhero outing on the streets of Egypt.
The Falcons
The Falcons are in for their toughest challenge ever, on and off the soccer field. As they head to the semi-finals of Westman Islands’ biggest soccer tournament, they’ll face jittery nerves, teammate hijinks, long-standing rivalries, and pressure from peers and family alike. Like all great sports dramas, there’s a lot more at stake than just soccer, and the team quickly learns that what’s on the surface doesn’t always match the core. With plot twists, white-knuckle soccer plays that take place amidst a rumbling volcano (yes, a volcano!), and above all, teamwork, you’re never offsides when you’re on the Falcons.
March 16th screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Bragi Thor Hinriksson!
March 16th screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Bragi Thor Hinriksson!
Penguin Highway
Precocious Aoyama is crazy for science. He calculates the days until he is grown up and keeps a scientific notebook at the ready. He’s got hypotheses and independent variables down pat. But some topics he hasn’t mastered: How do the laws of attraction operate? What is this emerging feeling for his hygienist-turned-tutor? As if puberty isn’t enough of a mystery, he must uncover what’s causing hordes of kawaii penguins to invade his suburban town, with help from the bright girl in his class. A charming tangle of scientific principles, fantastical physics, and baffling hormonal surges, Penguin Highway’s destination is the journey, all right.
Note: includes tween fixation with and objectification of female anatomy
Note: includes tween fixation with and objectification of female anatomy
Raoul Taburin
The truth takes some freewheeling liberties in this story based on the work of beloved writer and illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempé. Raoul’s hilly French town is crazy for vélos, bicycles that impart freedom and joy to all—all, that is, except Raoul. Everyone believes he’s the resident expert and champion stunt rider, but he’s never mastered cycling. Try as he might to reveal his secret, no one will buy it. Proving that even the biggest champ harbors a little imposter syndrome, Raoul Taburin warmly shows that weaknesses can be strengths when we learn to roll with them together.
Supa Modo
Kenya’s entry to the Oscars, Supa Modo is an inspired superhero tale. Celebrating the power of community, collaboration and filmmaking itself, a village rallies around Jo, a spirited young girl with a love of action heroes, as she battles illness with wit and wisdom beyond her years.
Queen of Niendorf
The classic boys-coming-of-age drama (think Stand By Me) gets a thoughtful, feminist update in the luminously filmed Queen of Niendorf. Ten-year-old Lea is bored of the vapid aspirations of most tween girls. So she alternates between lazily cycling through her sleepy village and the thrumming excitement of two new discoveries: a makeshift raft and treehouse boys’ club. Skeptical because she’s a girl, the club members make her prove her mettle. Lea realizes that true bravery is not just what you do, but sometimes what you don’t do—and isn’t afraid to prove it.
The Pig on the Hill
Pig may be up high, but his nimble new neighbor, Duck, shows how the most important spot of all is one next to friends.
The Pen Licence
Brushing up on penmanship is the name of the game if you want to graduate from pencils.
Polska Warrior
Eric Kaminsky feels a little like a fish out of water. Will the pool finally be the place where he can feel just right?
Pachamama
Tepulpai’s your average kid—headstrong and a bit naughty. It may seem unusual that he has a pet armadillo and wants to be a shaman, but not if you live in the ancient Peruvian Andes like he and his wise friend Naïra do. The two embark on a young heroes’ quest to locate their community’s stolen treasure, and must confront the Inca and newly arrived Spanish to retain their indigenous ways. With a vibrantly-hued palette and Pre-Colombian soundtrack of ancient flutes and condor wings, Pachamama exuberantly celebrates nature, culture, and community.
Okko’s Inn
Bright-eyed Okko has joined her grandmother at their family-run, hot springs inn, rolling up her sleeves to learn the traditional ways. Her way to deal with the recent loss of her parents is to work diligently and think of others instead of herself. She does great, though as a city kid the country creatures make her jumpy, as does a surprising new friend she finds “spirited” in more ways than one. Okko’s Inn beautifully addresses themes of loss, altruism, and love, while offering that—even in the face of challenges—compassion and delight can, and will, abound. Okko’s Inn hits theaters nationwide on April 22 & 23 in both its Japanese and English versions.
My Extraordinary Summer with Tess
While Sam’s family heads out for a Dutch island holiday of togetherness and fun, the 10-year-old decides it’s the perfect time to train himself to be alone. Even if his teen brother is a know-it-all, Sam’s got a great family and no reason to worry. But as the youngest, he fears one day he’ll outlive everyone. His training is interrupted when he meets spirited Tess, who, on a pressing quest of her own, pulls Sam into her madcap scheme. The two discover that, as messy and vulnerable as it is, maybe togetherness isn’t so bad.
Note: includes some explicit language, including sexual references, by teen
Note: includes some explicit language, including sexual references, by teen
My Body
Sometimes you talk to the mirror, and sometimes it tries to talk back. But your body is your business—and yours alone—and one young woman has had enough.