Want to find the best international, classic or unusual movies for kids? We've carefully assembled a list of films on DVD that have played the New York Int'l Children's Film Festival, as well as some of our own favorites! Even better: Every DVD you buy through this site helps make us rich. Not Bill Gates rich. Just “not-in-spiraling-amounts-of-debt” rich. Ka-ching!
Tales of the Night
Age Recommendation: 8+ Director: Michel Ocelot
From the imagination of internationally renowned animator Michel Ocelot (Kirikou and the Sorceress, Azur & Asmar) comes a magical and visually stunning new film, delighting kids, families and animation fans of all ages. Silhouetted characters are set off against exquisitely detailed...
From the imagination of internationally renowned animator Michel Ocelot (Kirikou and the Sorceress, Azur & Asmar) comes a magical and visually stunning new film, delighting kids, families and animation fans of all ages. Silhouetted characters are set off against exquisitely detailed Day-Glo backgrounds bursting with color and kaleidoscopic patterns, as the film weaves together six exotic fables each unfolding in a unique locale, from Tibet, to medieval Europe, and even the Land of the Dead. In Ocelot's celebrated storytelling, history blends with fairytale as viewers are whisked off to visit enchanted lands full of dragons, shape-shifting werewolves, captive princesses, and enormous talking bees - and each fable ends with its own ironic twist.
"Michel Ocelot's ravishing animation and magical storytelling are a delight from start to finish!" - Empire
Age Recommendation: 6 to Adult Director: Michel Ocelot
Azur & Asmar is a poetic, fairytale-like story set within a shimmering landscape of incomparable brilliance and beauty. Audiences and critics have been unanimous in their outpouring of praise for the film...
Azur & Asmar is a poetic, fairytale-like story set within a shimmering landscape of incomparable brilliance and beauty. Audiences and critics have been unanimous in their outpouring of praise for the film: "Quite simply, it's a visual masterpiece that combines cutouts with CGI and the mesmeric beauty of Islamic art to create a magical world, in which scarlet lions with blues claws and birds with rainbow wings stand between the blonde Azur and Asmar, the estranged Arab friend of his childhood." Empire Magazine, "Beautiful!" New York Times, "Mesmerizing! Dazzling! A Feast for the Eyes!" Seattle Times, "Five Stars! Absolutely gorgeous!" Time Out New York, "Impossibly Gorgeous! The year's most beautiful animated film!" Salon, "Sheer Dazzlement! Cinema whose every frame could be hung on an art gallery wall!" Financial Times, "Is it too early to announce the most beautiful film of 2009? It's hard to imagine a more transporting cinematic experience coming our way than this animated feature from the French writer-director Michel Ocelot." Chicago Tribune.
Age Recommendation: 9 to Adult Director: Nina Paley
"100% Fresh!" (Rotten Tomatoes) Tragedy, comedy and musical collide in this gloriously animated festival favorite film from New York’s own "One Woman Pixar" (Wired). Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by email. Three bickering shadow puppets act as comic narrators as these old and new stories are interwoven in a post-modern retelling of the ancient Indian epic Ramayana, animated in a dazzling mix of traditional and collage animation styles.
"100% Fresh!" (Rotten Tomatoes) Tragedy, comedy and musical collide in this gloriously animated festival favorite film from New York’s own "One Woman Pixar" (Wired). Sita is a goddess separated from her beloved Lord and husband Rama. Nina is an animator whose husband moves to India, then dumps her by email. Three bickering shadow puppets act as comic narrators as these old and new stories are interwoven in a post-modern retelling of the ancient Indian epic Ramayana, animated in a dazzling mix of traditional and collage animation styles.
Sita Sings the Blues follows in the line of Triplets of Bellville and Spirited Away to exemplify animation as a "serious" art form -- which does not stop it from being laugh-out-loud funny! A panoply of monsters, gods, goddesses, warriors, sages, and winged eyeballs fill the screen with vivid color from start to finish, while the narrators’ improvisational debates over the Rama legend join the filmmaker’s own tragicomic story to layer a modern feminist commentary on the ancient tale. The result is a subtly subversive, visually stunning, highly original work that is as enjoyable for children as it is for adults.
Age Recommendation: 8+ Director: Jean-Loup Felicioli/Alain Gagnol
Dino is a cat that leads a double life. By day he lives with Zoe, a little girl whose mother is a detective in the Parisian police force. But at night Dino sneaks out the window to work with Nico - a slinky cat burglar with a big heart, whose fluid movements are poetry in motion as he evades...
Dino is a cat that leads a double life. By day he lives with Zoe, a little girl whose mother is a detective in the Parisian police force. But at night Dino sneaks out the window to work with Nico - a slinky cat burglar with a big heart, whose fluid movements are poetry in motion as he evades captors and slips and swishes from rooftop to rooftop across the Paris skyline. Rife with film references (from Reservoir Dogs to Goodfellas to The Night of the Hunter) A CAT IN PARIS is a warm and richly humorous love letter to classic noir and American gangster films, with jazz soundtrack featuring Billie Holiday and a thrilling climax on top of Notre Dame cathedral.
"Take kids on the adventure of a lifetime!" - San Francisco Chronicle
Age Recommendation: 5 to 12 (In English) Director: Arthur Qwak/Guillaume Ivernel
This action-packed, lusciously animated adventure from France is set in a fantastic kingdom in the sky, a decaying world of floating, interconnected islands suspended in midair. Lord Hector fears the impending awakening of the World Gobbler, a monstrous dragon...
This action-packed, lusciously animated adventure from France is set in a fantastic kingdom in the sky, a decaying world of floating, interconnected islands suspended in midair. Lord Hector fears the impending awakening of the World Gobbler, a monstrous dragon who will bring apocalyptic destruction with him. Hector’s niece, the brave and adorable Zoé, dreams of being a legendary dragon-dueling knight like the kinds she reads about in her books, but all her uncle wants to do is send her off to the Crooked Teeth Convent for a safe and proper upbringing.
Zoé gets her chance to escape this dull fate when two third-rate warriors show up at the castle doors. Gargantuan and kindhearted Lian-Chu (voiced by Forest Whitaker) and his wily, money-hungry partner Gwizdo seek a job that will finally pay the bills and allow them to buy the small, relaxing farm of their dreams — and because they are two of the few living warriors remaining, they are quickly drafted by Hector to destroy the World Gobbler. Zoé sneaks off to join the duo, and together they set off on the path towards the End of the World, finding new friends and plenty of danger along the way. Dragon Hunters is set apart by its heartfelt characters (Lian- Chu and Gwizdo reference Lenny and George from Of Mice and Men) and an imaginative world, filled with intricate backgrounds, unpredictable physics and exotic monsters, such as the Red Cloud, a creature formed from thousands of individual bats, and the skeletal monstrosity that is the World Gobbler himself.
Age Recommendation: 3 to 8 (In English) Director: Ernits/Poldma
Lotte From Gadgetville is a sweet and gentle-spirited crowd-pleaser, full of wacky contraptions, silly/happy songs, and a refreshingly un-cynical sense of humor. Lotte is a cheerful girl-dog who lives in the seaside town of Gadgetville, a village crazy about inventing. Every year there is a competition to show...
Lotte From Gadgetville is a sweet and gentle-spirited crowd-pleaser, full of wacky contraptions, silly/happy songs, and a refreshingly un-cynical sense of humor. Lotte is a cheerful girl-dog who lives in the seaside town of Gadgetville, a village crazy about inventing. Every year there is a competition to show off the best homemade Rube Goldberg-esque machines, which Lotte's father Oscar always wins. But at this year's competition, the town is abuzz about the Japanese bee Susumu, who introduces Gadgetville to the concept of judo. After the town becomes obsessed with the sport, Lotte and her three friends try to help Susumu get back to Japan, where they plan to test their new skills in an international judo contest.
This first feature-length animated film from Estonia was enormously popular in its home country, besting The Incredibles at the box office, winning the prize for best animation, and becoming something of a national treasure - the Estonian government even issued a Lotte postage stamp!
Age Recommendation: All Ages Director: George Dunning
As one of the best animated films based around one of the best bands in the world, Yellow Submarine is a beautiful psychedelic ode to the music of the Fab Four...
As one of the best animated films based around one of the best bands in the world, Yellow Submarine is a beautiful psychedelic ode to the music of the Fab Four. What was supposed to be a contract-fulfilling cash-in, so piddling that the band didn't bother providing the voiceovers for their own characters, turned into something remarkable. When the Blue Meanies begin to attack the world inhabited by Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, a lone survivor is sent to our universe in a yellow submarine to track down the only four chaps who could help. Striking imagery is backed by a soundtrack including "When I'm 64," "Nowhere Man," "Eleanor Rigby," and of course, the memorable title track.
The DVD release, which introduced a restored picture and newly-created 5.1 surround sound for the tunes, has since gone out-of-print, but there are numerous copies available used through Amazon. Or you could just wait patiently for the eventual re-release...
Age Recommendation: 10 to Adult Director: Mamoru Hosoda
In 2007, NYICFF presented the US Premiere of Mamoru Hosodo's first feature - a lush and beautifully drawn animation with a sci-fi twist from the future creator of Summer Wars.
In 2007, NYICFF presented the US Premiere of Mamoru Hosodo's first feature - a lush and beautifully drawn animation with a sci-fi twist from the future creator of Summer Wars.
Tokyo teenager Mokoto Konno prefers to play baseball with the boys than gossip with the other girls. Stuck in a midpoint between child and adult and with graduation approaching, she's not too sure of what she'd like to do with the rest of her life—that is, until a mysterious accident in the science lab gives Mokoto the ability to leap (literally) back in time. Once she recognizes the life-changing potential of her newfound power, Mokoto's life becomes increasingly chaotic. In a series of breathtaking freeze-frame sequences, she plunges repeatedly into the past in an attempt to manipulate fate in her favor; yet, it soon becomes painfully clear that she cannot avert the inevitable.
More than just a visually stunning anime adventure, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a metaphorical tale of teenage angst: Mokoto's manic time-leaping reflects her deeper fear of growing up—a denial of creeping adulthood, of uncomfortable romantic feelings, uncertainty about her future, and a growing nostalgia for her simple high school life circumscribed by the baseball diamond and her two best friends.
The DVD includes both the English language version and original Japanese version with English subtitles.
Age Recommendation: All Ages Director: Hayao Miyazaki
This is one of the most acclaimed animated films of all time, created by legendary animation director Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. A resourceful young witch uses her broom to create a delivery service...
This is one of the most acclaimed animated films of all time, created by legendary animation director Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli. A resourceful young witch uses her broom to create a delivery service, only to lose her gift of flight in a moment of self doubt. We had the honor of screening this as the opening film of the 1999 New York International Children's Film Festival.
A young girl with a mysterious crystal pendant falls out of the sky and into the arms--and life--of young Pazu. Together they search for a floating island in the sky, site of a long-dead civilization promising enormous wealth and power to...
A young girl with a mysterious crystal pendant falls out of the sky and into the arms--and life--of young Pazu. Together they search for a floating island in the sky, the site of a long-dead civilization promising enormous wealth and power to those who can unlock its secrets.
Age Recommendation: All Ages Director: Michel Ocelot
An exquisitely animated African tale of Kirikou, a small boy with extraordinary abilities. When he discovers that his village is cursed by the terrifying sorceress Karaba, Kirikou sets off on an adventure to rid the village of Karaba's curse by understanding what has made her so angry. Kirikou and the Sorceress is one of the most stunningly beautiful, poetic and entertaining films for children in a great many years.
An exquisitely animated African tale of Kirikou, a small boy with extraordinary abilities. When he discovers that his village is cursed by the terrifying sorceress Karaba, Kirikou sets off on an adventure to rid the village of Karaba's curse by understanding what has made her so angry. Kirikou and the Sorceress is one of the most stunningly beautiful, poetic and entertaining films for children in a great many years.
NOTE: Film contains ethnographic nudity (villagers with bare breasts) similar to what's found in National Geographic.
What Others Say...
"A marvel for eye and ear!" - Ted Shen, Chicago Reader
"A sunny spot in the mire of frenetic, violent and often dopey cartoon films produced by Hollywood" - Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
"Ingenious, comical and beautifully original" - Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail
Hayao Miyazaki, "the Kurosawa of animation," is behind this story about a young princess in a devastated future world where warring human outposts contend with giant insects and atmospheric poisons. Beautifully rendered with awe-inspiring animations and transcendent filmic moments, Nausicaa...
Hayao Miyazaki, "the Kurosawa of animation," is behind this story about a young princess in a devastated future world where warring human outposts contend with giant insects and atmospheric poisons. Beautifully rendered with awe-inspiring animations and transcendent filmic moments, Nausicaa also carries an important environmental subtext.
Age Recommendation: All Ages Director: Hayao Miyazaki
In one of anime master Hayao Miyazaki's best-known works, two sisters move into a new home in the countryside with their father. There they discover a family of Totoros--huge, furry raccoon-esque animals--and a host of other unbelievable creatures...
In one of anime master Hayao Miyazaki's best-known works, two sisters move into a new home in the countryside with their father, while their mother stays for treatment at the local hospital.
Undeterred by their mother's illness, the young girls remain optimistic and adventurous, exploring every dusty nook and cranny of their house and traveling deep into the local forest. There they discover a family of Totoros--huge, furry raccoon-esque animals--and a host of other unbelievable creatures!
This classic family film is uplifting and full of the wonders of nature and the power of the imagination, all without seeming the least bit sappy. And try naming a creature more adorable than a Totoro. You just can't, except maybe a Cat Bus! (Oh, and this deluxe two-disc DVD set is the first time viewers have been given the option of the original Japanese audio with subtitles, in addition to a star-studded English voiceover option.)
"Whenever I watch it, I smile, and smile, and smile... I'm afraid that in praising the virtues of My Neighbor Totoro I have made it sound merely good for you, but it would never have won its worldwide audience just because of its warm heart. It is awe-inspiring and enchanting..." - Roger Ebert, Great Movies Selection
Set in a mid-war Italy swept by fascism, this film from Hayao Miyazaki follows the life of Marco, a world-weary flying ace turned bounty hunter. Somewhere along the way a curse has transformed Marco's head into that of a pig, reflecting his loss of faith in humanity. Marco meets...
Set in a mid-war Italy swept by fascism, this film from Hayao Miyazaki follows the life of Marco, a world-weary flying ace turned bounty hunter. Somewhere along the way a curse has transformed Marco's head into that of a pig, reflecting his loss of faith in humanity. Marco meets his polar opposite in the innocent and energetic 17-year-old Fio, an aspiring airplane designer, and the two are thrown into an airborne adventure, pursued by air pirates, the Italian army, and an egotistical American flying ace.
Audiences around the world continue to enjoy the lovable comic duo of the eccentric cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his faithful dog Gromit. Their short films, winners of numerous awards (including Oscars and NYICFF Grand Prizes), pack great verbal puns...
Audiences around the world continue to enjoy the lovable comic duo of the eccentric cheese-loving inventor Wallace and his faithful dog Gromit. Their short films, winners of numerous awards (including Oscars and NYICFF Grand Prizes), pack great verbal puns, wacky inventions and hand-crafted claymation into stories that are affectionate spoofs of popular movie genres. This new DVD set gathers all four short films, including the most recent Oscar-nominee A Matter of Loaf and Death, and it's a wonderful way to be introduced to two of Aardman Studio's most endearing characters. (The same films are also available on high-definition Blu-Ray.)
Age Recommendation: 11+ Director: Richard "Golly" Goleszowski
Richard "Golly" Goleszowski's Rex the Runt is the most delirious animated comedy series ever created. With his doggy chums Wendy, Bad Bob and Vince (who suffers from Random Pavarotti Disease), the wobbly, bobbly, dribbly, squiggly Rex deadpans his way through adventures veering between the surreal and the banal.
Richard "Golly" Goleszowski's Rex the Runt is the most delirious animated comedy series ever created. With his doggy chums Wendy, Bad Bob and Vince (who suffers from Random Pavarotti Disease), the wobbly, bobbly, dribbly, squiggly Rex deadpans his way through adventures veering between the surreal and the banal. Each episode is a tightly scripted, claymation hallucination--an endless flood of ideas confined within structured madness. Cities are kept as pets, dogs fall in love with vacuum cleaners and have puppies, and our beloved canine hero is transformed into a wet pile of talking noodles. Don't blink!
(Note: Some episodes contain mild profanity and drunkeness.)
In 1988, Katsuhiro Otomo took the worlds of anime and science-fiction by storm with his post-apocalyptic cyberpunk adventure Akira. The film set a new standard for the genre and helped launch the global phenomenon of Japanese animation. His long-awaited follow up, Steamboy, is the most expensive Japanese animation ever made and an unparalleled feat of animation, imagination and non-stop action...
In 1988, Katsuhiro Otomo took the worlds of anime and science-fiction by storm with his post-apocalyptic cyberpunk adventure Akira. The film set a new standard for the genre and helped launch the global phenomenon of Japanese animation. His long-awaited follow up, Steamboy, is the most expensive Japanese animation ever made and an unparalleled feat of animation, imagination and non-stop action. The story, set in an 1860s steampunk England, centers on Ray, the latest genius in a family of scientist inventors. One day Ray receives a mysterious metal ball from his grandfather. The "steam ball" is in fact a source of unimaginable nuclear-like power, and the heart of the ominous Steam Tower. Soon Ray finds himself thrust into the center of a vicious power struggle with no one to trust.
(Note: This film contains levels of sci-fi animated violence equal to a typical PG-13 action/adventure film.)
What Others Say...
"Consistent in its graphic invention from first to last, it's a sensationally designed piece of work" - J. Hoberman, Village Voice
Age Recommendation: 11+ Director: Anders Ronnow Klarlund
A virtuoso feat of puppeteering, this amazing film combines the dark elegance of the Quay Brothers with the epic scope and irony-free sincerity of The Lord of the Rings. These puppets are not stand-ins for people but instead represent a carved wooden race of beings who are connected to the infinite by the strings which hold their bodies aloft...
A virtuoso feat of puppeteering, this amazing film combines the dark elegance of the Quay Brothers with the epic scope and irony-free sincerity of The Lord of the Rings. These puppets are not stand-ins for people but instead represent a carved wooden race of beings who are connected to the infinite by the strings which hold their bodies aloft. The film sets forth an entire mythology based on strings as the life force: newborns are carved from wood by their parents and the translucent filaments are attached at the start of life, and in battle a severed string means instant death. On his death bed, the old emperor of Hebelon writes a letter to his son Hal, imploring him to make peace with Hebelon's historical enemy, the Zeriths. But as deception and folk tale intrigue begin to cloud events, Hal starts his perilous quest.
Studio Ghibli's The Cat Returns was the top-grossing film of 2002 at the Japanese box office. In this unofficial sequel to 1992's Whisper of the Heart, a quiet suburban schoolgirl, Haru, is pitched into a fantastical but dangerous world (of cats!) and must find her inner strength to make her way back home...
Studio Ghibli's The Cat Returns was the top-grossing film of 2002 at the Japanese box office. In this unofficial sequel to 1992's Whisper of the Heart, a quiet suburban schoolgirl, Haru, is pitched into a fantastical but dangerous world (of cats!) and must find her inner strength to make her way back home. Walking with her friend after a dreary day at school, Haru eyes a cat with a small gift box in his mouth attempting to cross the busy street. The cat fumbles with the package in the middle of the street, and Haru rescues him from oncoming traffic. To her amazement, the cat then gets up on its hind legs, brushes itself off, and thanks her politely. Strange behavior indeed, but this is nothing compared to what happens later that evening when the King of Cats shows up with a feline motorcade. In a show of gratitude for saving his son's life, the cat king showers Haru with gifts, and decrees that she shall marry the cat prince and come live in the secret Kingdom of Cats.
A wonderful collection of shorts from the studio that redefined CGI-animated films, this new compilation brings together the shorts that have previously been seen before their feature-length films and at the NYICFF Pixar Shorts retrospective. Spanning the entire history of their company, from the days...
A wonderful collection of shorts from the studio that redefined CGI-animated films, this new compilation brings together the shorts that have previously been seen before their feature-length films and at the NYICFF Pixar Shorts retrospective. Spanning the entire history of their company, from the days of early computer-generated graphics to today's realistic marvels, these shorts demonstrate the studio's unique storytelling and sense of humor.
Age Recommendation: 8+ Director: Francois Truffaut
François Truffaut's episodic, warmly comic portrayal of life in a rural French village is one of the most charming and realistic films about the pleasures and pain of childhood. Famed critic Pauline Kael called it "that rarity - a poetic comedy that's really funny"...
François Truffaut's episodic, warmly comic portrayal of life in a rural French village is one of the most charming and realistic films about the pleasures and pain of childhood. Famed critic Pauline Kael called it "that rarity - a poetic comedy that's really funny." A young girl announces by megaphone that she's been abandoned, resulting in gifts of food from her neighbors; a boy cracks up trying to tell a dirty joke; a giggling toddler tears apart the house while his mother chats with a neighbor... a mere sampling of the scenes that unfold in this masterful film by Truffaut, director of perhaps the most famous film about childhood, The 400 Blows. The New York Int'l Children's Film Festival was pleased to present a retrospective screening of Small Change at the American Museum of the Moving Image during the 2004 Festival.
(Note: This film contains some mild adult language and very brief partial nudity.)
What Others Say...
"A major work in a minor key" - New York Times
"[Truffaut] recreates childhood, and yet he sees it objectively, too: He remembers not only the funny moments but the painful ones... one of the year's most intensely, warmly, human films." - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Every Sunday, nine-year-old Carlitos gets a call from a pay phone in Los Angeles, where his mother works illegally to provide money for her son back home. After years of promises that she will bring him to the US, Carlitos begins to wonder if he will ever see his mother again...
Every Sunday, nine-year-old Carlitos gets a call from a pay phone in Los Angeles, where his mother works illegally to provide money for her son back home. After years of promises that she will bring him to the US, Carlitos begins to wonder if he will ever see his mother again. So when his grandmother dies and leaves him alone, he decides to cross the border in a daring attempt to reach his mother before she calls on the next Sunday. What follows is a thrilling one-week adventure as Carlitos (played by the wonderfully engaging Adrian Alonso) hooks up with a pair of amateur smugglers (including Ugly Betty's America Ferrera), hitches a ride with famous norteño band Los Tigres Del Norte, takes various odd jobs and encounters numerous setbacks in his quest to see his family reunited. The film's powerful emotions and drama are tempered with moments of joyful comedy, while Carlito's innocence and utterly winning on-screen presence humanize the hot political issue of illegal immigration.
Age Recommendation: 8+ Director: Juan Carlos Cremata Malberti
In this charming coming-of-age film from Cuba, preteens Jorgito and Malú have formed a deep bond, so when they learn Malú's divorced mother plans to remarry and leave the country, taking Malú with her, the two friends go on a quest to prevent their separation. Leaving Havana and traveling on foot and by any available vehicle, the children try to reach Malú's father before he signs papers permitting her to emigrate.
In this charming coming-of-age film from Cuba, preteens Jorgito and Malú have formed a deep bond, so when they learn Malú's divorced mother plans to remarry and leave the country, taking Malú with her, the two friends go on a quest to prevent their separation. Leaving Havana and traveling on foot and by any available vehicle, the children try to reach Malú's father before he signs papers permitting her to emigrate.
Age Recommendation: 11+ Director: Dominique Standaert
Dieudonne and his son Justin are just settling down in front of the tube to watch the World Cup match when a racist neighbor sparks a conflict and father and son find themselves on the run from the police. Dieudonne is caught and deported to the Congo, but Justin manages to slip away and is taken under the wing of an ex-revolutionary and bomb expert. Hop treats the somber issues of immigration and political terrorism with humor, alternating tragic situations with comic details. The result is an exceptionally entertaining movie, full of warmth, humor and suspense.
The "Hop" is said to be a secret technique used by pygmies to capture and control the wild African elephant, but it can be applied to any situation where one person uses ruthless cunning to exert control over another. Justin is a clever student who relies on his ingenuity, wit and charm to bring him success and popularity at school. His father Dieudonne exudes calm pride, with impeccable manners and appearance. Despite their status as illegal African immigrants, they appear to be well integrated into white Belgian society. Father and son are just settling down in front of the tube to watch the World Cup match when a racist neighbor sparks a conflict and the two find themselves on the run from the police. Dieudonne is caught and deported to the Congo, but Justin manages to slip away and is taken under the wing of an ex-revolutionary and bomb expert. Hop treats the somber issues of immigration and political terrorism with humor, alternating tragic situations with comic details. The result is an exceptionally entertaining movie, full of warmth, humor and suspense.
Director Danny Boyle wields a wildly inventive visual style, spinning an atmosphere of playful magical realism punctuated by moments of pure cinematic exuberance. It is the tale of two Liverpudian lads who have just moved into a new house with their dad to begin a new life without their departed mother. Damien is a dreamer, representing all that is naive and unspoiled in the world. So when a duffle bag full of cash literally falls from the sky to Damien's feet, he thinks it's a gift from God and begins searching for poor people to give the money to...
Director Danny Boyle wields a wildly inventive visual style, spinning an atmosphere of playful magical realism punctuated by moments of pure cinematic exuberance. It is the tale of two Liverpudian lads who have just moved into a new house with their dad to begin a new life without their departed mother. Damien is a dreamer, representing all that is naive and unspoiled in the world. So when a duffle bag full of cash literally falls from the sky to Damien's feet, he thinks it's a gift from God and begins searching for poor people to give the money to. Older brother Anthony is more business minded and tries to educate his brother on the practical uses of money. But there's a catch: the boys only have one week to spend the cash before Britain converts to the euro and their money is rendered worthless. Millions is a smart, funny, sensitive and immensely enjoyable film about the difficulty of performing an act of generosity in a cynical world.
What Others Say...
"A family film of limitless imagination and surprising joy" - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"Leaves you feeling rich -- and richly satisfied" - Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
"Visually arresting, seriously whimsical, and suffused with a dreamy yet sad awareness of where life falls short and imagination has to pick up the slack" - Ty Burr, Boston Globe
"Witty, sweet and charming but never sappy" - Desson Thomson, Washington Post
This inspired, fabulously quirky documentary from the multi-award winning director of Cane Toads says as much about the odd behavior of humans as it does about chickens. Meet Valerie, a frozen-solid hen who receives emergency "mouth-to-beak" resuscitation (and lives to tell an animal communicator about her near-death experience); the pampered Cotton, who watches TV, bathes with her owner, and wears rooster panties around the house; and of course, the amazing Miracle Mike, who lived for two and a half years without a head...
This inspired, fabulously quirky documentary from the multi-award winning director of Cane Toads says as much about the odd behavior of humans as it does about chickens. Meet Valerie, a frozen-solid hen who receives emergency "mouth-to-beak" resuscitation (and lives to tell an animal communicator about her near-death experience); the pampered Cotton, who watches TV, bathes with her owner, and wears rooster panties around the house; and of course, the amazing Miracle Mike, who lived for two and a half years without a head...
What Others Say...
"A goofy gem!" - Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
Age Recommendation: 9 to Adult Director: Darren Ashton
The 2008 Festival opened with the US Premiere of Razzle Dazzle, an Australian mockumentary that skewers the absurdities of the intense competition between kids on the youth dance troupe circuit—and the hyper-involved parents who live through them. A hilarious cross...
The 2008 Festival opened with the US Premiere of Razzle Dazzle, an Australian mockumentary that skewers the absurdities of the intense competition between kids on the youth dance troupe circuit—and the hyper-involved parents who live through them. A hilarious cross between Best in Show and All That Jazz, Razzle Dazzle mixes colorful characters, outrageous costumes, and show-stopping dance numbers (by John "Cha Cha" O'Connell who also choreographed Enchanted, Moulin Rouge and Strictly Ballroom), to deliver an immensely enjoyable film that captures our hearts with equal parts comedy and pathos.
The film centers on Mr. Jonathon, an unconventional dance instructor who teaches his young "Jazzketeers" routines that try to illustrate world issues like animal cruelty, capitalist exploitation and global warming. Even with the help of star student Tenille, these experimental, unintentionally comical performances never manage to top rival Ms. Elizabeth's classical academy, whose dancers train to perfection under their instructor's snide remarks and ritual weigh-ins. But when a freak accident forces another team to forfeit, Mr. Jonathon's team gets the chance to head to the national finals—if they can get past the psychopathic stage moms, suffocation-inducing costumes an an occasional kidnapping...
An audience favorite at the NY Int'l Children's Film Festival! The latest film from director Gabor Csupo (Bridge to Terabithia), with Dakota Blue Richards (The Golden Compass) and Tim Curry, is a fantasy adventure complete with misty castles, a danger-filled forest, a magic pearl necklace, and...
An audience favorite at the NY Int'l Children's Film Festival! The latest film from director Gabor Csupo (Bridge to Terabithia), with Dakota Blue Richards (The Golden Compass) and Tim Curry, is a fantasy adventure complete with misty castles, a danger-filled forest, a magic pearl necklace, and a reluctant city-girl-turned-princess decked out in an ever-growing collection of opulent, Victorian-era dresses.
Newly orphaned Maria Merryweather is forced to leave civilized London and live with her reclusive uncle at Moonacre Manor, the family’s remote and rundown estate in the woods. She soon discovers a secret within the walls of the large and crumbling castle. Long ago, a bitter feud between the Merryweathers and the rival De Noir family placed a curse on the land that only the young Moon Princess can undo. So Maria leaves the safety of Moonacre and enters the forbidden forest, where she comes face to face with a gang of marauding De Noir bandits - though with their black eye-liner and coordinated bowler hats, these smooth-faced young ruffians are about as menacing as an 80’s New Wave boy band. But this is a fairy tale and all is for the best, as soon the head boy-bandit and scion of the De Noir clan has switched sides, defying his father to help Maria find the magic pearls and fulfill her quest.
Age Recommendation: 8 to Adult Director: Marshall Curry
"THE BEST FILM OF THE YEAR! AN INSTANT CLASSIC!" - LA Times. Academy-Award nominee Marshall Curry unearths the world of competitive go-kart racing in this simultaneously intimate and thrilling documentary on the World Karting Association's National Series. Three of the country's most talented drivers vie for the championship title before any of them are even eligible for a driver's license.
"THE BEST FILM OF THE YEAR! AN INSTANT CLASSIC!" - LA Times. Academy-Award nominee Marshall Curry unearths the world of competitive go-kart racing in this simultaneously intimate and thrilling documentary on the World Karting Association's National Series. Three of the country's most talented drivers vie for the championship title before any of them are even eligible for a driver's license. Yet for top racers Annabeth (11), Josh (13) and Brandon (12), scarier than spinning out or losing a race are the perils of school work, family life and first love. As Curry documents the tweens' extraordinary dedication to go after their dreams in a sport where every second can become a life-changing decision, these three must come to terms with who they want to be - both on and off the track.
"Ridiculously engaging! An exciting, poignant tale of growing up fast with adult ambitions." - NY Magazine
"Critics Pick! You leave wishing it was longer!" - NY Times
"Half lean, mean racing saga and half in-depth character study, Racing Dreams is dynamite! - Variety
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