New York Int'l Children's Film Festival announces full slate

New York Int’l Children’s Film Festival has announced the full slate for the 2011 edition, which runs March 4 to 27 at six New York locations. The nation’s largest festival for kids and teens will present four weeks of ground-breaking and thought-provoking new works for ages 3-18, with 100 new films, opening and closing galas, new feature premieres, six short films programs, filmmaker Q&As, filmmaking workshops, and the NYICFF Awards Ceremony.
For the first time, NYICFF is an Oscar® – qualifying festival for short films. Additionally, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences® is sponsoring the Festival’s Girls’ POV (Point of View) film programs for teen and ‘tween girls as well as Breaking Into the Boys Club: Girls Behind the Camera – a panel event exploring the experiences of women filmmakers in Hollywood.
NYICFF 2011 OVERVIEW:
DATES: March 4-March 27 – Full schedule available on www.gkids.com or call 212-349-0330
LOCATIONS: Asia Society and Museum, Cantor Film Center, DGA Theater, IFC Center, Scholastic Theater, Symphony Space
NEW FEATURES:
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Aurelie Laflamme’s Diary – US Premiere, Canada. A quirky coming-of-age comedy about ‘tween Aurelie, whose endearing clumsiness positions her as a pitch-perfect, French-Canadian version of a Judy Blume character. (Ages 8 to adult) Part of Girls’ POV – Sponsored by AMPAS®
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Boy – NY Premiere, New Zealand. A delightfully playful, delicately poignant film that gracefully scales comedy and drama set in the luscious slums of rural New Zealand. (Ages 12 to adult)
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A Cat in Paris – US Premiere, France. Berlinale 2011 official selection. A beautifully hand-drawn animated caper set in the shadow-drenched alleyways of Paris about a pet cat that leads a double life. (Ages 6 to adult)
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Chandani: The Daughter of the Elephant Whisperer – NY Premiere, Germany/Sri Lanka. A young girl dreams of following in the footsteps of her father and becoming the first female mahout – a guardian of wild elephants. (Ages 8 to adult) Part of Girls’ POV – Sponsored by AMPAS®
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The Dreams of Jinsha – East Coast Premiere, China. China’s most expensive and ambitious animated feature is a time-travel, fantasy adventure – as a young boy from Beijing hurtles back in time 3,000 years and finds himself at the center of an ancient prophecy. (Ages 8 to adult).
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Echoes of the Rainbow – Hong Kong. A graceful and emotionally powerful family drama, based on the filmmaker’s real-life childhood in 1969 Hong Kong. (Ages 10 to adult)
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Mars Needs Moms, Opening Night Film – Special Preview Screening of Disney’s new 3D space adventure comedy from motion capture pioneers ImageMovers Digital (Polar Express) and producer Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future, Forrest Gump). (Rated PG, Ages 6 to adult)
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Mia & the Migoo – World Premiere (English Language Version), France. Winner Best Animated Feature at European Film Awards, this breathtakingly beautiful animated adventure pits wild-haired young Mia against greedy developers, with the future of life on Earth in the balance. (All ages)
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Sammy’s Adventures: The Secret Passage – US Premiere, Belgium. A lush and colorful animated eco-adventure that utilizes the immersive 3D experience to the fullest, taking viewers on a 50-year odyssey around the world from the perspective of a sea turtle. (All ages)
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The Storytelling Show – US Premiere, France/Luxemburg. A raucous new animated comedy from the producers of Kirikou & the Sorceress, The Triplets of Bellville, and The Secret of Kells. Laurent’s children enter him into a TV reality contest to see who is the best storytelling dad. (Ages 7 to adult)
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Time of Eve – US Premiere, Japan. Exquisitely animated, sci-fi set in a future world where lifelike androids have become commonplace probes questions of artificial intelligence and flirts with the moral and personal implications of human-robot romance. (Ages 11 to adult)
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Welcome to the Spaceshow – US Premiere, Japan. This colorfully explosive feature debut sets a new high for sheer inventiveness of character design with one of the most gleefully surreal depictions of alien life forms ever portrayed in cinema. (Ages 7 to adult)
SHORT FILMS IN COMPETITION – Six programs for ages 3 to 18, featuring the best short films from around the world, selected from over 3,000 entries. Jury-selected winners will be eligible for Oscar® consideration in animated and live action short categories.
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Shorts For Tots – (Ages 3 to 6)
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Shorts Films One – (Ages 5 to 10)
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Shorts Films Two – (Ages 8 to 14)
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Flicker Lounge: For Teens & Adults Only – (Ages 12 to adult)
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Heebie Jeebies: Spooky, Freaky & Bizarre – (Ages 10 to adult)
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Girls’ POV – (Ages 10 to adult) Part of Girls’ POV – Sponsored by AMPAS®
SPECIAL EVENTS
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Opening Night Gala – Special Preview of Mars Needs Moms with catered reception (Ages 6 to adult)
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NYICFF Closing Gala – Awards Ceremony, Best-of-the-Fest film screening, reception (All ages)
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Workshop – Green Screen – Learn the secrets of “green screen” special effects (Ages 8 to adult)
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Workshop – Music & Sound in Film – Audience works with composers, musician and Foley experts to score a short film live on stage – Ages (7 to adult)
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Panel – Breaking into the Boys Club: Girls Behind the Camera – Successful women behind the camera share their experiences in a male-dominated business. As of press time panelists include: Lisa Cortes (Precious), Christine Vachon (I’m Not There), Claudia Raschke (Mad Hot Ballroom), Lisbeth Scott (Chronicles of Narnia), Kori Rae (Up, Monsters, Inc., The Incredibles). (Ages 10 to adult) Part of Girls’ POV – Sponsored by AMPAS®