YOUNGABOUT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL PROGRAM (ENGLISH VERSION)

 XIV EDITION
November-December 2020

Free from rhetoric, allergic to stereotypes, children and adolescents who are protagonists of the films of the Youngabout festival live the stages of life, facing, from time to time, trials and obstacles with courage and determination. The little ones inhabit the places of childhood imagination linked to adventure classics: the pirates, the buried treasure, the lighthouse, the cave, the gnomes, the dragons, present and invisible creatures, such as “imaginary friends”. The older children live the first heartbeats, “the awakening of puberty, the affective weaning by the parents, the desire for independence, the unveiling of conscience, the inferiority complex” to put it in the words of a great singer of adolescence, like F. Truffaut. Films less present on our screens, such as those from South Africa, Mexico, Russia, Canada or European countries such as Estonia, Norway, Sweden, Germany, tell, through moving images, intergenerational relationships, the amazement and the wonder of the first discoveries, of daydreams, the love for nature, the dismay of the first disappointments, the acceptance of one’s limits, the construction of one’s identity and the curiosity and openness towards someone who is different from oneself.

RE-EXIST AND RESIST

The Youngabout Film Festival will take place in an extended time and in real and virtual spaces.

On March 16th we should have inaugurated the fourteenth edition of the Youngabout Film Festival.

All the morning screenings in the Odeon and Rialto cinemas had seen a record of bookings by the city’s schools. The Perla and the Europa Cinema were waiting to host the afternoon and evening reruns of the films in competition.

We were ready like a plane to take off, with full engines. Excited and charged, full of enthusiasm, after months dedicated to researching films, organizing events, making alliances. Then an unpredictable, violent storm, with its load of death and pain blocked the departure, prevented the take-off, annihilated every action, every thought, making us fall into despair. The Covid-19 pandemic claimed victims and, due to the lockdown, all activities had been blocked.

Now we are ready to start again, with due caution. It is impossible to recreate the program as we planned it, because in the meantime some changes have happened. Reconnecting the various collaborations is not easy, as well as putting together the pieces of the puzzle of the entire project, especially in a climate of great uncertainty, undermined by the resurgence of the spread of the Coronavirus. 

Now, schools will not be able to crowd the movie theatres that have been closed by government decree as well as distance teaching has been reactivated and students follow the lessons confined to their homes. 

Thanks to My Movies and Vimeo it will be possible to present a large part of the films selected by the festival. For some screenings, events and tributes it will be necessary to wait until they can be made in person, as soon as the health situation allows it. We will inform viewers when this is possible. 

RE-EXIST AND RESIST

For the fourteenth time, the Youngabout Festival offers its spectators a riot of images, evocative stories, characters in which to recognize themselves.

The leitmotif of this edition will be the verb resist, in its broadest sense. The protagonists of the stories narrated face with courage and determination vicissitudes that lead them to make courageous choices, to often go against the tide, to want to see reality beyond appearances, to make a journey within themselves to bring out hidden truths, to be authentic, to be consistent and not betray their ideals and to recognize, accept and overcome their limits.  

Even the Youngabout festival, with the section for the little ones, the “Films in the backpack”, wants to continue to resist and re-exist, despite the inevitable difficulties, in its uniqueness, in the specificity of the intentions, in the rigorous choice of titles, putting the respect for girls and boys, who sometimes are at their first experience as spectators, in first place. Teenagers and children are invited to watch, they are free to let the imagination fly or to immerse themselves in the harshest reality. And to understand later, in the in-depth studies at school (currently in videoconference), the complex mechanisms that gave rise to those narratives that are so strong and so engaging. 

In addition to the feature films, the program of short films in competition is very rich, with an extreme variety of proposals and themes, short narratives, from time to time, poetic, dramatic, funny, grotesque, where you can breathe the air of creative freedom, of experimentation , of social denunciation, effective as a punch in the stomach, or as an unexpected caress on the face. 

The realization of this festival required collective work, activating nice collaborations such as those with the Kinodromo Association, the Ferruccio Parri Historical Institute of the Resistance, the Alliance Française, the Nuvo Association, the Tout Court Festival, the Clermond Ferrand Festival , the OTTOmani Association, the Ka Festival – New migrant imaginary – Ancona, the Fridays for Future-Italy Movement, with the Department of Arts-University of Bologna. 

The festival is organized with the patronage and contribution of the Emilia-Romagna Region, the Municipality of Bologna and the MIUR-MIBACT, thanks to the successful outcome of the call for bids “Cinema per la Scuola – Buone Pratiche – Rassegne e Festival”, in partnership with the Copernico High School, the Pier Crescenzi-Pacinotti-Sirani Institute, the Sabin High School, the patronage of ECFA (European Children’s Film Association), and is supported by Natura Sì and Cer. 

Thanks to all the Youngabout staff for their dedication, passion and commitment and to the directors of the films, distributors and producers who have been patient and collaborated in this difficult time.

Angela Mastrolonardo

YOUNGABOUT FILM FESTIVAL ON MY MOVIES

Sunday, November 15th, 4PM – Monday, November 16^th, 4 PM

KINGS OF MULBERRY STREET

Director-screenwriter: Judy Naidoo; Director of photography: Greg Heiman; Editor: Quinn Lubbe; Music: Brendan Jury; Cast: Aaqil Hoosen, Shaan Nathoo, Amith Sing, Neville Pillay, Keshan Chetty, Chris Forrest, Rizelle Januk, Thiru Naidoo, Kimberly Arthur, Hamish Kyd; Producers: Judy Naidoo, Bianca Isaac; Production: Ladybug Films; South Africa, 2019, 90’ 

In “Kings of Mulberry Street”, the director Judy Naidoo brings together the diverse and colourful world of the 80’s Indian community in South Africa, the Bollywood cinema and the hit songs of that period – a story that observes the past through the prism of the present. The director declares that the personalities of the two leading children reflect some aspects of her character and that the film is partly autobiographical. 

These two young Indian boys have to find a way to overcome their differences and get together in order to defeat the bullying local crime landlord who is threatening their families, by revealing the complicity of corrupt police officers. Set in the Indian community of the Sugarhill District, “Kings of Mulberry Street” tells the hilarious adventures of a couple of unlikely 9-year-old friends, Baboo and Ticky 

It is impossible to not empathize with the plump, quiet and methodical Baboo, who has to realize the recent, sudden loss of his mother, the hasty move to a suburb, forced by his father to remain locked up in the house to protect himself from the dangers of a place he doesn’t know. Just as we let ourselves to be moved by the initiative of the peer Ticky, his neighbour, a brat used to extricate himself from the unexpected of a life without certainties and without ease, always curious, courageous, with an attitude at times braggart.

The two very young, extraordinary protagonists, at their first acting test, so different and so complementary, by loitering around the city, sneaking into cinemas, facing increasingly difficult trials, they find their way to happiness, infecting spectators of all ages with their energy.

JUDY NAIDOO, born in Verulan in South Africa in 1975, is an independent filmmaker who holds a Masters Degree in Producing from the National Film and Television School (NFTS) in the United Kingdom and a BA (Dramatic Arts) Honours Degree from Wits University (majoring in Directing and Television). She is a Ford Foundation International Fellow and a recipient of the Trevor Jones Scholarship (2010). In 2002 she founded the Ladybug Films. In 2006 she completed a Certificate in Filmmaking at the New York Film Academy. Before the feature film Kings of Mulberry Street she directed four short films.

Monday, November 16th, 9 AM – Tuesday, November 17th, 9 AM

UNE COLONIE (A COLONY)

Director-screenwriter: Geneviève Dulude-De Celles; Director of photography: Léna Mill-Reuillard, Etienne Roussy; Editor: Stéphane Lafleur; Music:  Mathieu Charbonneau ; Production designer: Eric Barbeau; Cast:Émilie Bierre,  Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie,  Irlande Côté , Cassandra Gosselin Pelletier , Noémie Godin-Vigneau, Robin Aubert; Producers:  Sarah Mannering, Fanny Drew; Production: Colonelle films, Canada, 2018, 102’   

Mylia lives with her family in a rural area of ​​Québec. She is enrolled in a new school in the nearest town, which she reaches every day by bus. Mylia is taciturn and thoughtful, shyness makes it difficult for her to approach other students. She has a younger sister, who is outgoing, full of curiosity and joie de vivre. The two, although so different in character, are very close. The director Geneviève Dulude-De Celles, in her first fiction feature film, tries to decipher with modesty the emotions and the unspoken of that age so complex, full of promises, which is adolescence, the age of awakening of consciousness. And she does it with such delicacy and respect: to make this film she spent more than two years in a high school in contact with many young people. The script is enhanced by their confidences and doubts, and although it tells a particular story, it carries a universal message.

Mylia, thanks to the resourcefulness of her little sister, becomes familiar with a young Amerindian, marginalized because of his origins: Jimmy belongs to the lineage of the Abenaki people, a tribe of Native Americans. The boy is discreet and profound, but, unlike Mylia, he has already achieved his own inner balance and autonomy of thought. He is different from the other peers (much more superficial), he encourages her to free herself from her fears, to look within herself, to believe in herself.

The film tells the birth of friendship between two “outsiders”, the changing moods of the teenager Mylia, her new relationships, the overcoming of prejudices, the unveiling of internalized racism, the tension between white students and Native American students, the unhealed wounds of bullying, the acceptance of changes, the openness to the other.

The Canadian director and photographer GENEVIEVE DULUDE-DE CELLES graduated in cinema at the Québec University in Montreal. Focused primarily on documentary film, she co-founded the Quebec-based production company Colonelle Films. Une Colonie (2019) is her first feature film, preceded by the short film The Cup (winner in 2014 at the Sundance Festival) and the documentary film Welcome to FL (in competition in 2015 at the Toronto International Film Festival, winner of best new talent at the Montreal International Documentary Festival).

Tuesday, November 17th, 9 AM  –  Wednesday, November 18^th, 9 AM

CRY OF SILENCE (KRIK TISCHINY)

Director: Wladimir Alecseevich Potapow; Screenwriter: Alexander Borodjanski, from the book “The seventh simphony” by Tamara Zinberg; Director of photography: Alexander Puschkin; Editor: Olga Kolesnikova; Music: Denis Pekarev; Cast: Alina Sargina, Lew Girskow, Artjom Bystrow, Swetlana Smirnova-Marzinkewitsch, Wladimir Menschow, Nadezhda Markina; Production: Mosfilm, Alexander Litvinov, Russia, 2019, 97’ 

A moving film, in order to not forget. How to tell the huge tragedy of the siege of Leningrad to an audience of children? Russian director Vladimir Alecseevich Potapov and screenwriter Alexander Borodjanski choose the dramatic register. The gaze of the camera coincides with that of the pre-adolescent Katya, orphaned and prematurely adult. Winter of 1942, during the siege of Leningrad: adolescent Katya lost her parents in the war and has to fight her way through the times of hunger and cold all by herself. There are air raid alarms every night; and there is nobody to stand by her in the air-raid shelter. When the sirens howl once again, a bundle with three-year-old Mitya is thrust into her hands. Katya takes the half-famished boy to the shelter. She calls him Seryozha and passes him off as her brother. Like a mother, she takes care of the little one, fearlessly wins an apartment for both of them, gets a stove and food stamps. 

The annihilation of Leningrad was a major goal of Hitler and the Germans during Operation Barbarossa. Russian director Vladimir Alecseevich Potapov and screenwriter Alexander Borodjanski, by taking inspiration from the book “The seventh simphony” by Tamara Zinberg, in order to introduce young viewers to a historical event that had a frightening cost of human lives and left an indelible trace in the memory of Russia, have chosen the dramatic register. The insert of archive images makes the staging even more truthful.

WLADIMIR ALECSEEVICH POTAPOW was born in Ulyanovsk in the USSR in 1963. After studying at the Polytechnic Institute he worked in construction. He was later an officer in the army. He then decided to work as a screenwriter and director for theatre and television. In 1996 he moved to Moscow and took film courses, then devoted himself to screenwriting and worked as assistant director and director for cinema.

Wednesday, November 18th, 9 AM – Thursday, November 19th, 9 AM

TOO FAR AWAY ( Zu weit weg)
Director:  Sarah Winkenstette; Screenwriter: Susanne Finken; Director of photography: Monika Plura; Editor: Nicole Kortlüke; Musica: Leonard Petersen; Cast:  Yoran Leicher  Sobhi Awad  Anna König Andreas Nickl  Julia Hirt; Production: Weydemann Brothers, coproducers: Orange Roughy Filmproduktion, Rotor Film, Norddeutscher Rundfunk; Distribution: Studio Hamburg Enterprises, Germany, 2019, 86’ 

Ben’s family, a 12-year-old boy, is forced to leave his home and move to another city: all the buildings in the village they live in must be demolished to make room for the excavation of the tunnels of the largest lignite mine of the nation. Ben is unwilling to accept the decisions of adults, which seem unfair and incomprehensible to him. This affects his adaptation to the new city and the inclusion in the new school, with classmates ready to fight against him, considered a foreigner in the class. Ben, a football fan, tries to console himself by joining the team of his peers. There too he feels like a fish out of water, because the coach treats him harshly. The arrival in class of another outsider, Tariq, a Syrian teenager, does not initially seem to improve his situation. Tariq is shut himself away, he is thoughtful, communicates with difficulty with others, and he lives in a family home without his loved ones. He too enrolled in the football school, demonstrating remarkable athletic skills. Initially the two boys seem divided by the football rivalry, then, gradually, the contrasts are smoothed out and, also thanks to the attentive, albeit awkward, attentions of Ben’s family, the wall of mistrust crumbles and between the two peers arises a feeling of friendship and solidarity. Understanding and dialogue require inner work and the will to break down mutual prejudices. Both have a pain to metabolize and only by sharing it they accept and overcome it. In a world inhabited by conflicts and injustices, less and less suited to the smallest and most defenceless, empathy and willingness to listen can open up new points of view and new paths to take.

SARAH WINKENSTETTE was born in 1980 in Reda-Wiedenbrück in Germany. She directed five short films and some episodes of a TV Series. Too far away is her first feature film

Thursday, November 19th, 9 AM – Friday, November 20th, 9 AM

PHANTOM HOWL FOREST    (EIA JÕULUD TONDIKAKUL)

Director, screenwriter: Anu Aun; Director of photography: Heiko Sikka; Editor: Margo Siimon; Music: Sten Sheripov; Cast: Paula Rits, Siim Oskar Ots, Jaan Rekkor, Märt Pius, Priit Pius; Production: Luxfilm,Kinosaurus Film; Distribution: Attraction Distribution,   Estonia, 2018, 90’ 

Eia, a ten-year-old girl, is happy: her parents, always busy with their work, have promised her to spend the Christmas holidays together. Unfortunately, two unforeseen events force both of them to a business trip to distant destinations and not to keep their word. Despite her husband’s opposition, the mother decides to entrust her daughter to her paternal grandfather, who lives on a farm on the edge of a forest in southern Estonia. Eia, deeply disappointed, is therefore forced to spend the holidays with her grandfather, a stranger to her: she has never met him due to mysterious family disagreements. Little by little, Eia learns to appreciate the humanity and friendliness of her grandfather, his relatives and other people who live in that “enchanted” place. She is fascinated by the beauty of nature, trees, wildlife, and snow. Yet the magnificent landscape is threatened by an unscrupulous businessman who wants to undertake a building speculation. Together with her new friends, Eia decides to devise a plan to save that pristine environment, a primeval forest inhabited by mysterious owls. At the same time, the child will discover the causes of the quarrel between her father and grandfather and, assisted by her mother, will try to help the two men to remedy it and to reconnect.

This film, embellished with the magnificent photography of the 30-year-old Estonian director Anu Aun, tells an exciting story of intergenerational friendship and at the same time raises awareness of ecological issues, which are now unavoidable.

ANU AUN is an Estonian director- screenwriter and producer, she is co-founder of Luxfilm. She has graduated in Film Directing in Baltic Film and Media School. Her last short film Shift was selected to more than 70 international film festivals. Anu’s debut feature The Polar Boy was developed in Torino Film Lab and Nipkow program. Anu is currently in production with creative documentary Walker on Water 

Friday, November 20th, 9 AM – Saturday, November 21st, 9 AM

A RUSSIAN YOUTH (Malchik russkij)

Director, screenwriter: Alexander Zolotukhin; Director of photography: Ayrat Yamilov; Editor:  Tatyana Kuzmicheva; Art director: Elena Zhukova; Music: Sergej Rachmaninow; Costumes designer: Olga Bakhareva; Cast: Vladimir Korolev, Mikhail Buturlov, Artem Leshik, Danil Tyabin, Sergey Goncharenko, Filipp Dyachkov; Producers: Eduard Pichugin, Lenfilm Studios, Alexander Sokurov -“Example of Intonation” Fund, Russia, 2019, 72’ 

A Russian Youth by Alexander Zolotukhin is a first feature, the Russian director is a pupil of Aleksandr Sokurov, who produced the film. In a trench of the First World War, a young, shy soldier of the Russian Imperial Army, Aljosha, appears lost, bewildered by the new reality he has to face. A gas attack by the Germans surprises him together with his fellow soldiers, they all try to take cover with improvised masks and bandages but he doesn’t make it in time, losing his sight. Inspired by instinctive courage, he chooses to stay on the front line and lives with his disability in the midst of war. Thanks to his acute sense of hearing, he is taken to a hill to listen to the roar of enemy planes through a device formed by gigantic metal tubes that form a rudimentary alarm system: the story of the soldier is alternated with the simultaneous filming of a rehearsal of orchestra of Symphonic Dances and the Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3. The shooting of the concert does not break the narrative flow, the images seem to spring from the musical score.

The goal is to reflect on the tragedy of the First World War and all the wars that claimed victims, especially among the most humble and defenceless.

Born in 1988, in Zaporozhye, in the Soviet Union, graduated in computer science, ALEXANDR ZOLOTUKHIN studied directing at the Kabardino-Balkarian State University under the supervision of Alexander Sokurov. He has made several short films, A russian youth is his first feature film. 

Saturday, November 21st, 4 PM – Sunday, Novemeber 22nd,  5 PM

CASPER AND EMMA GO TREASURE HUNTING (Karsten og Petra på skattejakt)

Director: Aurora Langaas Gossé, Arne Lindtner Næs; Screenwriter: Birgitte Braseth, from the book by Tor Åge Bringsværd, Anne G. Holt; Director of photography: Márton Miklauzic; Editor: Leif Axel Kjeldsen; Music: Lars Kilevold; Cast: Alba Ørbeck-Nilssen, Janne Formoe, Markus Tønseth, Oliver Dahl; Production: Cinenord Kidstory; Distribution: Norwegian Film Institute, Norway, 2018, 79’ 

Caspar and Emma, ​​with their inseparable soft toys, the lion and the bunny, are two characters known to Norwegian children and they return in a series of films that sees them as the protagonists of numerous adventures. This time the two children leave with her grandfather, to spend a holiday on an island where their grandfather’s partner is waiting for them and where the rest of the family will join them: dad, mom and the teenage sister Siri. The grandfather knows the island well because he used to go there on holiday as a child. When one morning Caspar, digging in the sand, finds an old box, which contains a wind chimes and a piece of paper with some indications to do a treasure hunt, the grandfather remembers the game he played in the past with his childhood friend Alfred. It consisted of hiding boxes with their dearest things, each of which contained the indication, in the form of a riddle, to find the next one. In one of the stages of this thrilling treasure hunt, the children explore the lighthouse, where they come up against an elderly gentleman who is a bit gruff who scolds them for their intrusion and that they, because of this, immediately qualify as a “bad man”.

The film accompanies the two little protagonists in the places of childhood imagination linked to the classics of adventure: the pirates, the buried treasure, the lighthouse, the cave, the gnomes, present and invisible creatures; it brings us back to the theme of the “imaginary friend”, personified by the puppets who speak only when the adults are not there.

The point of view of the children is put into the foreground and coincides with that of the camera.

AURORA LANGAAS GOSSÉ was born in 1987 in Trondheim, Norway. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the Norwegian Film School. She has made several short films and musical films, all from the point of view of children.

ARNE LINDTNER NÆSS, born in 1944 in Norway, he studied acting and worked in almost all Norwegian theaters and has held numerous roles in film and television. Since 1985 he has worked as a screenwriter, director and producer for both theatre and cinema and has established himself as a veteran of Norwegian films for families and children. We remember the feature films Finding Friends in 2005 and SOS -Summer of Suspense in 2008, which won prizes at various international festivals. With the characters Casper and Emma he directed four cinema films.

Sunday, November 22nd, 5 PM – Monday, November 23^rd, 5 PM

EMMA

Director, screenwriter: Julio G. Bárcenas Sanchez;  Director of photography: Christian Rivera; Editor: Verónica López Escalona, Francisco X. Rivera; Music: Sebastian Bell, Axel Ricco; Cast: Michelle Rodriguez, Silverio Palacios, Julieta Egurrola, Jorge Lan, Cassandra Iturralde, Axel Ricco; Production:  Bárcenas Nava, Andromeda Films, Cacerola Film, Mexico, 2019,  80’  

How to balance the aspiration for holiness, the talent for football and friendship with a “difficult” peer? Emma, ​​a strong-willed and unselfish child, succeeds very well, not without having struggled a lot. The talented young protagonist, with a deep and magnetic gaze, the fast pace of the story and a subtle humour involve spectators of all ages.

Emma is a sensitive, cheerful, caring girl. She is attending an institute of nuns and is preparing to receive her first communion. The long-awaited day arrives, but she has to deal with the usual, “pathological” distraction of her parents and with the excesses of a little brother. After the ceremony, in the courtyard, while the children are playing, she is hit in the head by a ball. She faints and, while lying on the ground, unconscious, she has a mystical vision. Awakened, she is convinced that she has a mission to fulfil in her earthly life: she must conquer “holiness” at all costs. From this moment Emma becomes the tenacious and courageous protagonist of a series of adventures that lead her to transform into a soccer champion in order to achieve her goals. One of these is represented by Andrés, a child to be “redeemed”.

True friendship is the real treasure to be conquered.

JULIO G. BÁRCENAS SANCHEZ was born in Acapulco (Mexico) in 1974. At the age of 18 he began his career as assistant director at the “Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica” film school in Mexico City. From 1996 to 2000 he studied Communication Sciences at the American University of Acapulco. Later, from 2001 to 2008 he returned to the “Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica” film school in Mexico City to study film directing. He directed five short films and worked as a producer.

Monday, November 23rd, 9 AM – Tuesday, November 24th, 9 AM

THE GRAND HOTEL BALLET (Les petits maitres du grand hotel) 

Director, screenwriter: Jacques Deschamps; Director of photography: Octavio Espirito Santo; Editor: Agnès Bruckert; Music: Marie-Jeanne Séréro; Producers: Céline Loiseau, Miléna Poylo, Gilles Sacuto; Production:  TS Productions, France, 2018, 70’ 

The action takes place in a splendid hotel-restaurant in Grenoble, the Lesdiguières hotel, with its chic, slightly dated, centuries-old facade, which is a hotel school since 1932. The reception, the service, the cleaning and the cooking are permanently ensured by the students in internships, under the close and vigilant supervision of their teachers. Behave, smile, welcome, follow orders without fail, serve, clean and cook, it’s really complicated when you’re sixteen or seventeen. Running a hotel and restaurant is like a choreographic dance where every little detail counts. Then, through the songs that narrate their dreams and hopes, the students stage the exciting and tiring dance of learning a profession and the initiation into life. Lucas, Sophat, Priscila, Neuza and their teachers find themselves sharing that space, obeying an iron discipline, which does not exclude smiles, lessons, insights. Their task “is not to serve, but to make customers happy”. The quality of work makes the difference. You should not feel diminished by the assigned tasks, you must know how to do everything, because good will, intelligence and excellent preparation are the basis of the acquired professionalism.

In this hotel, students have the opportunity to put what they learn into practice, interacting with real clients, and even become the protagonists of a documentary orchestrated like a ballet and sung like a musical.

Born in 1956 and a graduate of IDHEC, JACQUES DESCHAMPS has made about twenty documentary films, including titles such as La ville d’Hugo, Le regard ébloui, Canova mutilé and Romanès. He has written and directed three fiction feature films: Méfie-toi de l’eau qui dort, which won two CinemAvvenire awards in Venice, La fille de son père and Tsunami. In the past, he has also made films whose genres intersect, such as Don Quichotte

Tuesday, November 24th, 9 AM – Wednesday, November 25yh, 9 AM

PSYCHOBITCH

Director, screenwriter:  Martin Lund; Director of photography: Adam Wallensten; Editor: Christoffer Heie; Music: Christian Schaaning, Johan Pram; Cast: Jonas Tidemann, Elli Rhiannon Müller Osbourne, Saara Sipila-Kristoffersen, Bethina Nærby, Mohammed Benmoussa, Eilov Gravdal, Jannike Kruse, Henrik Rafaelsen, Espen Løvås; Producer: Ruben Thorkildsen; Production: Ape & Bjørn Norsk Filmdistribusjon, Norwey, 2019, 111’ 

Norway, nowadays, small city of Gjøvik.

Frida, 15, is inserted in a new class. She is a rebellious, irritable, problematic girl. She has attitudes of rejection towards her new companions who immediately demonstrate that they consider her a foreign body, an unwelcome presence, so much so that she has been given the insulting nickname Psycobitch. The teachers, who know the causes of her discomfort and her painful past, try to favour her insertion. The class coordinator entrusts Marius, a model student, with the onerous task of bringing the young woman closer and supporting her in the study. From that moment the life of the two teenagers suffered some bumps. From the mutual distrust, from the tests of “resistance” to which Marius is subjected by the problematic Frida, we gradually pass to moments of peaceful sharing. Frida hates hypocrisy and respectability, but, like all wounded people, she took refuge in a shell from which she feels protected. Marius, hyper protected by his parents, is a boy like many others: he has a good group of friends, struggles to express his points of view, he is calm and “conformist”. Much against his will, Frida’s closeness begins to crumble his certainties, to make him savour the taste of rebellion, to also experience something stimulating and completely new like deep feelings … until he changes his point of view on the world and welcomes the richness of diversity.

MARTIN LUND‘s debut short, Home Game, was selected for the Sundance and Clermont Ferrand festivals. His debut film, Twigson Ties the Knot (also presented at our Youngabout festival), was a huge box office success in Norway and was selected in the Generation section of the Berlinale in 2010. His second feature film, The Almost Man, for which he also wrote the screenplay, had its world premiere at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2012 and was awarded the Crystal Globe for Best Film and Best Male Actor. He also created the TV series The Games which was judged the best at the 2014 Prix Jeunesse.

Wednesday, Novemeber 25th, 5 PM – Thursday, November 26^th, 5 PM

LOTTE AND THE LOST DRAGONS (LOTTE JA KADUNUD LOHED)

Director:  Janno Põlma, Heiki Ernits;  Screenwriter: Janno Põldma, Heiki Ernits, Andrus Kivirähk; Production design: Heiki Ernits; Settings: Laima Puntule, Katri Haarde; Music: Sven Grünberg, Renārs Kaupers; Editor: Janno Põldma; Producer: Kalev Tamm; Co-producer: Vilnis Kalnaellis, Production: Eesti Joonisfilm, Rija Films, Estonia, Latvia, 2019, 79’ 

Lotte, a spirited girl dog, gets a little sister named Roosi. Karl the raccoon and Viktor the fish are scientists who come to Gadgetville. They are taking part in a big folk song collecting competition. Whoever succeeds in recording the folk song of the world’s oldest animal species, the mythical fire-breathing dragon, wins the competition’s grand prize. Lotte and Roosi decide to help the scientists. Exciting and unexpected adventures await the sisters. A quality animated film, colourful and full of twists, unexpected encounters and extraordinary and bizarre characters. Third in a trilogy of films dedicated to the very popular character of Lotte, the little dog, in Estonia and in the Nordic countries. This film was made to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia. The directors said “When Lotte was born in 2000, we never imagined that our cartoon character, a cheerful and good-natured dog, could capture the hearts of so many viewers. We firmly believe that non-violence, goodwill and sense of humour conquer audiences around the world “.

HEIKI ERNITS

Born in Tallinn, Estonia, in 1953, he studied at the Tallinn Pedagogical Institute to become an arts and crafts teacher. In 1978 he joined the Tallinn film Studio as animator and director. He has worked as a photographer, art teacher, art director and director. He has also illustrated numerous publications and produced award-winning television commercials. His caricatures have been widely exhibited in Estonia and abroad.

JANNO PÕLDMA

Born in Tallinn, Estonia, in 1950, he joined the Tallinn Film Studio in 1973 as camera assistant and later he worked there as director of photography. After shooting over 20 animated films, he made his directorial debut in 1991 with the animation Brothers and Sisters. He has written numerous books and plays for children, some of which he also directed. His animated film Lotte and the Moonstone Secret, made with Heiki Ernits, premiered in Generation in 2012.

Friday, November 27th, 9 AM – Saturday, November 28^th, 9 AM

MIO FRATELLO RINCORRE I DINOSAURI (MY BROTHER CHASES DINOSAURS)

Director: Stefano Cipani; Screenwriting: Fabio Bonifacci, Giacomo Mazzariol (based on the book by Giacomo Mazzariol); Photography: Sergio Batroli; Editor: Massimo Quaglia; Music: Lucas Vidal; Cast: Alessandro Gassman, Isabella Ragonese,  Rossy de Palma, Francesco Geghi, Arianna Becheroni, Gea Dall’Orto, Maria Vittoria Dallasta, Lorenzo Sisto, Edoardo Pagliai, Roberto Nocchi, Soul Nanni; Production: Paco Cinematografica, Neo Art Producciones, Rai Cinema; Distribution: Eagle pictures, Italy 2019, 101’  Recommended age: 13-16

The film was presented at the 16th edition of the 2019 Venice Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori as a Special Event.

THEMES: Diversity – Friendship – Discovery of the feeling of love – Family relationships – Overcoming prejudices – Training path

Giacomo (Jack) is a boy who lives in Italy in Castelfranco Veneto, with his parents Davide and Katia and his sisters Chiara and Alice. One day he receives the news that he will soon have a brother, who will be called Giovanni (Giò). Since he was a child, Jack believed the tender lie his parents told him, namely that Giò, his brother, was a “special” child, with incredible superpowers, like a comic book hero. Jack later discovers that his brother has Down syndrome and that his parents have not told him the truth. Now a teenager, Giacomo must choose a high school together with Vittorio, his best friend. Attracted by a girl named Arianna, Giacomo decides to enrol in her school, forcing Vittorio to follow him. In the new high school, Giacomo suffers from his shyness and he would like to be similar to his older classmates, especially to impress Arianna. He then decides to join the musical band of the two boys he considers most admired in the school. Nevertheless, Giacomo often feels uncomfortable and is unable to tell anyone that he has a brother with Down syndrome. His silence on the subject gradually turns into a bigger and bigger lie. Keeping the secret is more and more difficult and the lies multiply, until the final unmasking. Giacomo has disappointed everyone and everyone is angry. Over time, however, he finds the courage to apologize to his family, especially to Giovanni, his class and Vittorio and Arianna, obtaining their forgiveness. The book that inspired My brother chases dinosaurs is an autobiographical book and was written by the young Giacomo Mazzariol, in collaboration with the screenwriter Fabio Bonifacci.

During his time in Bologna, when he studied film history and criticism at the University of Bologna, STEFANO CIPANI became part of the Italian film and art collective, theSPONKStudios. He has directed several short films and musical videos, and carried out different tasks in the production of film plots. Once graduated, he moved to Los Angeles to attend a Master in cinema at New York Film Academy. He has directed the short-films Napoleon’s Charm and While God Is Watching Us. He has collaborated with US prodution companies as well as MTV Italia. He has also directed Symmetry (2014) starring Isabella Ferrari, and worked together with Dante Ferretti, Ennio Morricone and Vittorio Sodano. My Brother Chases Dinosaurs is his first feature film.

SHORT FILMS IN COMPETITION

From November 16th on Youngabout’s Vimeo channel Link: https://vimeo.com/479851822

ADOLESCENCES IN ALL LANGUAGES OF THE WORLD

THE SHORTS OF YOUNGABOUT 2020

Out of competition

DIPENDE DA TE (IT’S UP TO YOU)    Commercial against addictions

Technical coordination by Marcello Bonini; Direction, Screenplay, Photography, Editing: Giada Cameriere, Matteo Carelli, Leonardo Melchiorri, Alice Patacconi,  Silvio Stangarone; Production and distribution: “Gli Anni in Tasca. Il Cinema e i Ragazzi” association, in collaboration with “Tavola delle Donne”;  Project carried out as part of “Fuori dall’ angolo in Santo Stefano”, Youkali APS cultural association – Invitation to tender by Emilia Romagna region 699/2018, Supported by the the Ministry of Labor and Social Policies, Italy, 2019, 2’ 

The project aimed at the creation of a commercial against addictions by a group of extremely committed and involved university students who, without knowing each other, were able to interact and work collegially, by respecting the different opinions and competences. A first part of meetings consisted of lessons in which, through dialogue, they analysed all the phases of audio-visual production (cinematographic language, pre-production, screenplay, direction, photography). In this context, they could collectively reflect, re-elaborating the results that emerged from the Focus groups previously held by the “Tavola delle donne” association, on the addictions that afflict many young people of their age. Then they tried to understand which cinematographic language was most suitable for communicating with them. The commercial is the result of the creativity and commitment of these young authors.

INHIBITUM

Direction, screenwriting, animation, editing, sound : Atelier Collectif (70 artists coordinated by William Henne); Voice over: Hervine de Boodt; Production: Zorobabel with the support of Centre du Cinéma et de l’audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, of the sector Centre d’Expression et de Créativité de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles and of Cocof, Belgium, 2016, 7’ 40’’  

The screening of this short film is possible thanks to the collaboration with Festival Ka – Nuovo immaginario migrante – Ancona 

In the 20th century, 5 important inventions were rejected: resistant nylon, Aerotrain, safe cigarette, water engine and bioresonance. We had a lucky escape! How much bitterness is hidden behind the irony of the story …

L’ATELIER COLLECTIF  is a training place dedicated to animation, it brings together non-professionals around animated short film projects made in teams. All decisions are made collectively from script to audio. These films are made with professional means. They have collected about twenty awards (Brussels, France, Russia, Portugal, Japan, etc.). Inhibitum is the seventeenth project of L’Atelier Collectif.

BECOMING LEV

Director: Jamillah van der Hulst & Thomas Roos  ; Photography: Thomas Roos ; Editor: Thomas Roos & Rens Lelieveld ; Music: Ayu Lestari, Kralycya & Alina Olkhovska. The Netherlands, Ukraine, 2019, 17’ 

The film was shot in Kharkiv (Ukraine) and Rotterdam (The Netherlands)   

The short documentary film Becoming LEV tells the inspiring story of Valerii, a young boy from Kharkiv, Ukraine. Valerii has one dream; to become a professional football player just like Evgeniy Levchenko (LEV). It takes dedication, passion and family to reach this goal. Valerii had a rough start in life but thanks to his supporting foster family he is able to dream again. The production of Becoming LEV was made possible through a unique collaboration between many organizations and individuals, spearheaded by JaJa Film Productions and Breath Care for Kids, with the aim to tell an inspiring and gripping story about the importance of family, the right to play and future goals for young children.

JAMILLAH VAN DER HULST was born in the Netherlands in 1978 and graduated in Marketing in the Faculty of Applied Sciences of the University of Amsterdam. After working as head of marketing and communications for international NGOs, she decided to shift her focus to cinema. In 2012 she founded JaJa Film Productions. As producer she rapidly became interested in directing films. She directed some well-received 1-minute films and the documentary series Women with a Mission, which aired by TLC. In 2018 she directed her first long documentary film Fighting for peace that won the “Peace and Sport Documentary Prize” at the prestigious SPORTEL Awards in Munich and the “Garland of Honor” at the Sport Movies & TV – Milan International FICTS Fest. 

THOMAS ROSS, after graduating in Rotterdam, he moved to Sweden. There he obtained a Masters in Economics and Business. At the age of 22 he decided to devote himself to film and started producing, directing and shooting many music videos, commercials and short films. His documentary skills were discovered by VSO, an international NGO, and therefore Thomas began holding assignments around the world, covering development aid projects in countries such as Nepal, Cambodia and Ethiopia. His work was the basis for the annual fundraising of campaigns which also aired on Dutch and British TV channels. In his direction and in his work as an author, Thomas puts the human aspect first.

IN COMPETITION

PROFESSIONAL SECTION

EK, DOONI, TEENI

Direcor, screenwriter, editor: Srinivas Bhakta; Music: Sattwitchakravarthy; Singapore, 2020, 5’59’’ 

One of the versions of Konkani folk tale from South of India in which Uncle Crow takes refuge in Sister Sparrow’s house… without deserving it.

ECHO IN THE CLOUDS 

Direction, screenwriting, photography, editing: Nadezhda Shibalova ; Music: Daniel Tsovin; Distribution: Nadezhda Shibalova;  Production: Russian State University of Cinematography S. Gerasimov (VGIK), Russia, 2019, 5’ 4’’  

Sasha is a child who loves airplanes and dreams of becoming a pilot, like his father.

There is the war and, during a battle in the skies, Sasha’s father’s plane is hit by enemy fire. How to survive this serious loss and how not to give up on your dream?

NADEZHDA SHIBALOVA was born in Torzhok (Russia) in 1994. From 2010 to 2014 she attended the film, television and multi-media courses of the VGIK faculty of cinema where in 2019 she graduated in Direction of Animation and Computer Graphics

ESCULPIENDO EN LA MEMORIA 

Direction, screenwriting, photography, editing: Rubén Seca ; Music: Max Richter ; Voice over: Sergi García Lorente; Production: Rubén Seca ; Distribution: FilmNow, Spain, 2018, 4’ 

A story about personal and collective memories told through sculptures. Not to forget: the starting point is the sculpture of Apel les Fenosa which is located in front of Rubén’s house. As the author explains, “the creative process is inspired by the photographs of sculptures I had taken during my travels in recent years”. Through these works of art it was possible to unravel a narrative thread to keep historical memory alive.

RUBÉN SECA (1991) studied the Diploma of Film Direction at the Escola de Cinema de Barcelona (ECIB). He makes a large number of short films there, highlighting “Solitud” (2017), “Ramén” (2019), or “Esculpiendo en la memoria” (2018). The latter, gets more than 25 selections in Festivals and a few awards: winner of the latest edition of the prestigious Notodofilmfest. Currently, he is preparing “Mortis Causa”, produced by the production company Alhena, and starring Paco Tous.

MEMORIE DI ALBA (ALBA’S MEMORIES)

Director: Andrea Martignoni and Maria Steinmetz; Animation: Maria Steinmetz, Andrea Martignoni; Sound: Andrea Martignoni; Production, Distribution: Andrea Martignoni, Maria Steinmetz, Italy, Germany, 2019, 6’20’’ 

Alba’s Memories is a film that begins with an improvised recorded story that becomes the basis of a story that takes us back to the 1950s in Bologna. It is there that Alba meets Pierino, a friend of her brother Tullio and an important love story is born! The skilful animation created by Maria Steinmetz makes the atmosphere magical, using different techniques, of which the cut out is the main one. Andrea Martignoni is the co-director with Steinmetz and thus also makes his debut in the direction of the animated film, as well as usually being its sound designer. In the film, the reconstruction of atmospheres that we feel intact and even the discovery of a super8 film that makes us take a close look at the protagonists is astonishing. A story of other times, in which nostalgia for the post-war years full of disarming happiness and simplicity emerges.

In 2005 MARIA STEINMETZ started her study at the University of Film and Television HFF “Konrad Wolf” in Potsdam-Babelsberg. In 2014 she became master scholar at HFF “Konrad Wolf“. Since 2015 she is working as freelance animator and leading animation workshops for children and adults.

Memorie di Alba“ 2019, 6’, The Mosquito Pieks“ 2017, 7’ “Macramé” 2014, 7’ “Changeling” 2011, 8’ “Coma” 2009, 9’

ANDREA MARTIGNONI is an Italian sound designer based in Berlin, he composed more than 40 soundtracks for short animated films, “Memorie di Alba” is his first film project. Filmography 2019 “Memorie di Alba” 6’.

MERCURIO

Direction, Screenwriting, Animation, Sound: Michele Bernardi; Music: Luca D’Alberto; Production: Studio Grafus; Distribution: Zen Movie, Italy, 2018, 9’48’’ 

Through his passions that link him to his childhood, a young man manages to accept the unavoidable human condition’s rules. This way, he escapes the physical and mental alienation of the fascist dictatorship and gains absolute freedom.

MICHELE BERNARDI, after a two-year course in professional animation at the Secondo Bignardi studio in Modena, he stepped into the world of animation at GLM (also in Modena). During the past fifteen years, he has worn many hats as a director, producer and author of a number of animated clips for Italian musical groups, including Le luci della centrale Elettrica, Tre allegri ragazzi morti, Colapesce, Punkreas, 24 grana, Prozac+, The Zen Circus, Luca d’Alberto, and many others. More recently he worked on advertising spots for different brands and products and he also created a series of spots for the Rai 3 broadcast Viva la Crisi. Several of his short films have won prizes as best animated shorts in the biggest international animation festivals, including Animaphix, Imaginaria, Animaevka, Tindirindis, Bcn sport in Barcelona, Sardinia Film Festival, Castelli Animati, Amarcort, Sciacca film Fest. From 2019 he teaches digital animation at the Academy of Fine Arts in Palermo.

KORSAKOV 

Direction, screenwriting, production: Jose Manuel Carrasco; Photography: Alberto Pareja; Editing, Sound: Carlos Blanco; cast: Pilar Bergés, Aitor Merino, Distribution: Selected Films, Spain, 2019, 5’ 

This short film tells with subtle humour how passion for cinema is all-absorbing.

JOSÉ MANUEL CARRASCO graduated in directing at the Film and Audiovisual School of the Community of Madrid (ECAM) and received a Higher Degree in Textual Interpretation at the Higher School of Dramatic Arts. He is the director and scriptwriter of the short films Anonymous Comedy, Padam which was nominated at the 2008 Goya Awards, Consultation 16, Pulsions, Explicit Sex, (re) construction, Sinécdoque. Una historia de Amour Fou and Haloperidol, which were given awards at numerous National and International Festivals.

SIN FILTRO

Direction, Screenwriting:   Manu Montejo; Photography: Carlos Garcés ; Editing: Juan Carlos Gómez ; Sound: Arman Ciudad, Jaime Llanos; Cast: Mariona Terés and Anita Del Rey; Production: Prosonarte, Tinglao Producciones ; Distribution: Selected Films, Spain, 2020, 3’39’’ 

The unpredictable consequences of the obsession with selfies.

The trajectory of MANU MONTEJO starts in film and television’s director departments in 2004. Since then he has added more than twenty projects as assistant director. In 2009 he launched his first project as director: “Carhavana, cuando no hay” (Cuba). From there he made three more shortfilms and began to directing some advertising campaigns. In 2018 he directed the second unit of “If I Be Rich” (T5 Cinema).

THE ELEPHANT SONG

Director: Lynn Tomlinson; Screenwriter: Sam Saper, Lynn Tomlinson; Music: Sam Saper, arranged and played by Trucker Talk; sound effects: Elsa Lankford; Animation: Lynn Tomlinson; Animation assistants: Lucy Saper, M.C. Tomlinson; Production: Velvet Valley Film, co-production: M.C. and Mickey Tomlinson, USA, 2018,  7’40’’ 2018

The Elephant’s Song tells the true and tragic story of the first elephant, called Old Bet, which was brought from Africa to New York in the first half of the 19th century by Hachaliah Bailey as a circus attraction. The making of this magnificent animated film is complex and structured on several levels, between historical reconstruction and environmentalist denunciation. For the film they used both the oil-based clay to be modelled on glass and the rotoscoped pastel drawings. The director says, “It was important to me that this was an African elephant … I was very interested in this, due to the connection with the slave trade and the ivory trade … I think it’s complicated to know if it serves as a metaphor [of slavery], but the mistreatment of animals is also linked to the mistreatment of humans “

LYNN TOMLINSON is an interdisciplinary artist specializing in animation, mosaics, community art, sculpture, documentary, media art, and emerging media. She is a professor at Towson University. She lives in Baltimore. She holds degrees from Cornell University (BA, English), the University of the Arts (MA, Art Education), the Annenberg School at the University of Pennsylvania (MA, Communication), and Towson University (MFA, Studio Art). She has taught at Cornell University, the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Maryland Institute College of Art, and Delaware College of Art and Design, Richard Stockton College, and Tufts University. Her films have been screened at numerous film festivals around the world over the past two decades. She has received awards and grants including several Mid-Atlantic Emmys, an ITVS production grant, and Individual Artist Fellowships from the State Arts Councils of Pennsylvania, Florida, and Maryland. Using tactile clay on glass and experimenting with pictorial animation processes, Lynn Tomlinson creates short films and interdisciplinary projects that investigate environmental and historical issues, told from unusual points of view.

JOVANNAFORFUTURE

Director: Mirjam Marks; Photography: Simon de Meester; Editor: Sander Cijsouw; Production: Tangerine tree, Mensjesrechten, Eodocs, The Netherlands, 2019, 16’   

Dutch director Mirjam Marks, inspired by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, focuses her work on an issue that affects children all over the world: climate change.

The documentary JOVANNAFORFUTURE portrays 13-year-old Jovanna, a Dutch teenager inspired by Greta Thunberg. Jovanna is worried about her future, that of her peers, about the health of the earth and, above all, about climate change. Children can’t vote, so going on strike is the only way to make their voices heard. She doesn’t eat meat, and she and her family live in an “earthship,” where they generate all the energy they use.

After her Theatre Studies, MIRJAM MARKS started working at VPRO Youth Television (Dutch Public Television Channel). Through her experience in research and production, Mirjam became specialised in content creation for youth documentaries and series. Through a television programme she visited Suriname and immediately fell in love with the country. She moved there with her family and stayed for six years. In Suriname she made several documentaries for Dutch television, she initiated several workshops for kids and she also founded and became Creative Director of the children’s museum Villa Zapakara. When she moved back to the Netherlands she continued her work as a documentary maker and since 2014 she joined Cinekid media festival as Head of Television.

Emerging artists

GRANDPA’S BIRTHDAY  

Direction, screenwriting, photography, editing: Jasmine Ko and Nathan Ko; South Korea, 2019, 2’

The grandson wants to celebrate his grandfather’s birthday even though he is now in heaven …

JASMINE KO and NATHAN KO are two brother filmakers who collaborate in the making of short films. ‘Grandpa’s Birthday’ is their fourth work and is presented to the public for the first time in the Youngabout Festival program. Jasmine Ko was born in 2002 in Seoul

GLI ULTIMI GIORNI

Director, Screenwriter: Martina Selva; Photography: Francesco Gentili; Editor: Livia Galtieri, Elisa Sorge; Music: Rita Brancato, Sara Santi; Cast: Annalaura Dall’Olio, Margherita Martini, Claudio Righini, Pietro Pinzani, Niccolò Piazza; Production and Distribution: Martina Selva; Italy, 2019, 12’ 

These are the last days of high school for Diana and her friends. They grew up together in a country town where the days are full of idleness and nature. Diana is a girl with a closed and wild character. Anger and extreme vitality are confused in her personality, a continuous struggle between her need for independence and self-affirmation and her rooting in that land and those landscapes. Diana, between her peers, feels awkward and lost, nature and animals are those that speak her own language. So she decides to take refuge in the woods, where she can move freely and get to know her most secret part, forgetting for a while the fear of growing up.

MARTINA SELVA was born in 1994 in Castel San Pietro Terme in the province of Bologna. After graduating from the Francesco Arcangeli Art High School in Bologna, she graduated in New Technologies for Art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice and is currently obtaining a master’s degree in Visual Arts at the IUAV University of Venice. For a few years she worked as an editor and camera operator for small video-making projects. Gli ultimi giorni is her first fiction short film, she has made some documentary shorts, the last one is Fragili teche on the world of reptile breeders produced in collaboration with Marechiaro Film.

VERMINE (Vermin)

Direction, Animation: Jérémie Becquer;   Artistic direction, Animation: Allan Michaut; Technical direction, background: Morten Krebs; Storyboard,  Animation,  Compositing: Léonard Bismuth, Pauline Champetier; Design, Animation, Production management:  Maria Sandvig; Design,  Animation: Kristoffer Ager; Design, Settings, Compositing: Ditte Wad Andersen; Design, Settings: Michael Nielsen, Denmark, Miyu Distribution, 2018, 6’ 

Hubert has a gentle soul, he writes and recites poetry, finding within himself the strength to survive in an increasingly tough, competitive, closed society. The meeting with a group of police officers will change his life

Jeremie Becquer  

Born in Luxembourg in 1991, he studied, in the same city, animation at the Lycée des Arts et Métiers and then attended the Animation Workshop in Denmark. He created Vermine during his studies 

MAESTRO

Direction, Animation, Editing: Illogic collective (Florian Babikian, Vincent Bayoux, Victor Caire, Théophile Dufresne, Gabriel Grapperon and Lucas Navarro); Production: Bloom pictures; Distribution:  Miyu distribution, France, 2019,  2’  

At sunset, all the animals in the forest take part in a concert, directed by a squirrel. Animal life and its philosophy, recreated from a different point of view.

This collective of French directors caught the attention of the animation world in 2017 with their graduation short film “Garden Party”, which was nominated at the 2018 Oscars. The original six members of ILLOGICformed the group while studying at the French animation school MOPA. “Maestro” was produced at Bloom Pictures, the collective’s new animation studio in Montpellier, France.

GAIJIN SASHIMI

Direction, Animation, Photography, Editing: Erik Vos; Production: Utrecht School of Arts (HKU); Distribution: Utrecht School of Arts (HKU), Erik Vos, The Netherlands, 2019, 5’.

The making of this short film required a lot of work. It is the graduation film of Dutch-Japanese animation filmmaker Erik Vos, as culmination of the courses at the Utrecht School of Arts (HKU). The director uses a mix of paintings, 3D animation, 2D animation and ‘live action’. The film tells the culinary adventure of a Dutch boy who wants to perfect himself in the art of cutting sashimi: he needs an apprenticeship with a master in Japan. The Japanese sushi master (the sensei) believes that the Dutch student (the gaijin) cuts the fresh, raw fish (the sashimi) too coarsely. But at the end of the training course, the teacher and the student find inspiration in each other.

ERIK VOS was born in 1993. He declared “life largely depends on chance”. In the animated films by the director Erik Vos, coincidence plays an important role. In his opinion, grasping coincidences creates a lively and authentic representation. It achieves this by combining analogue painted images with computer controlled images. Erik Vos himself has two origins. He has a Japanese mother and a Dutch father, who met by chance … Diversity is a natural inspiration for the animator. What are the qualities and characteristics of the various media? How can they be mixed? “

SCHOOLS SECTION

Non eravamo pagine bianche

Director: Rossana Cappucci, in collaboration with the students of the 2^nd G class, Doc course of the “L.Bassi” high school in Bologna, academic year 2018/19,  with the support of the tutor Francesca Zerbetto,; Music: Giuseppe Calcagno with the students of the 3^rd P class of the high school specialized in music; Cast: Leidy Saporita

Daniel Saporita Giovanni Saporita Patrizia Greco Chiara Labante, with the participation of: Carlos Capelli, Alessandro Marcheselli, Lionel Cotromino, Aadya Bitassi, Pranali Rossetti, Italy, 2019, 14’ 58’’ 

The students did a touching work on the search for identity and roots through the adoption path of Leidy and her brother Daniel.

The sincere story of the Saporita family, which reveals the joys and fragility of their experience, makes us reflect on the inner journey that each of us makes regarding our origins, especially when confronted with those who have a different past.

Stages of work

The short film was the result of an annual path on the theme “The search for identity and one’s origins. Family album”. The theme of the documentary, which focused on the topic of adoption, was proposed by Prof. Rossana Cappucci and received consensus among the students especially in the choice to tell the story of Leidy, a student of the 2nd G class.

Talking about the experience of a classmate involved the students more and made them aware not only on this issue but also on respect, in general, for diversity.

ROSSANA CAPPUCCI is a teacher in Literature at the Laura Bassi high school, film documentary course. She has made short films and documentaries with students on social themes and on adolescent and gender identity such as “Siamo tutti in transizione”, “Benvenuta Medea”, “Sono io”.

ZOE

Direction, Screenwriting, Photography, Editing: Marta Krunić (with the collaboration of the school group); Production and distribution: Stjepan Kefelja Primary School Kutina, Croatia, 2018, 11’34’’ 

Martin is a boy who lives in a small village near Kutina. The beginning of the film follows his search for a pair of glasses from outer space. He finds them and uses them at school to do well at tests and examinations. Somewhere between dreams and reality, in a dimension unknown to man, a dimension on the verge of shadows, a girl enters his life. Her name is Zoe. They fall in love.

MARTA KRUNIĆ is 14 years old and lives in Kutina. She was born in Pakrac on 29th of May 2005. She has been a member of the school film group since fifth grade. The mentor of the film group in the school is the technical culture teacher Goran Šporčić. Every year the group makes several successful films (feature, documentary, experimental). Some of them have received awards at international festivals such as the documentary film “Korita” – special award “Đakovački rezovi” 2016 and “The Dubrovnik Film Festival for the Children and the Youth of the Mediterranean Countries” – the best children’s documentary film 2016. The short film ”0+0” has been selected and competed at 15 international film festivals across the globe. The film group has been working since the school was founded. Throughout its history, many pupils have been involved in its activities, expressing their creativity in this way.

IL NASCONDIGLIO

Direction, Screenwriting, Photography, Editing: Matteo Macaluso; Subject: Saverio Settembrino; Music: Saverio Settembrino; Cast: Michele Chiesi, Roberto Fantuzzi, Valentina Bertani, Emanuela Albertini, Lucia Iori, Giovanna Rosselli, and the students of the A. Balletti lower secondary school; Production: A. Balletti lower secondary school, Quattro Castella (RE), Italy, 2020, 15’39’’    

September 1944: the racial laws have disrupted the lives of many people. A Jewish boy secretly attends an Italian school under a false name. Only one girl, Ella, understood who he is, and who is actually called Chaim. But she keeps the secret. When the Nazi-Fascists learn that a Jew is hiding in those parts, they do an inspection but they can’t find him. Eventually, Chaim will reveal himself to his companions … But the students, with a ruse, will be able to prevent the worst.

MA CHI TI CONOSCE

Direction, Subject, Screenwriting: Vito Marinelli – students of the programme “Ciak si scrive: parole in movimento”; Editing: Paolo Ingusci; Photography: Biagio Sivilla; Music: Andrea Bellucci; Cast:  Giuseppe Lozito, Gabriele Pistacchio, Patrick Lopez; Production and Distribution: “Caporizzi-Lucarelli” comprehensive school, Acquaviva delle Fonti (BA), Italy, 2019, 9’54’’ 

Gipsy attends high school and became famous thanks to YouTube. His classmate has the same dreams of glory, but without success. Both will have to deal with Patrick: the less popular boy from school.

VITO MARINELLI is a young Apulian director and screenwriter (1989). At the age of nineteen, he entered the academy in Cinecittà. He finished his studies with great success, specializing in film direction and also receiving a special mention and a prize awarded by the teachers. At the age of twenty-two he returned to the Apulia region to direct “Principessa”, a short film made in collaboration with the Apulia Film Commission and co-written with Pietro Albino di Pasquale, award-winning screenwriter of films for cinema. Marinelli also signs the direction of music video clips. Later he teaches direction and screenwriting at the “Caporizzi – Lucarelli” Comprehensive Institute in Acquaviva delle Fonti (Bari), thanks to a project funded by the European Union through the 2014-2020 European Structural Funds. From this experience was made the short film “Ma chi ti conosce!”, with the participation of the students of the same school.

LA FELICITÀ È UNA SCELTA

Direction, Photography, Editing, Music: Carlotta Franzoni; Cast: Angel Adu, Francesca Boccamazzo, Annamaria Doka, Andrea Emiliani, Desiré Ferraris, Isabella Fiorucci, Daniela Franchi, Morren Frinpong, Elvira Maria Granatiero, Omaima Guiran, Muskaan Kaur, Katerina Mocka, Donatella Sackey, Marco Tellaroli, Fiorela Toska, Emma Turrini, Nicola Turrini; Production and Distribution: “Piero Sraffa” school in Brescia, as part of the project “Sraffa Video Social Club”, about the realisation of short films on social themes, Italy, 2019, 4’ 40’’    

There are different forms of bullying, some more evident, others less striking, but equally deleterious.

Is it possible to deal with this difficult issue with a different attitude, choosing happiness, despite everything?

CARLOTTA FRANZONI was born in 2000. She is a young director, in her first experiences. She runs the video laboratory in the “Piero Sraffa” school of Brescia.

SHORTS IN COMPETITION FOR YOUNGER AUDIENCE 

Professional section 

A TIGER WITH NO STRIPES

Director: Raul ‘Robin’ Morales Reyes; Graphic design: Coline Desclides, Raul ‘Robin’ Morales Reyes; Animation: Marc Robinet, Pierre Bouvier, Morten Riisberg Hansen; Editor: Hervé Guichard; Special effects: Izù Troin, Benoit Razy; Production: Folimage, Distribution: France, Switzerland, 2018, 8’ 40’’ 

A tiger is sad because it has no stripes and so goes off into the jungle to find them. It turns out to be an eventful journey of discovery.

RAÚL ROBIN MORALES is a Mexican author, designer, musician, dancer and filmmaker. In 2012, he made the internationally awarded “The Trumpeter”, with the support of the Mexican Institute of Cinematography. In 2014, he produced “Amicus” with the support for independent producers from Canal 22 (Mexico). In 2016, he directed “The Pieces of the Puzzle”, first original film of Canal Once. In 2017, he won the Ciclic Residence and Folimage Artist-in-Residence in Annecy with his last film “A Tiger With No Stripes”.

SIX MUSICAL NOTES

Director:  Toma Leroux ; Screenwriting: Toma Leroux, Mariem Hamidat; Graphic design: Jean-Luc Calais; Animation: Nedzad Hadzic, Thibault Fretay; Editing: Nadège Kintzinger; Music: Mathieu Langlet; Producer: Mariem Hamidat; Producer: HKE Production, France, 2019, 7’  

Things are not always what they seem, it’s what you make of them. If Lili decides to follow the six little notes, it will be the greatest journey to the stars and memories beyond.

TOMA LEROUX studied at the Parisian film school FEMIS, and then became a documentary filmmaker and a script writer for TV programs. He is also the author of the TV series “Plus belle la vie” broadcasted on France 3.

AU PAYS DE L’AURORE BORÉALE (NORTHERN LIGHTS)

Director, Screenwriter: Caroline Attia; Animation: Marc Robinet, Siergiej Gizila, Morten Riisberg Hansen; Special effects: Izú Troin, Caroline Attia; Editor: Antoine Rodet; Music: Christophe Héral; Production: Folimage, Nadasdy,  France, Switzerland,  2019, 15’ 

Colin has lived with his grandfather Karl since his parents died. When Karl goes narwhal hunting, Colin travels as a stowaway in his shelter-sled. He will have to overcome his fears and learn the secrets of the Far North.

CAROLINE ATTIA graduated from the National School of Decorative Arts in Paris in 2004. She dedicates herself to illustration and animation, with a particular love for characters and their stories. She has collaborated with studios such as Sacrebleu, Senso Films, FrogBox, Teleimage Kids, Technicolor, Cartoon Saloon and Folimage. As a young author, she collaborates with publishers such as Belin, Gestalten, Usborne, Milan, Tourbillon and Scholastic.