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THE FOX AND THE CHILD - July 12th, 6pm
The creators of March of the Penguins invite you to embark on a new journey into the
natural world, with an unforgettable story of an unusual friendship.
The Fox And The Child recounts the story of a magical, life-changing encounter between a
wild fox and a young girl. The story of their impossible friendship is played out against a
breathtaking mountainside wilderness.
CJ7 - July 13th, 11am
CJ7, the new film by Hong Kong special effects superstar Stephen Chow (Shaolin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle) is guaranteed to have the whole family laughing out loud. The story centres on Ti, a father struggling to make ends meet and provide for Dicky, his young son. When a fascinating and strange new supernatural pet enters their lives, they learn a poignant lesson about the true nature of family and the things money can’t buy. Think E.T. meets Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and you’ll have a good sense of how funny, energetic and ultimately touching this film is. An experienced reader will narrate the subtitles. [BOOK ONLINE] (Click here for trailer >>)
BUDDHA COLLAPSED OUT OF SHAME - July 13th, 2pm
From Afghanistan comes a thought-provoking story about a young girl desperate to go to school. In March of 2001, the Taliban blew up a massive pair of fifth-century Buddhas carved into the side of a mountain in central Afghanistan’s Bamyan valley. Six-year-old Baktay lives with her family in the caves surrounding the gaping holes where the statues used to be. After hearing a neighbour recite the alphabet, little Baktay decides she wants to learn as well. Trading stolen eggs for pen and paper, and enduring the cruel taunts of local boys, a determined Baktay sets off in her quest to attend the girls’ school across the river. A member of the famous filmmaking Makhmalbaf family, Hana Makhmalbaf, aged 19, already has two feature films to her credit. With Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame she confirms her reputation as a talented filmmaker capable of tackling one of the most important issues facing young women globally – the right to learn. [BOOK ONLINE]
BEN X - July 13th, 4pm
A dazzling blend of gaming, fantasy and social realism comes together in this original
and important film about a young man living with Asperger’s Syndrome.
Ben is different. His life is a universe all to itself, where he avidly plays his favourite online
QUICK FLIX: SHORT FILMS CHOSEN - July 14th, 11am & July 15th, 11am
“To me Quick Flix represents one of the best ways of delivering entertainment, to children
and young people. From a young persons point of view, I feel that people respond best to
visual entertainment and short films are probably the best, as they are short, memorable and
there is very little margin for error.”
Fabian – Young Consultant MYSTERY OF THE WOLF - July 14th, 2pm
An exciting eco-adventure story set in the snowy wilderness of Lapland. 12-year-old Salla lives in a small Finnish town with her adoptive parents. She loves nature and spends her time exploring the woods on her snowmobile. When her biological mother returns to the village, Salla starts to understand her own special connection with animals. One day she finds a family of wolves, and keeps them secret from local men who see them only as a threat to their reindeer farms. When she realises that she cannot protect the wolf on her own, Salla must look to her classmate Matias for help, and their adventure begins. Salla has to learn to listen to her instincts, rely on her new best friend, and even trust her long lost mother. An experienced reader will narrate the subtitles. [BOOK ONLINE]
U - July 15th, 2pm
An animated French fairy tale about a princess, a unicorn and a jazzy cat.
Princess Mona lives a lonely existence in a crumbling castle on the shores of the sea, where
she is cruelly mistreated by a pair of bullying rats. One day, Mona is crying to herself when out
of the air appears U, a unicorn–her very own fairygod-sister. U dedicates herself to Mona’s
happiness and the two become inseparable companions.
As time passes, Mona is transformed into a graceful and elegant teen princess, with U her
faithful best friend. When a family of wandering gypsy musicians sets up house in the nearby
forest, they bring with them the possibility of love, laughter and change.
This screening is made possible by the generous support of the Cultural Services of the
CARTOONS FROM HOLLYWOOD’S GOLDEN AGE - July 16th, 11am
Lights Out! presents a selection of theatrical cartoons from the golden age of American animation. Drawn from both the MGM and Warner Bros. catalogue, these zany animated shorts feature some of your favourite 2-dimensional characters. Warner Bros. Cartoons, one of the most successful animation studios in animation history, was responsible for the popular Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series. The characters featured in these cartoons, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig, are among the most famous and recognisable characters in the world. The Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio was created to produce animated short films which would be shown before MGM main feature films. Active from 1937 until 1957, the MGM cartoon studio was the home of Droopy and their best-known characters, Tom and Jerry. Highlighted in this programme is the work of some of the most treasured creative forces in the art and history of animation including Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Tex Avery, and William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. [BOOK ONLINE]
32A - July 16th, 6.40pm
Living and loving, suburban teen life in the summer of ’79. Raheny, Dublin, 1979. 13 year old Maeve, is putting on her new snow-white bra, and stepping out into the world as a young woman. She has an obsession with breasts and bras and can’t help but stare at other girls and women. Even the head nun doesn’t escape her gaze. Otherwise, her world revolves around her three friends, Ruth, Claire and Orla, who are more experienced in the ways of the world. They wear bras already (except Claire the feminist) and they’ve all had boyfriends. What no one expects, least of all Maeve, is that she should snare the local sixteen-year-old heartthrob, Brian Power. 32A is a coming-of-age story that is at once fresh and familiar, taking a tender look at the highs and lows of growing up. We are delighted that the cast, director and producer of this film will be present to introduce this screening and answer questions afterwards. [BOOK ONLINE]
MY NEIGHBOUR TOTORO - July 17th, 11am
Here is a children’s film with no villains – no fight scenes – no scary monsters – a world where if you meet a strange towering creature in the forest, you curl up on its tummy and have a nap. Totoro is a forest spirit that little Mei, and later her older sister Satsuki, encounter in a giant camphor tree near their new home in the countryside. Although their father, a university professor, is with them when they move, their mother is in the hospital, recovering from some unnamed illness. When Mei hears that her mother’s condition may be worsening, she resolves to visit her all by herself. When everyone realises she’s missing, only Totoro knows how to find her! Lovingly hand-crafted by Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) who is often called the greatest of the Japanese animators, this is a classic family film, of which you can never tire. [BOOK ONLINE]
FIGHTER - July 17th, 4pm
All Aicha wants to do is get her black belt without upsetting her traditional family’s values. Fighter is an affecting girl-power fable set amid the Turkish émigré community in Copenhagen. The film centres on Aicha, a spirited teenager whose conservative parents expect her to become a doctor - but this girl dreams in kung fu. Dutiful to her family’s demands, it’s only on the kung fu mat that Aicha feels truly at home. Aicha secretly enrols in an elite, co-ed kung fu school, where she meets and falls for Emil, her training partner. Just as Aicha ties on her brand-new black belt, her older brother announces that he intends to wed the daughter of a wealthy and traditional Turkish clan. When Aicha’s kung fu secret comes to light at his engagement party, she’s forced to decide between the family she loves and the passion for fighting she can’t live without. [BOOK ONLINE]
SOMERS TOWN - July 18th, 6.45pm
This highly original look at friendship among the new communities from Shane
Meadows (This is England) will have you smiling long after you’ve left the cinema.
Tomo has turned sixteen and is no longer under parental care – another good reason for him
FRESH FILM FORUM - July 19th, 11am
Interested in becoming a successful young filmmaker? At this special event, you will get a chance to watch films made by these talented young filmmakers, who will then share their knowledge of the filmmaking process and chart how they progressed from festival winners to film students and beyond! This Forum is FREE and open to all but please reserve your place in advance with
the box office.
SON OF RAMBOW - July 19th, 2pm
A nostalgic comedy about two little boys with a big video camera and even
bigger ambitions.
THE BLACK BALLOON - July 19th, 6.45pm
Inspired by writer/director Elissa Downe’s own experiences growing up, this is a warm,
truthful and occasionally very funny depiction of the challenges of living in a family
with autism.
SHOWING OUTSIDE DUBLIN AT OUR LOCAL PARTNER VENUES AZUR AND ASMAR: THE PRINCES’ QUEST
Celebrated animation master Michel Ocelot delivers an awe-inspiring and exquisitely crafted epic tale in Azur and Asmar: The Princes’ Quest. Azur, the son of a nobleman, is raised by a nurse alongside her son Asmar. Seeing themselves as brothers, they dream about someday finding the beautiful Djinn Fairy who, according to the nurse’s stories, is captive within the black mountain, awaiting a loving prince. However, escalating sibling rivalry causes a rift between them and, now grown up, they embark as competitors, each questing to locate the Djinn Fairy first. Faced with many obstacles, can the rivals overcome their past and work together again as brothers? Celebrating the beauty of multiculturalism and blended families, and teaching the virtues of loyalty and honesty, Azur and Asmar is a modern-day fable for the ages.
TALES FROM EARTHSEA
Adapted from Ursula K. Le Guin's beloved children's fantasy book series, Tales from Earth Sea is Studio Ghibli's latest animated epic, which delves into a dark, magical world of dragons and sorcery. In the land of Earthsea a mysterious force is disturbing the natural balance; dragons are feuding, magic is dying, and Ged, the greatest of wizards, sets out with Prince Arren to find the cause of the chaos. A fantastical story and phenomenal directorial debut from Miyazaki Goro, son of legendary Miyazaki Hayao (Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle).
RAZZLE DAZZLE
A spectacular comedy about changing the world step-by-step, Razzle Dazzle lifts the curtain on the world of children’s competitive dance. The film follows the eager members of "Mr Jonathon's Dance Academy" who, with their unique dance routines, compete for Grand Final success at Australia's most prestigious competition. Amidst parental politics, petty rivalry, creative controversy and the hysterics of pushy stage mothers, the film takes you behind the glamour and the glitter to a world where, sometimes, winning is everything!
PERSEPOLIS
It might not look like your average French film, but this poignant coming of age story is destined to become a classic of French cinema. The mostly black and white, hand-drawn animation is based on co-director Marjane Satrapi’s autobiographical graphic novels, which illustrated her own experience growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Marjane is a feisty little girl, clever and fearless, who outsmarts the ‘social guardians’ and discovers punk, ABBA and Iron Maiden. But when religious extremism sweeps the country, her parents make the painful decision to send the outspoken Marjane overseas.
ASTERIX AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES
One of the most expensive films ever made in France, Asterix at the Olympic Games is the most recent installment in the live-action series based on the famous Goscinny and Underzo comic books from the 1960s. Apart from Gérard Depardieu, who is back as the rotund Obélix, the cast is mainly composed of new faces, including a new Astérix: Clovis Cornillac. French icon Alain Delon makes his first screen appearance in 12 years as Julius Ceaser (or Jules César, as the French call him), while popular Belgian comedian Benoît Poelvoorde will play his scheming son Brutus. A host of contemporary sports stars have cameo appearances at the Olympic Games, including Michael Schumacher as a chariot-racer in a conspicuous red chariot and football star Zinedine Zidane as a man who discovers a precursor of football. The late Jean-Pierre Cassel, father of Vincent, has one of his last screen roles as the druid Panoramix.
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