Hawaii/USA, documentary, 24min, 2011. Dir: Dean Hamer & Joe Wilson. Japan Premiere! Synopsis: Eleven year old Ho'onani dreams of leading the hula troupe at her inner-city Honolulu school. The only trouble is that the group is just for boys. She's fortunate that her teacher understands first-hand what it's like to be 'in the middle' - the Hawaiian tradition of embracing both male and female [Read more...]
USA, historical drama, 28min, 1995. Dir: Zeinabu Irene Davis. Japan Premiere! In this poignant story set in the 1850s, a young slave girl befriends a magical woman in the woods called Mother of the River. Through their friendship the young girl learns about independence, honor, humility and respect for others. Mother of the River is a rare portrayal of slavery from a young woman's perspective [Read more...]
Live action & CG /USA/2015/1’35”. Dir: Max Porter & Ru Kuwahata A clean, organized, well-mannered guest visits a home. Japan Premiere! Directors: Max Porter and Ru Kuwahata are award-winning filmmakers and animation commercial directors. Operating under the moniker “Tiny Inventions,” they are known for their unique mixed-media animation, which combines hand-crafted art and [Read more...]
2D animation, Australia, 6’36”, 2011. Dir: Hawanatu Bangura Synopsis: A short animation about a young boy who wants to become rich by planting a stolen coin. An African tale with a relatable dilemma about the boundary between my money and their money, and morals about the desires that money brings. Bio: Hawanatu Bangura is a filmmaker based in Sydney, Australia. Born in Sierra Leone before [Read more...]
2D animation/USA/2013/4’39”. Dir: Dan & Jason @ Hornet Films Very Short Synopsis: Bear & Bird is about two best friends, a laid back brown bear and an overly excited cardinal, in a stand off over Bear’s hygiene, or lack thereof. Japan Premiere! Short Synopsis: Bear & Bird is about two best friends, a laid back brown bear who just wants to take it easy and an overly excited [Read more...]
Hand-drawn animation/USA/2011/4’44”. Dir: Jacob Wyatt. Japan Premiere! Synopsis: A young girl chases a mysterious fox through a fantastic underground world to recover her stolen train ticket. Bio: Jake Wyatt writes, draws, and directs for clients like Marvel, DC, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Dreamworks. He is currently a Creative Director at Moonbot Studios in Shreveport, Louisiana [Read more...]
Paper-cut Animation, Belgium, 5’18”, 2014. Created by 12 x 8-12-year-old children under the supervision of Louise-Marie Colon & Dominique Van Hecke at Camera-etc. Once upon a time, there was a king who sewed while watching the snow fall. One day, he had a child and named him Flake White… This familiar Grimm Bros’ fairy tale got a 21st century make-over with gender role switching by kids in [Read more...]
2D animation/USA/2011/2’54”. Dir: Gayoung Back Synopsis: A young girl who had a very rough day discovers a beautiful surprise at the end of it. Japan Premiere! Bio: Gayoung Back is a FX Artist and freelance children's book illustrator, born in South Korea. In 2010, she received her Bachelor in Art at Korea National University of Arts. After graduation, she moved to Canada to pursue her [Read more...]
Hand-drawn animation/Japan/2015/3min. Created by: Shinjo-City Nisshin Middle School Class G (Yamagata). Synopsis: The original drawings for this animation were created by Saito-kun, an autistic middle school student with moderate intellectual disability. He expresses himself by drawing when he feel something strong in his daily learning. Other students in the class and their teachers [Read more...]
Puppet animation, Mexico, 2014, 6min. Created by 24 children at La Matatena, Asociación de Cine para Niñas y Niños, A.C. We know that cats can’t swim, but what is not known is how many cats want to learn to swim. Pulk is one of them. This cat shows us the courage to confront his fears and the happiness of getting new friends. Japan Premiere! Original Title: Pulk, el gato que quería [Read more...]