Leeds Young Peoples Film Festival, 6th – 16th April 2006
www.leedsfilm.com
A brace of UK Premieres, a sequel to a hugely popular animated film and a myriad of exciting and innovative workshops are all heading to the region for the Seventh Leeds Young People’s Film Festival which takes place from 6th-16th April 2006.
Organised and run by Leeds City Council, the Film Festival will feature a range of films aimed at young people to be shown at the Vue Cinemas at Cardigan Road and at the Light, as well as a series of events to encourage talented young people to get involved in the film industry.
The Film Festival opens with an special preview screening of ICE AGE 2: THE MELTDOWN, the sequel to massively successful computer animation from 2001. With a voice cast that includes Seann William Scott of ‘American Pie’ fame, it’s the thrilling and funny story of a group of prehistoric animals who have to warn the world about the dangers of global warming.
There’s also the chance to be the first in the United Kingdom to see such films as BONKERS, a charming film from The Netherlands about a little girl who brings home an elephant, and VALO, a dramatic Finnish film made in association with UNICEF. And, if the idea of subtitles can put you off, these films will be simultaneously translated as an actor will read the subtitles aloud to make It easier to understand for younger children. Other films will include the spooky GHOST OF CANTERVILLE and some children’s favourites in the shape of THE PRINCESS BRIDE and JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS.
Apart from the main features, young people will also have their chance of cinematic glory as inventive and imaginative short films will be screened as part of the third LEEDS NATIONAL YOUNG FILMMAKERS AWARD, with a panel of film professionals looking on.
Returning for 2006 is Film Academy, a series of workshops designed to encourage young people to learn about varied aspects of the movie business. These include MUSIC SCORE, to opportunity to compose and manipulate film soundtracks including dialogue, sound effects and music. And, if people have ever fancied themselves as a Vivienne Westwood or Gianni Versace then there’s a one-day workshop on COSTUME DESIGN led by professional Monique Hollinshead, from TV’s hugely successful ‘My Parents are Aliens’. PLAY> ON THE SQUARE will be a day long celebration of play on Millennium Square, from breakdance to gaming and mobile phone filming all working interactively with the BBC’s Big Screen in the Square. Other workshops and masterclasses will also examine directing, stunt work and animation
OPENING GALA: ICE AGE 2: THE MELTDOWN
Animation Comedy
Dir. Carlos Saldanha, USA 2006, Cert PG (to be confirmed)
Diego, Manny and Sid return in this sequel to the hit Ice Age. This time around the Ice Age is over and is starting to melt, which will destroy their valley. So they must unite and warn everyone about the situation. The Pack Is Back!
CLOSING GALA: FINDING FRIENDS(Venner for livet) Dir. Arne LindtnerNaess, Norway 2004, 89 mins, Norwegian Film Institute, Subtitled
Winner Best Youth Film, Amanda Awards, Norway 2005
Winner Audience Award, Cinekid Children’s Film Festival, Holland 2005
SIMULTANEOUS TRANSLATION – An actor will read the subtitles aloud, for younger children to understand
5+
Things are not looking good when 12 year old Petter and his family move to a small farm in the middle of nowhere for the summer. But the countryside is not as quiet and peaceful as Petter thinks. Walking in the forest he finds an abused dog which he takes care of. The owner wants it back, but he meets Nila and her friend Samson the bull and together they rescue the dog and reveal the local car thieves that have operated for a long time. The summer turns out to be a dangerous and exciting adventure, - Petter does not miss his friends in the city. During these weeks he has made friends forever...with a dog, a bull and a girl.
BOMBAY CALLING
Drama Comedy
Dir. Lena Koppel, Sweden 2004, 91mins, Swedish Film Institute, Swedish with subtitles
15+ sexual references, brief shot of comic frontal male nudity, some swearing,
UK Premiere
Ebba is 17 and adopted, and lives happily with her mother Anita in Sweden. Her biological parents are Indian and she dreams of travelling to India to meet her birth mother. She constantly imagines her travels in brightly-coloured Bollywood-style dance sequences but Anita can never seem to find the money to take Ebba to India. When Ebba finds letters from her birth mother that Anita has been hiding, she and her best friend decide to take matters into their own hands. Will all her dreams come true or is Ebba heading for disaster?
BONKERS
Comedy Drama
SIMULTANEOUS TRANSLATION – An actor will read the subtitles aloud, for younger children to understand
(Knetter) Dir. Martin Koolhoven, The Netherlands 2005, 86mins, Lemming Film, Dutch with subtitles
4+
UK Premiere
Winner Best Film Audience Award, Cinekid 2005, The Netherlands
Bonnie is 9 and loves elephants, so do her whole family. Her mum, Lis, is not like Bonnie’s friends’ mothers - sometimes she is very lively and happy and at other times she can be very sad. She has pills to take to act "normal" but she doesn't like to take them. One day, Lis decides to come home with an elephant ...and things really start to get interesting for Bonnie! A hilarious tale about an unusual family.
EUROPE IN SHORTS
Animation
Dir/Country. Various, 2004-2005, 55 mins, European Coordination of Film Festivals
3+
A delightful selection of short animations from all over Europe – in English or without dialogue, suitable for children aged 3 and upwards selected by Film Festivals across Europe. Perfect for all budding artists and animators!
+
The City of Bees
Documentary
(Biernes By) Dir. Laila Hodell, Bertel Torne Olsen, Denmark 2004, 30mins, Danish Film Institute, Dubbed
A close look at the amazing secret world of honeybees. Six year old Oliver and friends join a beekeeper to find out how the bees run their cities. We see the larvae being fed, bees being born, how they collect nectar and pollen from thousands of flowers to be made into food, the different kinds of jobs bees can have and how important the queen bee is to everything that goes on in the city. Absolutely amazing.
GHOST OF CANTERVILLE
Comedy Drama
(Das Gespenst von Canterville) Dir. Isabel Kleefeld, Germany 2005, 90mins, SevenOne International, German with subtitles
7+ due to subtitles
UK Premiere
Winner Best Music, German Television Awards 2005, Germany
10 year old Paul has a problem – he’s scared of everything! He is scared of swimming, animals, people and the dark. To help him, Paul’s parents think it is a great idea to go on holiday to an old Scottish castle – that’s haunted! Will Paul face his fears and the ghost? Hilarious family comedy based on the Oscar Wilde classic.
JASON & THE ARGONAUTS
Action Fantasy
Dir. Don Chaffey, UK/USA 1963, 104 mins, British Film Institute
Cert U
An exclusive chance to catch the work of legendary animator Ray Harryhausen, who has influenced such directors as Spielberg. Having watched the original King Kong when he was a boy, Harryhausen became fascinated with how it all worked. The answer was stop motion animation and Harryhausen has not looked back since! He has produced groundbreaking animations for over 40 years. This film is based on the Greek myth, where Jason sets out to find the Golden Fleece. Described by many as an older version of The Fellowship of the Ring, complete with massive animated skeleton army. Don’t miss the chance to catch this true classic.
MEAN CREEK
Adventure Drama
Dir. Jacob Aaron Estes, USA 2004, 90 mins, Whitewater Films
Winner Best Directorial Debut, Stockholm Film Festival, 2004
Cert. 15+ some swearing, sexual references, teenage alcohol use
Shy Sam is bullied by George every day at school. When he confesses this to his older brother, they come up with the perfect revenge. Inviting George on a birthday river trip with four other friends to get their own back, they start to feel unsure about their plans, and some want to call it all off. But now they’ve started - it’s not that easy to stop… This moving adventure tale tackles growing up with superb performances, including Macaulay Culkin’s little brother Rory as Sam.
+
Cracks
(Sprækker) Dir. Aage Rais-Nordentoft, Denmark 2005, 15mins, Danish Film Institute, Danish with subtitles
A young girl can’t sleep. There’s cracks in the ceiling and she can hear her parents arguing. A bus pulls up outside and she climbs aboard. Is this a dream?
MONGOLIAN PING PONG
Comedy
(Lü Cao di ) Dir. Ning Hao, China 2005, 102 minutes, Bavaria Film International, Mongolian with subtitles
7+ due to subtitles
Winner CIFEJ prize Best Film Lucas Film Festival, Germany
Bilike lives in the grasslands of Mongolia, far away from the big city. But life in the middle of nowhere can be exciting - one day, Bilike and his friends find a mysterious white object. They’ve never seen anything like it before, even the grasslands' wise monks are stumped. The boys learn about ping pong and are excited to hear that their object is the 'national ball of China'. Not realising how far Beijing actually is, they set to return the ball to the Chinese capital and claim their reward…
NAPOLA
Drama
Dir. Dennis Gansel, Germany 2004, 110mins, Parasol Peccadillo, German with subtitles
15+ some strong swearing non-graphic war scenes
UK Premiere
Winner Audience Award Best Film, Hamptons International Film Festival, USA 2004
Winner Best Actor Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Poland 2004
Winner EuropaCinema Platinum Award, Viareggio International Film Festival, Italy 2004
It is 1942 and the Nazis are at the height of their power in Germany. Seventeen year old Friedrich is from a poor family, but as a talented boxer is offered a place at NAPOLA, a school for the Nazi elite. Here he encounters a world of tough military discipline and political upbringing. Friedrich becomes friends with the Governor’s son and they both struggle with the realisation that everything is not as simple as it seems.
+
Through My Thick Glasses
Animation
(Gjennom mine tykke briller) Dir. Pjotr Sapegin, Norway 2004, 13mins, Norwegian Film Institute, Subtitled
Grandpa tells his granddaughter the story of when he was a boy, during the war…
NOSFERATU – A SYMPHONY OF HORRORS
Horror
(Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens) Dir. FW Murnau, Germany 1922, 94mins, British Film Institute
with live musical accompaniment
Cert PG
In partnership with Leeds Grammar. Special price 50p
The classic silent film based on Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Count Orlok is a gruesome, horrific version of the vampire. Skeletal and hunched, with pointed teeth, claw-like fingers and a crazed stare, he is the monster who brings plague everywhere he goes. Considered by many to be the greatest adaptation of the timeless novel and one of the most respected silent films in cinema history this is a great opportunity to see the film with live music, as it would have been seen on its original release.
OSKAR AND JOSEFINE
Adventure
Dir. Carsten Myllerup, Denmark 2005, 90 mins, Cosmo Film, Danish with subtitles
7+ due to subtitles
Oskar and Josefine are celebrating Midsummer with Oskar’s grandparents in the country when Thorsen, a demon, gives Josefine the gift of time travel. Visiting Oskar’s family in the 17th century, Josefine saves a sick young girl using modern medicine. This changes their lives and the future, but things get worse for Josefine as the villagers think she has evil magic powers and are out to get her…
+
Ramp
(Brødrekamp)Dir. Christian Lo, Norway 2005, 10 mins, Norwegian Film Institute, Subtitled.
Knut and his friend Roger have just finished building a skateboard ramp. But who dares to make the first drop?
PRINCESS BRIDE, THE
Adventure
Dir. Rob Reiner, USA 1987, 98mins, MGM, Cert. PG
Westley: Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.
A sick little boy is read a fairytale by his grandfather – with a few twists! Beautiful Princess Buttercup is in love with farm hand Westley, who leaves to seek his fortune. But the course of true love never runs smooth, and Buttercup hears that Westley has been killed at sea by the Dread Pirate Roberts. Heartbroken, she reluctantly gets engaged to the evil Prince Humperdinck. When Buttercup is kidnapped, a mysterious masked man comes to the rescue. Scaling the Cliffs of Insanity, battling Rodents of Unusual Size, and facing torture in the Pit of Despair - will Princess Buttercup be saved and true love win through? Is this just a kissing book? An absolute classic, recommended by the British Film Institute as one of the films everyone should see before they’re fourteen.
RAINING CATS AND FROGS
Animation
SIMULTANEOUS TRANSLATION – An actor will read the subtitles aloud, for younger children to understand
(La Prophétie des Grenouilles) Dir. Jacques-Remy, France 2003, 90 mins, Folimage Productions, French with subtitles
4+
Winner Adults Jury Award, Chicago International Film Festival, USA 2004
Winner Grand Prize, Ottawa International Animation Festival, Canada 2004
“The rain will be terrible! The rivers will overflow and there will be flooding everywhere. Is anybody listening?” Sadly, nobody is listening to the frog except for the farmer Ferdinand, who manages to get on a modern Noah’s Ark as the rain starts. It doesn’t stop for forty days and nights, after which the world has become one big ocean and the only thing left is Ferdinand’s raft, the children and the zoo animals that managed to cling to it. The children have to take control to save life on Earth! A fantastic animation full of comedy and adventure for everyone.
SCHNITZEL PARADISE
Comedy
(Schnitzelparadijs) Dir. Martin Koolhoven, The Netherlands 2005, 82 mins, Lemming Film, German with Subtitles
UK Premiere
Winner Best Supporting Actor, Netherlands Film Festival 2005
Nordip is a talented student who has just passed his exams. His father thinks he’s a great example to his drop-out brother and is determined he should go on to study medicine. Nordip is not sure what he wants and secretly gets a job washing dishes. There he meets Agnes, someone he has many things in common with, and they start a secret relationship. Both are under pressure from all angles – will they give in or stick together? A comedy smash that’s broken all box office records in Holland.
+
Home Game
Comedy Drama
(Hjemmekamp) Dir. Martin Lund, Norway 2004, 10mins, Norwegian Film Institute, Subtitled
The struggle from alarm clock to work is dramatically followed by two sports commentators in a young boy's room.
TREASURE OF THE WHITE FALCONS, THE
Adventure
(Der Schatz Der Weissen Falken) Dir. Christian Zübert, Germany 2005, 90mins, SevenOne International, German with subtitles
10+ due to age of characters
UK Premiere
Winner Children’s Jury Award, Chicago International Film Festival 2005
It’s the summer of 1981and 11 year old Jan and best friends Stevie and Basti are together for the holidays for the last time. In an old villa, they find a coded map made by the White Falcons, a legendary children’s gang from the 70s. Their curiosity grows over the secret cave, the Falcon’s missing leader and the mention of lost treasure. With a rival gang from the village hot on their heels, the race to solve the mystery is on - and anyway what IS the treasure of the White Falcons?
+
Tadeo Jones
Animation
Dir. Enrique Gato, Spain 2004, 9 mins, La Fiesta Productions.
Tadeo is an explorer who gets into big trouble when he enters a pyramid and meets a family of mummies!
VALO
Drama
SIMULTANEOUS TRANSLATION – An actor will read the subtitles aloud, for younger children to understand
Dir. Kaija Juurikkala, Finland 2005, 83mins, Finnish Film Institute, Subtitled
6+
UK Premiere
Journey back in time to 1900, Finland and witness the true story of a 9 year old boy called Valo. When his local school is closed down, Valo decides to fight the system and set up a secret school for all the children in their tiny village. The children, led by Valo, are the teachers for each other. However, the adults find out and want to shut the school down, will the children’s fight for justice be enough to save their school? Now the adventure really begins! Exciting tale of courage, produced in association with Unicef.
WHAT MAKES ME HAPPY
Documentary
Dir/Country. Various, 2006, 60mins, The Ragdoll Foundation and Save the Children
5+
Six entertaining and touching short stories by children from Nepal, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, the UK and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The children were inspired to tell their own stories about something that makes them happy, something that not all of them have ever thought about.
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