Providence Children's Film Festival

Schedule:

10:00 am: Let’s Get Animated

Director(s): Multiple Directors
Country: Canada, China, Czech Republic, France, Iran, Russian Federation, United Kingdom
Language: English, musical, or no dialogue, Some w/ English subtitles
Animation | 2024 | 72 minutes
Recommended for all ages (Parental Guidance: Appropriate for all ages.)
Animation IS magic. Giving inanimate materials the illusion of having life can be extraordinary. Puppets, clay cats and baking flour are just a few to come to life this year!

CATS ARE LIQUID- (Ko?ky jsou tekuté) What melts in your lap, pours into a glass, and slides through your fingers into a pool on the floor? This filmmaker takes full advantage of their claymation kitty’s shapeshifting abilities, and amps up the fun with a squishy squashy soundtrack. Meow! (2023/ 1 min/ Czech Republic/ dir. Natálie Durchánková/ non-verbal)

CROSSWALK- Big drama in the tiny moments before the crosswalk sign turns green. A clever take on different perceptions of time. (2023/ 2 min/ Russian Federation/ dir. Daria Volchok/ non-verbal)

DEDE IS DEAD- Dede the dog and her boy are best friends. So when Dede dies unexpectedly, her boy’s sadness is unbearable. Her spirit helps him honor his grief, find beauty, and foster new loves. Dedicated to dogs who have passed away and the grieving humans they leave behind. ( 2023/ 8.5 min/ Czech Republic/ dir. Philippe Kastner/ non-verbal)

FEATHERS AND WHISPERS- ( Les Bruits) Once upon a time, there was a sound,
A nursery rhyme that danced all around.
It’ll stay in your head, make your fingers sway,
Tralala, it’s a tune that’ll brighten your day.
The crow, oh the crow, so clever and wise,
Embraced our honks and bustling cries.
Can we, too, learn to embrace and adore,
A “croak croak” that echoes, now and evermore? ( 2023/ 6.5 min/ France/ dir. Hélène Ducrocq/ French)

FLOUR & MUSH- A chance encounter between a living sack of flour and a magical mushroom-sprouting tree trunk grows into a love that endures hardship, injury and even death. (2022/ 12 min/ China/ dir. Emily Wong/ non-verbal)

THE HEDGEHOG- Can a hedgehog swim? A little boy can’t rest until he finds the answer. He throws one into the deep end and discovers that hedgehogs have their own opinions on swimming. This one isn’t afraid to retaliate! (2023/ 1.5 min/ Czech Republic/ dir. Daniela Hýbnerová/ non-verbal)

LIGHTS- (Sv?tla) In a town where young flames are initiated into life as lightbulbs, one flame rebels. (2023/ 8.5 min/ Czech Republic/ dir. Jitka Nemikinsová/ non-verbal)

OUR PHOTO MOMENTO- Old photos come to life in this stop-motion rom-com! An elderly gentleman tries desperately to move from his own photo into his wife’s across the wall. They’ll have to think outside the box (literally!) to make it happen. (2022/ 6.5 min/ Iran/ dir. Alireza Mirzaee/ non-verbal)

PINK NOISE- (Bruit Rose) A kaleidoscope of flora and fauna bursts off the screen in this beautiful poetic ode to the creation of life. (2022/ 2 min/ France/ dir. Martin Wiklund, Athrur Lemaitre, Ulysse Lefort/ non-verbal)

SHACKLE- Three archetypal woodland spirits explore the conflicting human drives of creativity, possessiveness and our desire for status. (2022/ 10 min/ UK/dir. Ainslie Henderson/ English)

SOCKS FOR THE STAR-A humble star weaver’s newest constellation comes to life to share a dance – until she’s snapped up by a sky serpent! Can the weaver rescue her before it’s too late? Jaw-dropping stop motion in a beautiful ballet-meets-folkdance piece. (2023/ 9.5 min/ Russian Federation/dir. Olga Titova/ non-verbal)

SUNFLOWER- (Tournesol) When a sunflower like no other chooses to take a new look at his environment, he will discover a totally different universe…(2023/ 4.5 min/ France/ dir. Natalia Chernysheva/ non-verbal)

TWO ONE TWO- (Deux Un Deux) Two One Two, by award-winning filmmaker Shira Avni, combines shimmering clay on glass animation with personal archives in this deeply intimate, experimental animated documentary love letter to motherhood, parenting on the spectrum, and two headed monsters everywhere. (2023/ 4 min/ Canada/ dir. Shira Avni/ English)

THE WORLD- (Le Monde) Fly with birds, bounce on flowers and marvel at new insect friends in this larger-than-life ode to our natural world. (2023/ 3 min/ France/ dir. Baptiste Ratajski/ French)

Location: South Providence Library (441 Prairie Avenue, Providence, RI)

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11:45 am: Passionate Pursuits

Director(s): Multiple Directors
Country: Canada, France, Kyrgyzstan, Netherlands, United Kingdom, United States
Language: In English or w/English subtitles
Multiple Film Types | 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 | 80 min
Recommended for ages 8+ (Parental Guidance: Ages 8+)
Passionate Pursuits – Stories of people with a passion so strong they live, practice, or focus more effort towards their goal than anything else they know. Seeing their stories might get YOU inspired!

THE ADVENTURES OF BAXTER & CLIDE- An adventurous boy & a magical duck join forces to avert a crisis of lunar proportions. Set in 1960 in rural Maine and inspired by American animated tv serials of that time. ( 2022/ 7.5 min/ USA/ dir. John Michaud/ English)

FEARLESS GOPHER- (Marmote Intrépide) A young boy scout is on a mission to free his friend from her house since her dad won’t let her go to camp with a broken arm. (2020/ 6 min/ dir. Miguel Lambert/ French)

HEAD IN THE CLOUDS- (Te?te en l’air) Alfonso may be a squirrel, but he’s a cloud-watcher at heart. Family and friends may roll their eyes, but he is content to be different – the clouds are worth it. (2023/ 10.5 min/ France/ dir. Rémi Durin/ French and German)

I CREATED MEMORIES- Sammy Gadbois uses snippets of life in Kuujjuaq, Canada, to reflect about his own purpose on earth. (2019/ 2.5 min/ Canada/ dir. Sammy Gadbois/ English)

SALVADOR DALI- Orozbek lives in a snowy mountain village with his grandmother, friends and plenty of animals, which he paints on whenever he runs out of art paper. When an icy river blocks his path to school he must decide what risks are worth taking to make it to art class. (2021/ 19 min/ Kyrgyzstan/ dir. Eldiar Madakim/ Kirghiz)

THE SOUND COLLECTOR (HARP STRINGS)- With the help of his hearing aids, recording equipment and cuddly best friend Mole, the Sound Collector discovers how beautiful a harp can sound – and how noisy a room can be before a concert! Can he record his sounds for the day before the humans spot him? Part of a soothing 60-episode series in the UK narrated by Keira Knightly. (2023/ 5 min/ UK/ dir. Chris Tichborne/ English)

SUMMER BLOOD- It’s finally summer, and vampire Drac is ready for fun in the sun! But vampires turn to dust in sunlight. Drac’s crafty sun solutions fail one after another…can his old friend help him out? (2022/ 2.5 min/ USA/ dir. Sarah Natasha Djuandy/ English)

BIKE LANE ENDS- An anxious 8-year-old must rescue her adventurous BFF from an alternate dimension at the end of a bike lane. (2023/ 7.5 min/USA/ dir. Noah Glenn/ English)

HOOBA- 3000 BC. A small group of inhabitants of the ‘Low Countries’ are fighting the elements and hunger. Their endless inaptitude to organize themselves combines with their impulsiveness and this leads to the building of the mysterious standing stone buildings of The Netherlands. ( 2022/ 2 min/ Netherlands/ dir. Sem Assink/ non-verbal)

Location: South Providence Library (441 Prairie Avenue, Providence, RI)

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1:30 pm: Wolfwalkers – En Español

Country: Belgium / France
Language: Spanish w/ English subtitles
Animation | 2020 |
Recommended for ages 8+ (Parental Guidance: Appropriate for all ages.)

People don’t talk about Tomm Moore the way they talk about Hayao Miyazaki or Pixar, but they should. Each of the Irish animator’s three features is a precious jewel, firmly planted in ancient Celtic mythology but shimmering with vitality and intelligence. Wolfwalkers is a worthy follow up to The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea. In a time of superstition and magic, a young apprentice, Robyn Goodfellowe, journeys to Ireland with her father, a hunter, to wipe out the last wolf pack. While exploring the forbidden lands outside the city walls, Robyn befriends a free-spirited girl, Mebh, a member of a mysterious tribe rumored to have the ability to transform into wolves by night. As they search for Mebh’s missing mother, Robyn uncovers a secret that draws her further into the enchanted world of the Wolfwalkers and risks turning into the very thing her father is tasked to destroy.

Location: South Providence Library (441 Prairie Avenue, Providence, RI)

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3:45 pm: Memory Forest

Director(s): Roman Shomonov
Country: Israel
Language: Hebrew w/ English subtitles
Live Action | 2023 | 94 min
Recommended for ages 13+ (Parental Guidance: Ages 13+ for profanity, drinking, sexual situations.)

An honest and thought-provoking dramatic film about historical trauma that asks the big question – why do we keep history alive? Israeli teens embark on a trip to Poland to learn more about the Holocaust but discover more about themselves.

Location: South Providence Library (441 Prairie Avenue, Providence, RI)

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