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Thu, Oct 18, 2007
Four-Day Festival Includes Premieres, Cereal And Pajama Party, Ice Cream Social, Muppet Performer, Film Talk Back, and More
The Wexner Center’s fourth annual Columbus International Children’s Film Festival, featuring critically acclaimed films from across the globe for family audiences, takes place November 29–December 2, 2008. This year’s films include the local premieres of Michel Ocelot’s animated Kirikou and the Wild Beasts from France, Jafar Panahi’s Offside from Iran, Peter Cattaneo’s Opal Dream from Australia, and Vanessa Roth’s documentary Third Monday in October from the United States. Muppet performer Dave Goelz (better known as “The Great Gonzo”) will also be on hand to introduce the rare, original version of the Jim Henson classic Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas. In between films on Saturday and Sunday, families can take part in art projects or join a tour of the exhibition William Wegman: Funney/Strange (tours held Saturday at 11 am and Sunday at 12:20 pm). Saturday morning will feature a free screening of dog-related cartoons and a Cereal and Pajama Party, and on Sunday at 2:30 pm, families can enjoy an Ice Cream Social.
Notes Kendra Meyer, co-organizer of the event and the Wexner Center’s educator for youth programs, “It’s a pleasure to announce the lineup for the fourth year of this ever-growing festival. We try to screen films that allow young people to see the world through a multicultural lens; the hope is that these films will trigger discussion among children and their families and friends.”
Chris Stults, co-organizer of the festival and an assistant curator in Wexner Center’s film department, says “This festival represents some of the best filmmaking in contemporary and classical cinema from around the globe. With the caliber and diversity of this year’s film selections, we feel we’re offering a true film alternative for families in the area.”
TICKETS and VISITOR INFORMATION: Tickets for each individual film are $3 for the general public and $2 for members, available at the door or in advance at 614 292-3535. Packages of any six tickets are $15 for the general public and $10 for members. The Wexner Center is located at 1871 N. High St. at 15th Ave. at The Ohio State University (wexarts.org); the public can call 614 292-3535 or stop into the Wexner Center for advance tickets. Note: The public can call Kendra Meyer, educator for youth programs, at 614 292-4614 to discuss any film before viewing it with children.
PARKING INFORMATION: Convenient parking is available in Ohio State’s Union Garage, both with entrances from North High Street and College Road. Parking is also available nearby at the South Campus Gateway garage, located one block east of North High Street between 9th and 11th Avenues. Wexner Center Members can get their South Campus Gateway garage ticket validated at the Wexner Center Ticket Office for free parking.
COLUMBUS INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S FILM FESTIVAL
Thursday, November 29 | 7 pm
Columbus premiere: Offside (Jafar Panahi, 2006, Iran)
An exuberant, gentle comedy by one of the world's leading filmmakers, Offside (93 mins.) offers a realistic but entertaining glimpse into the lives of young women in Iran, where females are prohibited by law from entering public soccer matches. When a group of soccer-crazy teenaged girls dress up as men and sneak into a stadium to see their team play in a World Cup match, their defiance leads to humorous dialogue, gripping action, absurd events, and an unexpectedly hopeful close conclusion. Rated PG for language and some thematic elements. Recommended for ages 12 and up.
Friday, November 30 | 7 pm
Midwest premiere: Third Monday in October (Vanessa Roth, 2006, USA)
Third Monday in October (91 mins.) follows 11 eighth-graders in four drastically different American schools who are all running for student council president. The students and their families campaigns no less seriously than their counterparts in the concurrent 2004 presidential election—even if one candidate gives his speech dressed as Superman and one of the issues involved is better-smelling bathrooms. The film has the charm, passion, drama, and suspense of Spellbound, the spelling bee documentary, plus an added dose of insight: it touches on issues of race, class, identity, and the meaning of popularity so entertainingly that it’s sure to spark discussion among the entire audience. Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Saturday, December 1 9:15–10 am:
Saturday Morning Cereal and Pajama Party
Kids can kick-start the day at the festival by grabbing a bowl at the cereal bar provided by Whole Foods Market. Kids in pajamas receive a surprise with their cereal.
10 am:
Free screening
Saturday Morning Cartoons Go to the Dogs
(various directors, USA) Some of Hollywood’s most famous and beloved pooches bark (and sometimes talk) their way across the screen. Recommended for ages 4 and up.
11 am:
Tour of William Wegman: Funney/Strange
Noon:
Columbus premiere: Opal Dream (Peter Caettano, 2005, Australia)
Opal Dream (86 mins.) takes place in a sun-scorched opal mining town in the Australian outback. Young Kellyanne spends much of her time playing with her imaginary friends Pobby and Dingan. Her family decides to indulge her and play along, but when the invisible friends go "missing," a misunderstanding within their small town creates hostility. Rated PG for mild thematic elements, language, and some violence. Recommended for ages 7 and up.
2 pm:
Encore screening: Third Monday in October (Vanessa Roth, 2006, USA)
3:30–3:50 pm:
Talk Back: Kids and Grown-ups discuss Third Monday in October
Children and adults can share their ideas about Third Monday in October after the screening at a discussion hosted by Kendra Meyer, educator for youth programs.
4 pm:
Columbus premiere: Darius Goes West: The Roll of His Life (Logan Smalley, USA, 2007)
In Darius Goes West (92 mins.) wheelchair-bound Darius Weems, a 15-year-old with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (the most common fatal genetic disease of children), and a handful of able-bodied friends (one of whom made this documentary) set out in an unreliable van to travel from Georgia to California. Their initial goal is to get Darius's ordinary wheelchair made over on MTV's Pimp My Ride so that he can help educate and entertain his generation about the disease. But the trip turns out to be about so much more. Recommended for ages 8 and up.
7 pm:
City Lights (Charles Chaplin, USA, 1931)
Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times was such a hit with family audiences at our last festival that we’re bringing his famous Little Tramp back for a return engagement. In City Lights (screening here in a brand new 35mm print), Chaplin’s character romances a blind flower girl in a tale with the perfect mix of comedy and tenderness—plus a heartrending finale that’s "one of the most hauntingly beautiful scenes put on film" (Los Angeles Times). Recommended for ages 6 and up.
Sunday, December 2
12:20 pm:
1 pm:
Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (Jim Henson, USA, 1977)
INTRODUCED BY MUPPET PERFORMER DAVE GOELZ
Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (62 mins.) is a music-filled classic, one of Jim Henson’s most heartwarming creations that tells the story of Ma Otter and her son, Emmet, who both secretly enter a talent contest to win money for each other’s Christmas present. This festival screening is of the rare, original TV version, which contains Kermit the Frog scenes cut out of the DVD release. Also included are some surprise Christmas-themed Muppet rarities from the Jim Henson archives. Recommended for ages 4 and up. Dave Goelz, a lead Muppet performer for over 30 years, will introduce the screening and host what is sure to be an entertaining question-and-answer session afterward. The Emmy–winner began working for Henson as a puppet builder but soon became a performer too, creating Gonzo, the Muppet Show’s poultry-loving daredevil, and also performing characters for Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth, and Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (Wendell Porcupine).
2:30–3:30 pm:
Ice Cream Social
A free ice cream social between screenings will be held on Sunday, with assorted flavors from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, a Columbus favorite.
2:45 pm:
The Way Things Go (Peter Fischli and David Weiss, Switzerland, 1988)
The Way Things Go (30 mins.) by Swiss artists Peter Fischli and David Weiss captures an elaborate Rube Goldberg-like explosive sculpture as a spectacular half-hour-long chain reaction that sends common objects combusting, collapsing, and igniting into one another through an abandoned warehouse. Tea kettles, tires, old shoes, trash bags, and other ordinary items become dramatic players in the suspenseful action. See Making Things Go, the artists’ equally amazing “making of” documentary, in The Box video exhibition space (lower lobby) throughout the weekend. Recommended for ages 6 and up.
3:30 pm:
Ohio Premiere: Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (Michel Ocelot, 2005, France)
Subtitles will be read aloud
5 pm: Encore screening of Kirikou and the Wild Beasts
Subtitles will NOT be read aloud
In Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (72 mins.), the tiny boy named Kirikou can run as fast as a road runner, and the brave, ingenious boy is one of the most popular recent animated characters around the globe, although he’s not so well known in English-speaking countries. This film (the second of his adventures) is made up of four short stories based on West African folktales. The evocative simplicity and directness of the drawn images match the style of the narration and dialogue. The infectious soundtrack features some of Africa’s best known musicians: Youssou N’Dour from Senegal, Rokia Traoré from Mali, and Manu Dibango from Cameroon. Recommended for ages 4 and up. This animated feature incorporates natural nudity throughout.
EVENT AND SEASON SUPPORT In-kind support for the Columbus International Children's Film Festival is provided by Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams and Whole Foods Market.
Youth and family programs are presented with support from Honda of America Manufacturing, Inc., Bob Evans Farms, Cardinal Health, Nationwide, and Time Warner Cable, Corporate Annual Fund of the Wexner Center Foundation, and Wexner Center members.
Major support for the Wexner Center’s 2007–08 film/video season is generously provided by Abercrombie & Fitch and Mills James Productions.
Significant contributions are also made by the Rohauer Collection Foundation.
Additional funding is provided by the Corporate Annual Fund of the Wexner Center Foundation and Wexner Center members.
