18th Belmont World Family Film Festival Opens Today

Arlington MA

15 January, 2021

3:25 PM

Description

Your Arlington Last Updated: 15 January 2021 Written by Ellen Gitelman Kulhawik, Burr at separate workshops Belmont World Film's Family Festival, the 18th annual, goes virtual in 2021, from Jan. 15 through 24, expanding from its typical four days to 10. UPDATED, Jan. 13: The festival provides 3- through 12-year-olds and their families the opportunity to see some of the world's most remarkable current films for children—films that provide a window into the lives of kids in other cultures, races and ethnicities. Shots of five movies Several workshops, including three sessions on model making for animated films conducted by the senior model maker from Aardman (the Wallace & Gromit films) on Saturday, Jan. 23, and a two-day workshop on film criticism led by Joyce Kulhawik and Boston Globe film critics Ty Burr and Peter Keough representing the Boston Society of Film Critics, on Jan. 16 and 17. Several filmmakers from around the world will also participate in virtual live Q&As. Most film programs will be available for screening for all 10 days, with several films having shorter screening windows. The festival's 15 film programs, comprising nearly 50 animated, live action and documentary feature-length and short films in multiple languages with subtitles and in English—many based on children's books and several making their U.S. premieres—are from the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK and the U.S. There are films about young kids making a difference for the environment (including a fifth-grade class in Brooklyn that completely rids their cafeteria of single-use plastics), an asylum-seeking youth chess champion in France, a famous Rembrandt painting that comes to life in Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum, a youth soccer team in South Africa making it to the finals of the soccer world championship in Gothia, Sweden and an amazing selection of short-film programs, including one honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and another made by 8- to 10-year-olds in Portugal. "We all could do with more understanding about our shared humanity, especially now in the midst of a pandemic that is affecting the entire world as one," says Belmont World Film Executive Director Ellen Gitelman in a news release. "In an increasingly multicultural world, parents also recognize the importance of fluency in more than one language, and the Family Festival offers children the opportunity to hear and understand languages in a fun and natural way." Feature-length The feature-length films include (in alphabetical order): Angel: On her way home from school ntroverted 11-year-old Angel trips and braces herself for a rough landing, but instead finds herself floating in a beautiful bubble. When the bubble bursts and she falls gently to the ground, she finds a beautiful gold watch, which makes all her wishes come true just by thinking of something! Suddenly Angel becomes incredibly popular, but at what cost? (North American premiere | Dutch with subtitles | The Netherlands | 2020 | age 8+) The Bears Famous Invasion of Sicily: A charming, hand-drawn, animated fairy tale about when a community of bears and humans clashed, made amends with one another, and then realized they're too different to live together. Based on Dino Buzzati's classic book of the same name written in 1945 during World War II. (New England premiere | French, Italian with subtitles | France, Italy | 2019 | age 5-10) Fahim, the Little Chess Prince: Based on the true story of Fahim Mohammad, who was forced to flee Bangladesh when he was 8 and initially refused asylum in Paris, only to be crowned France's under-12 chess champion in 2012. Stars Gerard Depardieu as the real-life chess coach who believes in him. Available Saturday, 1/16 @ 10 AM to Monday, 1/18 @ 10 AM (New England premiere | French & Bengali with subtitles | France | 2019 | age 8+) Forward: A moving documentary for kids and about kids making a difference in the world that focuses on José Adolfo, who founded a ground-breaking eco-bank for poor children and young people in his native Peru when he was just 10 years old. In 2018, he became the winner of the Children's Climate Prize for his efforts. The film also highlights five other remarkable children from different parts of the globe whose community environmental efforts also qualified them for the prize. Available Saturday, 1/16 @ 10 AM-Sunday, 1/17 at 10 AM. (New England premiere | French, Spanish, English, Hindi, Swedish with subtitles | France | 2019 | age 8+) Jackie & Oopjen: While wandering around after hours at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum where her mom is a curator, 12-year-old Jackie discovers that Oopjen, one of the subjects of Rembrandt's famous paintings, has suddenly come to life, looking for her long lost sister who was painted by an unknown painter. Jackie hides Oopjen in her bedroom and secretly helps search for the sister. For this woman from the 17th century, the modern world is a great adventure; hilarity ensues. And Jackie, who doesn't really have any friends at school, finally gains a true BFF. (East Coast premiere | English, Dutch, French with subtitles | The Netherlands | 2020 | age 8+) Kusasa: A documentary about the Kusasa Stars, a youth soccer team that journeys from Groendal, South Africa, to make it to the finals at the Gothia Cup, the world's largest international soccer tournament for youths held each year in Sweden. The boys carry their country's flag with pride and seek to bring positive change to their home, while the turmoil that wracks their local community impacts the members of the team in different ways. Q&A with director Shane Vermooten from South Africa on 1/24 @ 1:00 PM. (New England premiere | English, Xhosa with subtitles | South Africa | 2019 | age 8+) Microplastic Madness: Fifth graders from P.S. 15 in Red Hook, Brooklyn—living on the front line of the climate crisis—took action on plastic pollution by collecting local data, leading community outreach, and informing policy by testifying and rallying at City Hall. Then they took action in their cafeteria to eliminate all single-use plastic! This alarming, yet charming narrative, conveys an urgent message in user-friendly terms. Q&A with directors Atsuko Quirk & Debby Lee Cohen on Saturday, 1/23 @ 4:00 PM, moderated by WBUR reporter Barbara Moran. (English | USA | 2020 | age 8+) Summer with Rana: While living at her grandmother's house in the Dutch countryside while her journalist mother is covering the war in Syria, a 10-year-old girl meets Rana, a similarly aged girl living in a nearby refugee camp. It turns out they have much more in common than just their favorite ice cream flavor and help each other to get through the summer. (North American premiere | Dutch with subtitles | The Netherlands | 2019 | age 8+) Shorts The short-film programs include (in alphabetical order): Animal Magnetism: Animated Shorts from Magnet Films: Mostly wordless films about animals from Magnet Films, a European distributor of award-winning shorts, including many Oscar winners: The Little Bird & the Bees, about a little bird and some bees who are being closely watched by a fox; Black & White, a "live" animated film about tolerance towards strangers; the Little Grey Wolfie series featuring the wolf experiencing all four seasons; Fox & Bird, about a solitary fox who finds himself improvising fatherhood for a freshly hatched baby bird; Perfect Houseguest, about a mouse with a penchant for cleaning; Hedgehog, about an altruistic hedgehog who runs a soup kitchen for the needy forest community; and Ink, a hilarious short about a neat-freak octopus. (No dialogue | Germany , Norway, Switzerland | 2020 | age 3-8) Celebrating Scholastic Books' 100th Anniversary: Includes the newest and classic films from Weston Woods Studios, Scholastic's filmmaking arm known for turning some of the best loved children's picture books into high quality films. New films not yet available to the public include: the hilarious The Very Impatient Caterpillar by Ross Burach; Say Something, written, directed, and narrated by Peter Reynolds; and Dog Breath: The Horrible Trouble with Halley Tosis by Dav Pilkey. Classics include: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak; Strega Nona by Tomie DePaola; Oscar nominee Doctor De Soto by William Steig; and Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann, narrated by Anthony Edwards. (English | U.S. | age 3-8) Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: The ideals and people connected to Dr. King. as interpreted by Weston Woods Studios: Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport and narrated by Michael Clarke Duncan; March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World, a personal account by Dr. King's sister, Christine; Rosa, about how Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Alabama, by Nikki Giovanni; The Case for Loving, about an interracial couple from Virginia who fought the state's law banning interracial marriage all the way to the Supreme Court, by Selina Alko; and Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women & the Space Race, about the four black women whose mathematical work helped NASA put a man in space, by Margot Lee Shetterly and narrated by Octavia Spencer. (English | U.S. | age 5-10) Hungry Bear Tales: Cuddly bears Ned and Mishka, characters based on the books by Zbyněk Černík, are best friends who share a cozy house in the forest. One is big, the other tiny. Together they set off on the merriest—and most hilarious—adventures to fill their rumbling tummies with something really good to eat with as little effort as possible. Available Saturday, 1/16 @ 10 AM to Tuesday, 1/19 @ 10 AM. (US Premiere | English | Czech Republic | 2020 | age 3-8) LOL with Mo Willems Films: Children's author Mo Willems not only writes and illustrates his own books, but also narrates the animated films that are created by Weston Woods Studios. Includes Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late, and Hooray for Amanda and Her Alligator. (English | USA | Age 3-8) Made in Portugal: Short Animated Films By and For Kids: A collection of award-winning, short animated films created and narrated by 8-10 year old students at the ANILUPA Animation Centre (CLIA Anilupa), an educational and cultural center created by Associação de Ludotecas do Porto (ALP), a professional animation studio in Porto. The films tell stories about Portuguese culture, daily life, and festivals. (Portuguese with subtitles | Portugal | 2019 | age 8+) Zog & the Flying Doctors (US Premiere| English | UK | 2020 | Age 3-8) & Zog (English | UK | 2018) Magic Light Pictures regularly brings Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's (The Gruffalo) much loved picture books to life. Their newest production, Zog and the Flying Doctors, has Pearl and her friend Gadabout as grown-up doctors who rely on Zog to transport them to take care of a variety of ailments. Shown with the original Zog—featuring the voices of Game of Thrones' Kit Harrington, Fleabag's Hugh Skinner, and comedian Tracey Ullman. The festival is supported in part by a grant from Gravestar. Sponsors include: Dutch Culture USA (Nation sponsor); Belmont Day School and the International School of Boston (Capital sponsors); and Boston Central (media sponsor). Tickets for individual screenings are $10 for shorts and $14 for feature-length films; workshops are $20 each. Film only passes are $40, which includes admission to all programs except workshops. Full Festival Passes are $60, with admission to all films and workshops included. EBT Cardholder tickets are half price. Tickets and more information are available at www.belmontworldfilm. Belmont World Film is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that promotes cross-cultural understanding through the powerful universal language of film. It presents award-winning feature narrative films, documentaries, animation, and shorts from around the world for both adults and children accompanied by topical speakers, cultural performances and ethnic cuisine. YourArlington.com has provided news and opinion about Arlington, Mass., since 2006. Publisher Bob Sprague is a former editor at The Boston Globe, Boston Herald and Arlington Advocate. Read more at https://www.yourarlington.com/about.