The
Bermuda International Film Festival will present three
films suitable for children at its 10 th anniversary event,
March 16-24.
A
Walk in the Woods is a selection of short films geared
specifically for children aged three and up. The Ugly
Duckling and Me, a hilarious animated film, is for children
six and up, while Grave Decisions is a dark comedy for
children ages 10 and up.
The
BIFF Kids portion of the festival is sponsored by Butterfield
Bank, the presenting sponsor of October’s BIFF Kids Children’s
Film Festival.
The
three films selected for the children’s section of BIFF
2007 are:
A
Walk in the Woods
United
States / 2006 / 51 minutes / Colour
For
more than 50 years Weston Woods has been adapting the
finest works in children's literature to brilliant animated
short films. Their faithful and fun renditions are frequent
recipients of awards from educators and librarians. Each
of these films is sumptuously animated and motivating
for the youngster in all of us. Musical Max, a multi
award winner features a small hippo with big musical talent.
In Trashy Town, Mr. Gilly and his rats take us on a musical
journey of cleaning up the city. This American Library
Association notable video has a catchy refrain and shows
how every job is important. Miss Nelson is Back, shows
the students of Room 207 that their teacher might be better
than they think. Patrick lives in a drab world until he
finds a violin. This non-verbal award winner is a feel
good film that will make you want to dance. George won't
bark in Bark, George, but this little pup wants to please
his mother. Jules Feiffer's delightful book comes barking
to life with narration by John Lithgow. Andy Richter is
the voice of a garbage truck in I Stink, which not only
shows the rambling adventure of trash collection but also
teaches us the alphabet. Parents and children of all ages
will delight in this Walk in the Woods.
Grave
Decisions
by
Marcus H. Rosenmuller
Germany
/ 2006 / 104 minutes / Colour
German
with English subtitles
You
can never be too young to be a murderer, thinks 11-year-old
Sebastian, who is convinced that he killed his mother
at the age of zero. The proof is on her tombstone: she
died the day he was born! Though his father, Lorenz, tries
to calm him, Sebastian is terrified by the thought of
spending years in purgatory. Hoping to knock off a few
years by doing good deeds, he sets out to find a wife
for his dad. The heavens must be listening, since Lorenz
and Sebastian’s teacher, Veronika, fall madly in love
with each other. The only problem is: Veronika is married.
But since Sebastian already killed his mother, surely
it’ll be easy to kill a stranger. This dark comedy is
a real crowd-pleaser for the younger set.
The
Ugly Duckling and Me
by
Michael Hegner and Karsten Kiilerich
Ireland-Denmark-France-Germany
/ 2006 / 90 minutes / Colour
This
heartwarming, adventure-filled animated film is fun for
the whole family. It is a re-invention of one of Hans
Christian Andersen’s most-loved fairytales, but this time
the Ugly Duckling is accompanied by some heartfelt characters
such as Ratso, a wannabe hit show manager; Ernie, the
cat with a ventriloquist act; Jesse, Ugly’s first love;
and Wesley the Worm, a dissatisfied actor, to name just
a few. This family film tells the story of the Ugly Duckling
as he was growing up. Ratso, the rat, ends up being the
only parent Ugly can find – and takes on the roles of
both mother and father, leaving Ugly more than a bit confused.
Of course, it’s not like Ratso didn’t have enough on his
plate already being on the run from a gang of nasty city
rats and surrounded by hostile poultry in the inhospitable
countryside. When his cousin, a comedian cat with a ventriloquist
act who takes orders from his puppet, gets involved, life
gets even stranger. And as Ugly develops – going through
his awkward stage, meeting his first love, and experiencing
the roller coaster of emotions in growing up – the odd
pair form a solid familial bond.
Tickets
to BIFF 2007 will go on sale in early March both online
at www.biff.bm as well as at the
festival’s physical box office at # 6 Passenger Terminal,
Front Street, Hamilton.
The
mission of the Bermuda International Film Festival is
to advance the love of independent film from around the
world, and create a community welcoming to filmmakers
and filmgoers.
Media
Contact:
Duncan
Hall
Deputy
Festival Director
Bermuda
International Film Festival
Tel:
293-3456
Fax:
293-7769
E-mail:
deputydirector@biff.bm