The 2nd annual Tumbleweeds Film Festival for Children in Utah announced this year’s line up includes 11 feature films and 14 short films films from 7 countries, in 5 languages. Many films will be screened in their original languages, with a reader narrating the subtitles for younger audience members. In addition to the 18 film presentations, the festival includes four film related workshops presented by Spy Hop Productions. Screenings and workshops will be held March 23-25 at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Spy Hop Productions and The City Library.
Opening and Closing Night films will be announced within the coming weeks.
2012 Tumbleweeds Film Festival Film Program:
AMAZING ANIMATIONS!Recommended for children 6+
Don’t miss this international collection of colorful, clever and creative animated short films. From four sisters trying to pass the time on a long trip, to a pigeon that sabotages a secret mission, to a dog that finds a new best friend – its own tail! – this wonderful set of films features a variety of stories in a range of animations styles. Fun and inventive, these animations are sure to entertain and delight audiences of all ages!
AURELIE LAFLAMME’S DIARY // LE JOURNAL D’AURÉLIE LAFLAMME
Director: Christian Laurence (Canada, 2010 – 108 min)
Screens in French with English subtitles – Recommended for children ages 12+
Feeling out of place the world, Aurélie Laflamme wonders if she might be an alien in this funny and touching look at a girl navigating the path to adolescence.
BACALAR
Director: Patricia Arriaga-Jordán//Mexico, 2011 – 96 min
Screens in Spanish with English subtitles – Recommended for children 9+
With a little help from some mystical animal spirits, best friends Santiago and Mariana attempt to rescue endangered wolf cubs from ruthless animal smugglers in this exciting Mexican action-adventure.
A CAT IN PARIS // UN VIE DE CHAT
Directors: Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol (France/Belgium, 2011 – 70 min)
Screens in French with English subtitles – Recommended for children 8+
Nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Film, this stunning hand drawn and richly colored animation, with a jazzy soundtrack, is a charming, action-packed adventure set in the moonlit rooftops of Paris.
CIRCUS DREAMS
Director: Signe Taylor (USA, 2011 – 80 min)
Recommended for children 8+
Join charismatic young jugglers, acrobats and clowns as they spend the summer performing with Circus Smirkus, the only travelling youth circus in the United States.
FRIENDS FOREVER // MULLEWAPP
Directors: Toney Loeser and Theresa Strozyk (Germany, 2010 – 77 min)
Recommended for children 4+
When Cloud the Lamb is kidnapped, it is Johnny the Mouse, Charlie the Rooster and Percy the Pig to the rescue in this delightful animated adventure about the importance of friendship.
THE LETTER FOR THE KING // DE BRIEF VOOR DE KONING
Director: Pieter Verhoeff (The Netherlands, 2008 – 100 min)
Screens in Dutch with English subtitles – Recommended for children 8+
Travel back to medieval times for an exciting adventure about a teenaged squire who must evade his enemies and deliver a letter that carries the fate of an entire kingdom.
LOUDER THAN A BOMB
Directors: Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel (USA, 2010 – 99 min)
Recommended for children 13+
Exhilarating and inspiring, this documentary follow the fortunes of four diverse groups of high school students as they prepare for, and compete in one of the country’s leading youth poetry slam.
THE MAGICIANS // HET GHEIM
Director: Joram Lürsen (The Netherlands, 2010 – 94 min)
Screens in Dutch with English subtitles – Recommend for children 7+
Aspiring magician Ben learns not everything is as it seems when he must solve the mysterious disappearance of his best friend Sylvie in this charmingly entertaining family film.
MOONBEAM BEAR AND HIS FRIENDS // DER MONDBAER
Directors: Thomas Bodenstein and Mike Maurus (Germany, 2008 – 69 min)
Recommended for children 4+
When Mr. Moon falls from the night sky, it’s up to Moonbeam Bear and his friends to return him back home in this delightful and enchanting animation ideal for younger viewers.
TIGER TEAM
Director: Peter Gersina (Germany, 2010 – 90 min)
Screens in German with English subtitles – Recommended for children 8+
Join the Tiger-Team, Bigi, Luk and Patrick, on a dynamic action filled adventure in China as they race to be the first to unlock an age-old palace of riches hidden deep inside a mountain.