02 / 21
Start: 11:00
Vancouver Theatrical Premiere
Hayo Freitag / France / 2007 / 79 min
La petite Tiffany traverse une sombre forêt à bord d’une diligence qui la conduit vers son nouveau foyer, un orphelinat dirigé par une tyrannique directrice. C’est alors que l’attelage se fait attaquer par trois brigands. Mais l’audacieuse Tiffany est enchantée par cette rencontre: elle tient là sa chance pour échapper à l’orphelinat. À l’aide de quelques stratagèmes et de quelques mensonges, elle parvient à se faire enlever par les trois brigands. La petite fille va totalement chambouler leur vie. Mais réussira-t-elle à transformer nos trois redoutables voleurs de grand chemin en trois gentils papas? Version Française
Start: 13:00
Duggholufólkid
Ari Kristinsson / Iceland / 2007 / 82 min
Themes: courage, over coming fear, power of the imagination, the influence of technology
Kalli is less than enthusiastic about spending Christmas at his father's rural home. It is bad enough that he doesn't get along with his stepsister, Ellen; the region does not even have cell-phone service. When his stepmother goes into labour, leaving Kalli and Ellen alone in the house, Kalli seizes the opportunity to hike to a nearby transmission tower where he plans to phone a taxi to take him back to his mother in the city. He has no idea of the adventure that lies in store.
Start: 15:00
After the death of his mother, twelve-year-old Branko goes looking for his father, a traveling fiddler, in a nearby coastal town. Hungry, he snatches a fish from the local market, gets nabbed by the fish merchant, and is thrown into jail. Zora, the leader of a gang of five orphans, frees him. They have made a home for themselves in the ruins of a castle on a mountain overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Chased by the town's well-to-do children, and the local police, Zora's gang strikes back with ingenuity and camaraderie.
Start: 15:00
Die Rote Zora
Peter Kahane / Germany / 2007 / 99 min
Themes: problem solving, justice, courage, poverty and resourcefulness
After the death of his mother, twelve-year-old Branko goes looking for his father, a traveling fiddler, in a nearby coastal town. Hungry, he snatches a fish from the local market, gets nabbed by the fish merchant, and is thrown into jail. Zora, the leader of a gang of five orphans, frees him. They have made a home for themselves in the ruins of a castle on a mountain overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Chased by the town's well-to-do children, and the local police, Zora's gang strikes back with ingenuity and camaraderie. German website.
Start: 17:00
Martin Duffy / Ireland / 2008 / 84 min
It’s the summer of 1967. While the rest of the world dances to the beat of Hendrix, Joplin and the Beatles, fifteen-year-old Dan Mullaney is stuck on a farm in rural Ireland. His dream of furthering his education is hindered by his father, who believes it is Dan’s duty to take over the farm. Life becomes slightly more interesting when he befriends two visitors, whose exotic, unusual appearance singles them out as decidedly foreign. Dan stumbles onto their unbelievable secret: they are aliens who have crash-landed on Earth and are desperate to fix their flying saucer in order to leave before it is discovered. However, Dan discovers that getting two aliens to blend into this conservative village is easier said than done. He soon realizes that the only way to explain their unusual look and clothing to the close-minded villagers is to pass them off as hippies. But, no matter how hard Dan drills the aliens in basic Irish social skills, getting the prejudiced villagers to tolerate their presence is risky business. This imaginative comedy explores the importance of peace, love and understanding.
Start: 19:00
Canadian Theatrical Premiere
Xiatian de Weiba
Cheng Wentang /Taiwan-Hong Kong / 2008 / 99 min
Themes: coming of age, dating, non conformity, personal growth, life in Taiwan
Yvette is a fainthearted singer and songwriter whose poetic soul makes her the apple of her mother's eye and popular at school. While performing at a school concert, Yvette collapses and is sent to the hospital. Reviving with best friend Wendy by her side, she notices the arrival of fellow student Jimmy and schoolteacher Miss Xiu. The attractive teacher has to end her affair with Jimmy or lose her job. Miss Xiu is prepared to move on, but the smitten schoolboy is going through the emotional roller coaster. All this makes Jimmy oblivious to the interest of girls his own age. Wendy is attracted to the love struck boy, but will clearly go with soccer-obsessed Japanese exchange student Akira if he makes the first move. Good times and bad times pass with lackadaisical charm in this upbeat portrayal of young adults resisting conformity while seeking a place in society.
In Mandarin, with English subtitles.
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02 / 22
Start: 12:00
*Canadian Premiere
Saga no gabai baachan
Hitoshi Kurauchi / Japan / 2007 / 101 min
Set in a rural village in southern Japan in the late 1950s, the film tells the story of seven-year-old Akihiro. When his bar-hostess mother finds it a struggle to support her two sons, he is whisked away from Hiroshima to live with his grandmother in small-town Saga. Akihiro’s unconventional yet charming “super granny” is an expert in finding the bright side of everything despite living in severe poverty. Based on the autobiographical novel of Japanese comedian Yoshichi Shimada, Super Granny is a delightful story that celebrates the wealth and importance of family ties, even in the most meager times.
In Japanese with English subtitles. Subtitles will be read aloud by an experienced reader.
Start: 14:00
Liscio
Claudio Antonini / Italy / 2006 / 80 min
This charming comedy is about Raul, a happy and mature 12-year-old whose mother, Monica, sings in a nightclub. Life with a romantic free spirit is troubling and confusing for young Raul. Rather than let his mother continue to make poor choices, and fight his peers who criticize her lifestyle, Raul decides to introduce her to the music teacher at his school. Raul embarks on a number of clumsy attempts to set up a meeting. His plan doesn’t work out as imagined, but it enables Raul to understand an important life lesson.
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02 / 23
Start: 10:00
Le Genie de la Boite de Raviolis
Claude Barras | 2005 | France Grade 3+
Armand works on the assembly line of a tinned pasta factory. One evening a Genie appears out of a tin of ravioli promising to fulfill any two wishes...In French with English subtitles.
Screens again at 11:45am as part of Reel Focus program: A Horse of a Different Colour
Start: 10:00
Helen Hill / Canada / 1996 / 3 min / Grade 3+
Sometimes the best romance is an accidental romance between friends.
Screens again at 11:45am as part of Reel Focus program: A Horse of a Different Colour
Start: 10:00
Francoise Doherty / Canada / 2008 / 3 min
A cute, romantic ditty about the long distance relationship between two rabbit lovers.
Screens again at 11:45am as part of Reel Focus program: A Horse of a Different Colour
Start: 10:00
Pierre-Luc Granjon and Pascal Le Nôtre / France, Canada / 2007 / 28 min / Grade 3+
Start: 10:00
Steve Angel / Sargent York, Canada / 1999 / 5 min / Grade 3+
This is the story of computer wizard Sam Digital, who spends her days detecting viruses to keep the internet waves clear for our web-obsessed society in the year 2050. Sam learns there is more than one way to surf.
Screens again at 11:45am as part of Reel Focus program: A Horse of a Different Colour
Start: 10:00
Jean-Pierre Morin / Canada / 2006 / 6 min / Grade 3+
This short and sad tale is about how an old pirate came to be made of wood.
Screens again at 11:45am as part of Reel Focus program: A Horse of a Different Colour
Start: 10:00
*World Premiere
Regis Camargo / USA / 2008 / 7 min / Grade 3+
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02 / 24
Start: 10:00
Karen Nielsen / Canada / 2008 / 13 min / Grade 5+
Eleven-year-old Charlie follows a wayward baseball into an old house and finds Mack, an old man that time forgot. Together, they embark on a journey of friendship, which leads to the ultimate pickle for Charlie, who must find the strength to do what’s right even if it leads to his own decline. Director in attendance.
Start: 10:00
*BC Premiere
Jonathan Taylor / USA / 2008 / 3 min / Grade 5+
A veteran gunslinger prepares to uphold his reputation against a rookie, but who is the real threat? Director in attendance.
Screens again at 11:45am as part of Reel Focus program: Unlikely Friendships
Start: 10:00
*Vancouver Premiere
Annie Bradley / Canada / 2008 / 17 min / Grade 5+
When twelve-year-old Violet is hassled by schoolyard bullies about her ill-fitting winter coat, she vows to earn the money to buy a new one. When she finds employment with Edith, an elderly and eccentric shut-in, Violet earns an unlikely friendship that fits her best of all.
Start: 10:00
*Vancouver Premiere
Minha Rainha
Cecilia Amado / Brazil / 2008 / 11 min Grade 5+
Start: 10:00
*Vancouver Premiere
Laurence Sarezky / USA / 2006 / 15 min / Grade 5+
Start: 10:00
Die Rote Zora
Peter Kahane / Germany / 2007 / 99 min
Themes: problem solving, justice, courage, poverty and resourcefulness
After the death of his mother, twelve-year-old Branko goes looking for his father, a traveling fiddler, in a nearby coastal town. Hungry, he snatches a fish from the local market, gets nabbed by the fish merchant, and is thrown into jail. Zora, the leader of a gang of five orphans, frees him. They have made a home for themselves in the ruins of a castle on a mountain overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Chased by the town's well-to-do children, and the local police, Zora's gang strikes back with ingenuity and camaraderie. German website.
Start: 12:30
Canadian Theatrical Premiere
Xiatian de Weiba
Cheng Wentang /Taiwan-Hong Kong / 2008 / 99 min
Themes: coming of age, dating, non conformity, personal growth, life in Taiwan
Yvette is a fainthearted singer and songwriter whose poetic soul makes her the apple of her mother's eye and popular at school. While performing at a school concert, Yvette collapses and is sent to the hospital. Reviving with best friend Wendy by her side, she notices the arrival of fellow student Jimmy and schoolteacher Miss Xiu. The attractive teacher has to end her affair with Jimmy or lose her job. Miss Xiu is prepared to move on, but the smitten schoolboy is going through the emotional roller coaster. All this makes Jimmy oblivious to the interest of girls his own age. Wendy is attracted to the love struck boy, but will clearly go with soccer-obsessed Japanese exchange student Akira if he makes the first move. Good times and bad times pass with lackadaisical charm in this upbeat portrayal of young adults resisting conformity while seeking a place in society. Chinese website.
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02 / 25
Start: 10:00
*BC Premiere
Lalita Krishna / Canada / 2009 / 25 min
This film portrays three young activists who have made a difference in the life of thousands around the world. Age is clearly not a criteria for someone to make a difference in the world.
Start: 10:00
Duggholufólkid
Ari Kristinsson / Iceland / 2007 / 82 min
Themes: courage, over coming fear, power of the imagination, the influence of technology
Kalli is less than enthusiastic about spending Christmas at his father's rural home. It is bad enough that he doesn't get along with his stepsister, Ellen; the region does not even have cell-phone service. When his stepmother goes into labour, leaving Kalli and Ellen alone in the house, Kalli seizes the opportunity to hike to a nearby transmission tower where he plans to phone a taxi to take him back to his mother in the city. He has no idea of the adventure that lies in store.
Start: 10:00
Directors: Jan Locher & Thomas Hinke / Germany / 2005 / 5 min / Grade 3+
Three little sparrows are trying to chant their song, but are constantly interrupted by a big grey bird with a propeller.
Screens again at 11:45am as part of Reel Focus program: A Horse of a Different Colour
Start: 10:00
Lucinda Schreiber / Australia / 2007 / 8 min
A goat with an appetite for life realizes that time is dangerously delicious.
Screens again at 11:45am as part of Reel Focus program: A Horse of a Different Colour
Start: 10:00
Siri Melchior / UK / 2002 / 4 min / Grade 3+
A dog has a cat inside him. The dog and cat fight, and the one's desires always get in the way of the other’s. The two try to find some common ground. This animated fable is based on the Danish proverb 'Don’t judge a dog by its fur.'
Screens again at 11:45am as part of Reel Focus program: A Horse of a Different Colour
Start: 11:45
Jeremiah Dickey / USA / 2007 / 2 min / Grade 5+
This animated short is a beautiful refashioning of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.
Director Jeremiah Dickey
Start: 11:45
Nicholas Wong / Canada / 2008 / 12 min / Grade 4+
"Take Your Kids to Work Day" presents a challenge for Ralph, a failed artist working as a house painter and a single parent to seven-year-old Zack. Zack is talented and wants to be an artist just like his dad – realities that concern Ralph, who doesn’t want his son to end up a house painter. Should Ralph keep his job a secret or have faith in himself, and his son, and reveal the truth?
Start: 11:45
Oskar Laffont / Mexico, UK / 2008 / Grade 5+
Shot against a stunning Mexican landscape, this is the moving story about the magic of childhood, and the timeless teachings of the Raramuris. In Tarahumara with English subtitles.
Director Oskar Laffont
Start: 11:45
Cayman Grant / Canada, USA / 2008 / 12 min / Grade 4+
Amidst the racism, poverty and intense heat of 1950s southern United States, one young boy -with nothing to offer- still gives with all his heart. James Avery (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air) co-stars.
Director Cayman Grant
Start: 11:45
Chris Jones / UK / 2008 / 13 min / Grade 5+
Gone Fishing is the touching story of a boy and an old man coming to terms with bereavement through their shared love of fishing, and the legend of Goliath, the biggest pike ever caught!
Director Chris Jones
Start: 11:45
Cory Bowles / Canada / 2008 / 11 min Grade 5+Three boys play idly along the beach until their discovery of a mermaid, washed ashore, changes the course of the next few hours. As their curiosity escalates, they lay claim to the creature, whose mystery both attracts and repels them.
Start: 11:45
*World Premiere
Sylvie Trouve / Canada / 2008 / 2 min
What if a tree branch could tap on a pipe to create a rhythm or shadows could whistle us a tune. Through manipulation of its own movement and timing as well as creative interpretation and animation the city comes to life in a new way. It dances and takes on new forms as the objects of its collage become the instruments.
Start: 12:30
Nicolas Brault / Canada / 2008 / 9 min / Grade 7+
Under the African sun, a mother's soul resurrected by music will return strength and life to her child. The hungu is an African musical instrument that provides Nicolas Brault with a timeless story told in graceful animation.
Start: 12:30
*Canadian Premiere
Themes: music, cross-cultural communication, indigenous education, Kenyan life and culture
Triumph in Africa, not tragedy. Collaboration, not charity. Abundance of spirit, not poverty of resources. The Music Lesson tells the story of two groups of young people from extraordinarily different backgrounds as they use the power of music to discover each other's worlds. Ten classically trained students from the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra traveled across the world for a life-changing cultural exchange with a group of students from Laikipia, Kenya, whose tribal elders have passed down the tradition of playing music. One day can change your life. These teenagers had 10.
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02 / 26
Start: 10:00
Jean-François Lévesque / Canada / 2008 / 13 min / Grade 5+
Start: 10:00
Aparna Kapur / Canada / 2008 / 6 min / Grade 5+
This poetic narration of a young girl's life explores her deep symbiotic relationship with her grandmother and how their love for one another surpasses this physical world.
Screens again at 11:45am as part of Reel Focus program: Animation Nation
Start: 10:00
Kunal Sen / Canada / 2008 / 7 min / Grade 5+
Caramel custard, ping pong and potty all play an important role in this charming animation about a young Indian boy exploring where he came from as he prepares for the performance of a lifetime. Based on actual events, the film spans 40 years, two generations, and playfully points to the next!
Start: 10:00
*Vancouver Premiere
Milen Vitnov / Germany, Bulgaria / 2007 / 5min / Grade 3+
This unique animation, which makes clever use of simple pencil and paper, tells the story of a dog who finds the best friend he could ever imagine - his own tail!
Screens again at 11:45am as part of Reel Focus program: Animation Nation
Start: 10:00
*Canadian Premiere
Saga no gabai baachan
Hitoshi Kurauchi / Japan / 2007 / 101 min
Themes: coping with adversity, family relationships, Japanese culture and traditions, perseverance
Set in a rural village in southern Japan in the late 1950s, the film tells the story of seven-year-old Akihiro. When his bar-hostess mother finds it a struggle to support her two sons, he is whisked away from Hiroshima to live with his grandmother in small-town Saga. Akihiro’s unconventional yet charming “super granny” is an expert in finding the bright side of everything despite living in severe poverty. Based on the autobiographical novel of Japanese comedian Yoshichi Shimada, Super Granny is a delightful story that celebrates the wealth and importance of family ties, even in the most meager times.
Start: 10:00
Mike Maryniuk, Matthew Rankin / Canada / 2008 / 4 min / Grade 7+
This high-speed animated documentary about the North American art of livestock auctioneering features the mesmerizing verbal talents of master auctioneer Tim Dowler. The film uses a variety of classic and avant-garde animation.
Screens again at 11:45am as part of Reel Focus program: Animation Nation
Start: 10:00
Fabrice Joubert / France / 2008 / 8 min / Grade 5+
In a fancy Parisian Café, an uptight businessman finds out that he has lost his wallet, and that he can't pay the bill. To postpone paying, he decides to order more coffee...
Screens again at 11:45am as part of Reel Focus program: Animation Nation
Start: 10:00
*Vancouver Premiere
Daniel Janke / Canada / 2008 / 16 min / Grade 5+
The magic of storytelling is revisited with the tale of how Chicken Hawk and Crow find fire for cooking salmon and why Chicken Hawks have short beaks.
Screens again at 11:45am as part of Reel Focus program: Animation Nation
Start: 10:00
*Vancouver Premiere
Mats Grorud / Norway / 2008 / 9 min / Grade 5+
This clay animation is a story about the modernization of Beijing, as told through the eyes of a young boy, playing with his old, wrinkly grandmother.
Screens again at 11:45am as part of Reel Focus program: Animation Nation
Start: 12:30
Themes: First Nations history, documentary, historical, re-enactment, oral tradition, and racism
It was news that shook the English-speaking world. Celebrated British explorer Sir John Franklin and his crew of 128 men had perished in the Arctic ice during an ill-fated attempt to discover the Northwest Passage. More shocking, they had descended into madness and cannibalism. The report came in 1851, from John Rae, a doctor from Orkney working for the Hudson's Bay Company. But Rae's horrific news did not sit well with Sir John's widow, Lady Franklin, nor with the Admiralty, nor with many others in British society, including Charles Dickens. They waged a bitter public campaign that would discredit Rae's version of events, banish him to the margins of history and mark the entire nation of Inuit with the horrifying label of murderous cannibals.
Start: 12:30
This animated film tells the traditional Haida story of a little boy who turns into a tree.
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02 / 27
Start: 09:30
Jim Verburg / Canada / 2008 / 2 min
Through a collage of family photographs, photocopies, and personal audio recordings Verburg creates layered and obstructed narrative exploring memory and family history. The film testifies that the telling is often an act of emotional encryption, leaving the younger generation to decipher messages between what has been communicated and what hasn't.
Start: 09:30
John Bolton / Canada / 2008 / 15min / Grade 8+
This disquieting story of three teenagers caught in a web of sex, money and self-regard is set against the backdrop of the first Robert Pickton verdict.
Director in attendance.
Director John Bolton
Start: 09:30
Peg Campbell / Canada / 2008 / 20 min / Grade 8+
This deeply personal narrative explores the hopes and fears in mother-daughter relationships. Using archival family footage and current interviews, Campbell weaves an evocative tapestry of three generations of women. Director in attendance.
Start: 09:30
*Vancouver Premiere
Marly Reed / Canada / 2008 / 12 min Grade 8+
Elizabeth is haunted by events in her past. While being interrogated by a police detective, memories flash through her mind, and she tries to reconstruct what really happened. Torn between doctrinaire religious beliefs, and the fear that she is losing her mind, Elizabeth struggles to make sense of her past.
Director in attendance.
Start: 09:30
Jimi Cuell / Canada / 2008 / 8 min / Grade 7+
A tribute to Michael Jackson's Thriller music video, this film was written, shot, and edited in 48 hours for the Bloodshots 2008 filmmaking competition.
Writer in attendance and actor in attendance.[move to next line]
Director in attendance.
Start: 09:30
*BC Premiere
Nathan Collett / Kenya, Somalia / 2008 / 7 min / Grade 8+
This film tells the dramatic story of two brothers who are trapped in a murderous cycle of environmental and cultural devastation in Somalia. The first fictional film shot on location in Somalia in over 15 years, Charcoal Traffic features a local cast with no previous acting experience.
Start: 09:30
Marc Brummund / Germany / 2007 / 20 min / Grade 8+
Andrej and Lena have been living illegally in Germany for years. When their son Mischa reaches school age, they can't hide any longer. Mischa's future is at stake, and they are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure a bright one, whatever the risks.
Start: 09:30
Kamala Todd / Canada / 2008 / 9 min / Grade 8+
In the language of the Squamish Nation, Cease Wyss was given the name 'T'Uy'Tanat', meaning "Woman who travels by canoe to gather medicines for all people." In director Kamala Todd's lyrical portrait, Wyss reveals the remarkable healing powers of plants growing among the sprawling urban streets of downtown Vancouver.
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02 / 28
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Opening Night Gala and Award Presentation
