Mixing live action and animations, with stories from Ireland and as far away as Canada. There’s a dreaming beaver, a tango-dancer, an Indian storyteller and a boy trapped inside a bubble. More serious stories concern a young girl learning to cope with her father’s death and the consequences of bullying in school. There’s plenty to intrigue and enjoy in this specially chosen mix for older viewers.

Subtitled films read aloud by an experienced reader

Age recommendation: 8+

The Films:

The Storyteller

Set in Southern India, 7 year old Nirmala tries to help her grandfather remember the details of her favourite story. Based on a myth about how the coconut got its face.

11mins/UK/2011/Director: Nandita Jain 

Vorobej kotoryj umel dergat / The Sparrow who kept his word

Lovely Russian film about a little sparrow who promised a pigeon he would sit in the same perch all day and all night so that the good weather would come back. 

7 mins/ Russia/2010/ Director: Dmitry Geller 

Papa’s Tango:

Hannah misses her father after he leaves for Argentina. Luckily she receives some kind advice and realises that although they’re not together anymore, they will always share their love of tango.

15 mins/Netherlands/Subtitles/2011/Director: Michiel van Jaarsveld 

Green Crayons 

This film deals with bullying in the classroom. When one boy picks on another and he retaliates a teacher catches him in the act. Who will get punished? 

11mins/Canada/2010/Director: Kazik Radwanski 

Tuurngait  

An Inuit child wanders away from his village, fascinated by a wild bird. His father follows his trail, determined to find him before he gets lost on the ice floe. 

Bardo

The story of how a young girl deals with the loss of her father at his funeral. This film invites the viewer to take a more light-hearted approach to death.

14 mins/Macedonia/Subtitles/2012/Director:  Marija Apchevska 

The Boy in the Bubble

When a boy falls hopelessly in love and it all goes terribly wrong he enchants himself with a magic spell to shield him from emotion forever inside a bubble. A 3D Irish animated short, narrated by Alan Rickman.

8 mins/Ireland/2011/3D/Director: Kealan O’Rourke 

Damned 

Fantastic animation about a small beaver with a big dream. To realise this dream he enlists the help of his some of his woodland neighbours.

9 mins/UK/2011/Director: Richard Phelan  

Tuurngait

Stunning 3D animation about an Inuit child who wanders away from his village, fascinated by a wild bird. His father follows his trail, determined to find him before he gets lost on the ice floe.

These films are showing as part of the IFI Family Festival 2012