NY Intl Children's Film Fest 2011

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Parent Category: Film Festivals
Category: Previews
Published on Friday, 11 March 2011 04:23
Written by L E Shannon

The New York International Children's Film Festival (NYICFF) runs March 4 - 27, 2011 in Manhattan at IFC Center and other venues in New York City.

NYICFF is North America's largest festival of film for children and teens, intended to define a new, more provocative and compelling film for juvenile audiences.  

The Opening Night Film is a preview of the new film Mars Needs Moms, directed by Simon Wells and featuring the voices of Seth Green, Dan Fogler, Elisabeth Harnois, Mindy Sterling, Joan Cusack.

A Special Event is a panel, Breaking Into the Boys Club:
What is it like to be a woman working in Hollywood? Sponsored by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences®, this panel gives attendees the chance to hear and speak with award-winning women directors, producers, composers, cinematographers, among others, to better understand the unique experience of the female filmmaker. The filmmakers share their experiences, discuss gender-based roadblocks they’ve faced in the industry, and offer advice for aspiring young filmmakers.

Panelists:
Lisa Cortes (producer, Precious)
Christine Vachon of Killer Films (producer, I'm Not There, Boys Don't Cry)
Claudia Raschke (cinematographer, Mad Hot Ballroom)
Lisbeth Scott (composer, The Chronicles of Narnia)
Kori Rae of Pixar (producer, Up, The Incredibles, Monsters, Inc.)

Several US Premieres are screening, including:

A Cat in Paris
Dir. Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli (France)
A beautifully hand-drawn caper set in the alleys of Paris about Dino, a pet cat that leads a double life.

Welcome to the Spaceshow
Dir. Koji Masunari (Japan)
A colorfully explosive debut that sets a new high for visual spectacle and sheer inventiveness of character design in one of the most gleefully surreal depictions of alien life forms ever portrayed in cinema.

Time of Eve
Dir. Yasuhiro Yoshiura
An exquisitely drawn sci-fi allegory that probes questions of artificial intelligence along with the moral and personal implications of human-robot romance.

Sammy’s Adventures: The Secret Passage
Dir. Ben Stassen (Belgium)
A kid-friendly, eco-adventure in 3D, taking viewers on a 50-year odyssey around the world from the perspective of a sea turtle.

Aurelie Laflamme’s Diary
Dir. Christian Laurence (Canada)
Aurelie's endearing clumsiness positions her as a French-Canadian version of a Judy Blume character.

Other films include:

The Dreams of Jinsha
Dir. Chen Deming (China)
A middle school student is accidentally sent 3,500 years back in time to the ancient Jinsha Kingdom, a beautiful and magical place. However, the land is plagued by an oncoming darkness. He encounters all sorts of spirits and other beings or elements common to the mysterious, dream-like atmosphere of ancient children's stories. In his efforts to prevent a disaster from ripping apart the people and land of Jinsha Kingdom, the boy must acknowledge and put his faith in the coexistence of humanity and nature.

Echoes of the Rainbow
Dir. Alex Law (Hong Kong)
Set in 1960s Hong Kong, this film is an autobiographical slice of life from director Law about an 8-year-old boy who wants to be an astronaut and eat a whole box of double-yolk mooncakes (not necessarily in that order). With Simon Yam, Sandra Ng, Buzz Chung, Aarif Lee, Ann Hui.

A selection of excellent short films includes:

Girls' POV Shorts
Shorts from girls' point of view recommended for ages 10 and up.

Heebie Jeebies: Spooky, Freaky And Bizarre Shorts
A selection of strange and scary shorts for ages 10 to adult.

Shorts For Tots
Shorts from around the world recommended for ages 3 to 6.

Workshops are open to all ages:

For more information, visit http://www.gkids.com.

New York Int'l Children's Film Festival
March 4 - 27, 2011

Asia Society
725 Park Ave
New York City

Cantor Film Center
36 E 8th St
New York City

DGA Theater
110 W 57th St
New York City

IFC Center
323 6th Ave
New York City

Scholastic
557 Broadway
New York City

Symphony Space
2537 Broadway
New York City