FILM PROGRAMS
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AMERICAN GADFLY
Director Skye Wallin | US 2020 | 95 min | Grades 6-12
Suggested Subject Areas: U.S. History, Social Studies, Government, Media Studies
In 1971, Alaskan US Senator Mike Gravel famously made public the “Pentagon Papers,” exposing the worst of our government’s secret policies during the Vietnam War. Nearly a half-century later, having retired after decades as a progressive public servant, he ran for POTUS—at age 89. Why? Because some New York teenagers asked him to. Skye Wallin’s documentary offers a humorous, inspiring look at whip-smart, social-media-savvy high schoolers running a national presidential campaign. Their goal is not to “win,” but simply to pressure the Democratic Party establishment into addressing the issues important to their generation, many of which Gravel championed long before they were born. While learning some bitter truths about real politics, they also succeed beyond their wildest imaginations. American Gadfly is a stirring rebuke to cynicism and disengagement, proving that the ordinary citizen without special connections or great wealth can rattle the halls of power, to democracy’s benefit.
Note: This film contains some mild profanity
Includes a pre-recorded conversation with director Skye Wallin.
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THE BEARS’ FAMOUS INVASION
Director Lorenzo Mattotti | France/Italy 2019 | 82 min | Grades 4-12 | In French with English subtitles
Suggested Subject Areas: Arts/Animation, Language Arts, World Literature, French
In his feature debut, celebrated Italian illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti crafts a mesmerizing, visually stunning fairy tale about an epic clash between two worlds: those of bears and humans. Based on a classic 1945 Italian children’s book, the story inhabits a timeless mythic terrain, as the bear king Léonce leads his clan into the “valley of men” in search of his lost son. Thus begins an exciting, upbeat adventure—with snowy battles, giant monsters, an evil duke, a hapless magician, power and prejudice, surprising betrayals, and unexpected kindness. Bold, impressionistic animation brings it all to life: sculpted mountains, bristly forests, corrugated seas, chunky bears, and beanpole humans are rendered in brilliant, vivid blocks of color. Imbuing his tale with gentle lessons about goodness, judgment, and tolerance, Mattotti leaves us wishing for more time to linger in this lovely, bittersweet fantasy, and to appreciate the beauty in every frame.
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BULADÓ
Director Eché Janga | Netherlands/Curaçao 2020 | 86 min | Grades 7-12 | In Papieamento and Dutch with English subtitles
Suggested Subject Areas: Language Arts, World History, Social Studies, Women’s Studies, Peer Resources
This visually spellbinding feature from Dutch director Eché Janga brims with a sense of wonder that occasionally recalls Benh Zeitlin’s magical-realist drama Beasts of the Southern Wild as tragedy and heartache lurk beneath folklore and fantasy. On the Dutch Caribeean island of Curaçao, otherworldly beliefs permeate the solitary life of fiery 11-year-old Kenza (the sublimely spunky Tiara Richards), who plays hooky from school and tries to sell lizards in her free time. Ostracized by classmates and grieving the loss of her mother, the willful Kenza feels caught between her strict police-officer father’s cynicism and her grandfather’s shamanic ways, rooted in ancestral slave traditions. With a lyrical soundtrack, lush colors, and stunning cinematography that eschew the easily picturesque, Janga’s quietly seething film manages a sensuous toughness, and celebrates its young protagonist’s resilience.
Note: This film contains numerous references to death, a dream sequence where a gun is pointed at the camera, a scene of a dog being hit by a car, and a scene of a vulture feeding on a dead goat.
Includes a pre-recorded conversation with director Eché Janga.
MARVELOUS AND THE BLACK HOLE
Director Kate Tsang | US 2020 | 81 min | Grades 6-12
Suggested Subject Areas: Language Arts, Women’s Studies, Peer Resources
Toss a moody teen delinquent into a secret society of magicians, step into her perspective with clever dark humor and fun fantasy scenes, and blaze through an uplifting coming-of-age story that’s both unique and universal. Kate Tsang’s debut feature pairs the perfectly cast Miya Cech (Always Be My Maybe), as angry and rebellious 13-year-old Sammy, and Rhea Perlman (Cheers), as Margot the Marvelous, a children’s party magician giving off grumpy-but-wise grandma vibes. Behind the snarl, cigarettes, and combat boots, Sammy shields a heart fractured by grief over her mother’s death. After stumbling across Margot in a chance encounter, she tiptoes into an unlikely friendship that unlocks the healing they both need. Viewers will wrap their hearts around relatable Sammy, and her fragile, dysfunctional family, as she finds her way to peace by harnessing the special magic of forgiveness and love.
Note: This film contains profanity, teenage smoking, comedic scenes of fantasized violence, and references to self-harm through stick-and-poke tattooing.
Includes a pre-recorded conversation with director Kate Tsang.
THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALISTS: FROM ACCRA TO ELEUTHERA ISLAND
Directors John Antonelli, Will Parrinello & Matt Yamashita | US 2021 | 30 min
Total program 38 min | Grades 5-12
Suggested Subject Areas: Environmental Science, Social Studies
This program is also part of our year-round Environmental Youth Forum
This is the latest in the Mill Valley Film Group’s Emmy Award®-winning series, narrated by Robert Redford and featuring inspiring portraits of six passionate and dedicated activists from Myanmar, France, Mexico, Ghana, The Bahamas, and Ecuador. They share a common goal: safeguarding the Earth’s natural resources from exploitation and pollution, while fighting for justice in their communities. These are the true environmental heroes who have placed themselves squarely in harm’s way to battle intimidating adversaries while building strong grassroots support.
Shown with
TULE ELK: THE KILLING OF A NATIVE SPECIES
Director Filipe DeAndrade | US 2020 | 8 min
This short documentary looks at the heated controversy between conservationists and the National Park Service over the fate of the Tule elk in Point Reyes National Seashore.
Includes a pre-recorded conversation with directors John Antonelli and Will Parrinello (The New Environmentalists), and producer Daniel Dietrich and film subject Chance Cutrano (Tule Elk: The Killing of a Native Species).
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RICKSHAW GIRL
Director Amitabh Reza Chowdhury | Bangladesh 2021 | 98 min | Grades 6-12| In English
Suggested Subject Areas: Language Arts, Contemporary Literature, Social Studies, Women’s Studies
In this Bangladeshi drama, feisty young painter Naima (a riveting Novera Rahman) sets out on a quest to save her ailing father. Her artistic gift has blossomed with his encouragement but hasn’t yet proven financially rewarding. Naima’s mother dashes such childish dreams, which sends the frustrated teen off to the big city, determined to earn money for the family’s survival. And she does, by disguising herself as a boy to get a job as a rickshaw driver. Still, Naima’s creative drive has her sneaking every opportunity to paint, and as her vivid artwork comes to life in beautifully animated form, there is hope that her emergence as an artist will be her true salvation. Based on the acclaimed and beloved young adult novel by Mitali Perkins, Rickshaw Girl is a magical ride.
Note: This film contains some mild profanity and a brief scene of a physical assault.
Includes a pre-recorded conversation with director Amitabh Reza Chowdhury, producer Eric J. Adams, and actor Novera Rahman.
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SONG FOR CESAR
Directors Andres Alegria & Abel Sanchez | US 2021 | 85 min | Grades 5-12 | in English & Spanish with English subtitles
Suggested Subject Areas: U.S. History, Social Studies, Music, Spanish
History will remember the blood, sweat, and tears shed by late civil-rights activist and labor leader Cesar Chavez while standing up for American farmworkers. In Song for Cesar, co-writers and co-directors Andres Alegria and Abel Sanchez build on that legacy and pride through the music of Chavez’s era. Daniel Valdez’s “Brown Eyed Children of the Sun,” Joel Rafael’s “El Bracero,” Little Joe y La Familia’s “Viva la Huelga,” and other songs became the powerful soundtrack for Latino farmworkers who otherwise felt invisible and unheard. Through stunning archival photographs and footage and interviews with icons that include Carlos Santana, Joan Baez, Cheech Marin, Edward James Olmos, Maya Angelou, and Chavez’s United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta, this affectionate documentary hits many inspiring notes, expressing the emotion that flourished artistically during the Chicano Movement of the 1960s.
Includes a pre-recorded conversation with directors Abel Sanchez and Andrés Alegria, and special guest Andres Chavez, grandson of Cesar Chavez.
SHORTS: BLACK GIRLS FILM CAMP
Total program 104 min, including panel discussion | Grades 5-12
Suggested Subject Areas: Language Arts, Film Production, Media Studies, Peer Resources
This past summer a group of talented young (many first-time) filmmakers produced a powerful—and empowering—collection of ten short films in the first ever Black Girls Film Camp, where they learned about the film industry and how to tell their own stories on film. A virtual screening of their work will be followed by a pre-recorded panel discussion with camp participants and industry veterans centering the experiences of Black girl voices in film. With a new and old school lens—from both future Black girl filmmakers and industry veterans—the panel will cover topics ranging from Black girl invisibility to counter storytelling and finding one’s voice in the field. Teen filmmakers will also share stories and inspiration behind the films they created.
SHORTS: FINDING WHERE YOU BELONG
Total program 64 min | Grades 1-5 | Nonverbal and in English and other languages with English subtitles
Suggested Subject Areas: Elementary School, Peer Resources
We can all feel a little out of place sometimes. But as demonstrated by this delightful collection of animated shorts from around the world, the journey to find where you fit in can be a fun and inspiring one.
A Lynx in the Town
Director Nina Bisiarina | France/Switzerland 2019 | 7 min | nonverbal
When a curious lynx ventures out of its forest lair, the locals don’t quite know what to make of the colossal cat.
Louis’s Shoes
Directors Marion Philippe, Kayu Leung, Théo Jamin, & Jean-Géraud Blanc | France 2020 | 5 min | in French with English subtitles
The first day at a new school presents unique challenges to autistic 8½-year-old Louis.
Shooom’s Odyssey
Director Julien Bisaro | France/Belgium 2019 | 26 min | in French with English subtitles
When a baby owl hatches amidst a fierce storm, she embarks on a determined quest to find her mother.
Star Bound
Director Richard O’Connor | US 2020 | 3 min | in English
A NASA engineer and his outer space-obsessed six-year-old nephew have an animated chat about why space is so darn cool.
Tulip
Directors Andrea Love & Phoebe Wahl | US 2020 | 9 min | in English
Inspired by Thumbelina, Tulip brings a miniature garden world to life as a tiny flower child tries to find her community.
Blanket
Director Marina Moshkova | Russia 2020 | 6 min | nonverbal
When a grumpy polar bear gets an unexpected visit from a perky brown bear, he gets an unexpected lesson in friendship and simple pleasures.
Cinema Rex
Directors Mayan Engelman & Eliran Peled | Israel 2020 | 8 min | in Arabic, Hebrew, and English with English subtitles
In 1938 Jerusalem, a Jewish boy and Arab girl transcend language to find a common love for film.
Includes pre-recorded conversations with producer and co-writer Claire Paoletti (Shooom’s Odyssey) and director Marina Moshkova (Blanket).
SHORTS: FROM FAERIES TO FATALITIES
Total program 88 min | Grades 7-12 | In English and other languages with English subtitles
Suggested Subject Areas: Language Arts, Film Production, Media Studies, Peer Resources
This year’s collection of peer-reviewed, youth-produced short films showcases an international cohort of storytellers who span genres. After a long, locked-down year, it’s unsurprising that some lean toward darker themes like murder, death, and dystopia—balanced by a dose of social justice, a dash of fairy dust, and a bit of scatological humor. It’s a wild but worthwhile ride!
- My Best Friend (Benji Tucker, US 2020, 6 min)
- O.range (Sunday Derham, Australia 2020, 5 min)
- Beyond the Model (Erin Kökdil, US 2020, 5 min)
- The Black Collective (Roxy Morris, Shiva Kansagara & Sophia Lee, US 2021, 3 min)
- Jasmine’s Book (Ashley Kumar & Chloe Meyer, US 2021, 8 min)
- Conjugal Revivification (Reed H. Sharp, US 2021, 10 min)
- Down Seafaring Way (Roxy Morris, Sophia Lee, Shiva Kansagara & Meia Voss, US 2021, 8 min)
- Distanced (Cassy Callari, US 2021, 1 min)
- The Puppet (Will Nordstrom, US 2020, 2 min)
- The Fairy Tale (Seung jae Lee, Korea 2020, 15 min)
- Faery Houses (Marabee Barry, US 2021, 3 min)
- Distortion (Verzerrung) (Samuel J Punto, Germany 2021, 7 min)
- Spud (Will McDonald & Gavin Bell, US 2021, 5 min)
- Closing Night (David Camilo Cuevas, Canada, 5 min)
Includes a pre-recorded conversation with directors Chloe Meyer and Ashley Kumar (Jasmine’s Book).
SHORTS: SPREAD YOUR WINGS AND FLY
Total program 76 min | Grades 4-8 | In English and other languages with English subtitles
Suggested Subject Areas: Elementary School, Language Arts, Peer Resources
Figuring out who we are and what matters to us most is a lifelong practice that inevitably starts in our youth. In this mixed bag of narrative, documentary and animated shorts, meet a captivating group of real and fictional young characters who are finding their voice, their purpose, their values—and their wings. Prepare for take-off!
Golden Age Karate
Director Sindha Agha | US 2021 | 5 min
Jeff Wall is a teenage martial-arts pro excited to share his passion for the dojo with an unlikely group of students: senior citizens.
Try to Fly
Directors The Affolter Brothers | Canada 2020 | 8 min
When a baby owl gets pushed from her nest, it triggers a darkly comic existential crisis that takes her from anxiety to ambition in rapid succession.
Furthest From
Director Kyung Sok Kim | US 2020 | 19 min
In 1999 Novato, two best friends struggle with a forced separation when their trailer park is evacuated due to a water contamination crisis.
Are You Okay?
Director Ryan Cannon | US 2021 | 9 min
This animated tale addresses the rampant problem of cyber-bullying, highlighting the positive impact bystanders can have by simply reaching out to support their peers.
Matilda and the Spare Head
Director Ignas Meilūnas | Lithuania 2020 | 13 min | in Lithuanian with English subtitles
A drive to be the smartest person in the world leads Matilda and her mom to the misguided conclusion that two heads would actually be better than one.
Generation Impact: The Coder
Director Samantha Knowles | US 2021 | 7 min
Meet 13-year-old Jay Jay Patton, who designed and built a mobile app to help kids send photos and letters to their incarcerated parents.
Kata
Director James Latimer | Japan 2021 | 7 min | in Japanese with English subtitles
Kata introduces us to the incredible spirit and unique talent of tween Mahiro Takano, a national karate champion in Japan.
Rise Up
Director Bryan Buckley | US 2021 | 8 min | in various languages with English subtitles
Twelve inspiring children from around the world are asked: Who are the role models for mankind today? (We’re pretty sure it’s them).
Note: One of the films contains a single instance of mild profanity.
Includes pre-recorded conversations with director Kyung Sok Kim (Furthest From).