New York International Children's Film Festival announces 2022 program

February 11 2022

Friday 4 March the New York International Children's Film Festival (NYICFF; nyicff.org), Oscar-qualified, launches its 25th anniversary season as North America's largest and most prestigious film festival for young audiences. In addition to commemorating its 25th anniversary, 2022 The Festival will mark its celebratory return to film and live events. NYICFF today announced its 2022 opening, centerpiece and closing schedules.

"Our 25th anniversary training is a truly joyful celebration of resilience with filmmakers overcoming the challenges of our times to make fresh, unique and vibrant new films with meaningful messages for young and eager audiences," said the director. of the Maria-Christina Villaseñor programming.

The Festival kicks off March 4th at the SVA Theater (333 W. 23rd Street, New York) and runs on weekends until March 19th. Short films for children and other programs for children aged five and over will be offered exclusively online. Among thousands of nominations submitted from all over the world, the Festival has selected around 100 feature films and short films to be screened. Each program is carefully curated for NYICFF's dedicated audience of over 28.000 children, families, educators, filmmakers, film buffs and industry professionals.

Where is Anne Frank?

The NYICFF will open with Oscar-nominated director Ari Folman's (Waltz with Bashir) new stunning animated film Where Is Anne Frank? (France, Israel, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg), which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and will now celebrate its East Coast premiere at the Festival. A brilliant retelling of Anne Frank's story, the visually vibrant animated film spans time periods and settings, creating a unique take that is both timeless and timeless, deeply meaningful and wholly original.

One night Kitty, history's most famous fictional friend, suddenly materializes as a full-fledged girl from the ink-filled pages of Anne Frank's diary. She doesn't understand where her old friend has gone (or why, after all, their former home has become a tourist attraction). Kitty ditches her 40s dress and wears jeans and sneakers, all the better for solving the mystery. Aided by a resourceful pickpocket and befriending a group of young refugees looking for a safe home and community like anyone else, Kitty traverses time and takes us from the streets of modern and colorful Amsterdam to the gray Germany of the era. of war and back. While Anne's now ubiquitous name has been reverently affixed to decks, schools and hospitals, Kitty fears that her friend's true legacy will be forgotten.

An urgent and touching detective story and an anthem for social justice by award-winning director Folman, Where's Anne Frank? is imbued with fantastic animated sequences (Clark Gable at the turn of the 40s!) and a modern punk sensibility (complete with a glorious score by Karen O) and is an essential story for audiences of all ages.

Oink

The North American premiere of Oink will also be screened on opening night, a warm, witty and meticulously handcrafted animated film that marks the Netherlands' first stop-motion animated feature, directed by Mascha Halberstad. The director returns to NYICFF, having already screened her short Fox and Hare at the festival. Halberstad is co-founder of the Holy Motion animation studio with Marleen Slot (Viking Film). Oink is a Netherlands-Belgium co-production.

Babs, a fabulous nine-year-old with glasses, has a perfect life in the Netherlands, with parents making sure she has a nice home and only the healthiest vegetarian meals on her plate. But what she really, really wants is a dog to call her. So when Babs' grandfather, an American with a curiously ingrained cowboy accent, suddenly appears on the scene, it could be the key to her perfect pet. Instead, she finds Oink, a lovable albeit constantly, ahem, pig that she digests, which she gives to Babs. Yet Babs' mother is far from thrilled and she insists that Oink remain alone provided she passes a rigorous puppy training program. Add to that his grandfather's nefarious secret connection with the Society's Sausage King contest for Fresh Pork Meat Products, and Oink is full of cheeky humor, pigs behave badly and people behave even worse. She is an incredibly realistic and ingenious stop-motion charmer who will have you snorting and cheering.

turning red

Disney and Pixar's Turning Red, Oscar-winning debut film Domee Shi (short film Pixar Bao), will screen on Friday March 11 as NYICFF's lead film of 2022. Produced by Lindsey Collins, Turning Red will be released on Disney + l ' March 11th.

Turning Red introduces Mei Lee (voice of Rosalie Chiang), a self-confident and stupid XNUMX-year-old torn between remaining her mother's respectful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming (voice of Sandra Oh), is never far from her daughter, an unfortunate reality for the teenager. And as if the changes to her interests, her relationships and her body weren't enough, whenever she gets too horny (which is pretty much ALWAYS), she poofs into a giant red panda!

The Festival will conclude on Saturday 19 March with the screening of the East Coast Premiere of Richard Linklater's highly anticipated new animated film Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood. The film will be released worldwide on Netflix. (Be sure to grab the April issue of Animation Magazine to find out more about Turning Red and Apollo 10 ½.)

Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood tells the story of the first moon landing in the summer of 1969 from two intertwined perspectives: the vision of the astronaut and mission control of the moment triumphant, and through the eyes of a child raised in Houston, in Texas which has intergalactic dreams of its own. Taking inspiration from the life of Oscar-nominated director Linklater, Apollo 10 ½: A Space Age Childhood is a snapshot of American life in the 60s that is partly coming of age, partly social commentary, and partly off-the-beaten-path adventure. world . The film will be released worldwide on Netflix.

Apollo 10 ½: A childhood in the space age

“Where's Anne Frank by Ari Folman is a captivating film to launch the NYICFF 2022 festival, with an imaginative retelling of Frank's diary that connects its core essence to the present and individually uses animation to bring this lasting story to life. Oink is an absurd and funny story that kindly asks us to reflect on the impact our choices have on the world around us, while also showing the mysterious art of fully analog stop-motion animation, ”added Villaseñor.

“We're also thrilled to celebrate winning storytelling, expanding diversity in the field, dynamic animation and a fascinating ode to the power of being thirteen with Domee Shi's first feature, Turning Red, in the wake of her award-winning short. Oscar Bao. And fittingly, along with NYICFF's silver anniversary, we close by celebrating an enduring commitment to the art of film and a rich childhood examination, from the extraordinarily creative mind of seasoned director Richard Linklater with his brilliant new film Apollo 10. ½ ".

Over the past 25 years, the NYICFF has screened thousands of films that introduce young audiences to complex topics and portray rich and inspiring stories of voices historically excluded from the mainstream media. NYICFF-curated programs help young people think critically to better understand themselves, others, and the complicated world they live in. As the NYICFF embarks on its 25th anniversary, the organization remains steadfast in its commitment to reverse the trend and increase diverse representation in children's media, an effort that is reflected in the Festival's programming, Industry Forum and FilmEd Classroom programs. in the same way.

NYICFF's 2022 film list celebrates creativity and opens up vast new possibilities for a new generation eager to come back in person and grasp their future. Whether NYICFF's young film stars are blazing new paths in space, devising exciting new worlds in film, or grappling with the challenges and joys of growing up to all its unexpected glory, this year's filmmakers are cleverly harnessing a range. of animation and film techniques to tell culturally specific and universally referable stories of hope.

Go to the source of the article on www.animationmagazine.net