Image from Mia (2013).
Each year, around this time, Little Big Shots (LBS) comes to town with a new collection of films from around the globe, intended for children or made by them. This year’s Little Big Shots Film Festival will screen 105 films and animations, originating from 27 countries, including the U.S., U.K, France, Canada, Japan, Brazil and Russia.
The film festival was conceived by Nick Place back in 2004, and this year LBS celebrates it first big milestone: a decade of dedication to exposing kids to the very best international and domestic films, as well as the process of filmmaking.
To commemorate their fabulous decade, LBS has released a limited edition 10th Birthday Retro Collection DVD, featuring some of their most memorable films: Birthday Boy (2005, Aston’s Stone (2008), Because You’re Gorgeous (2009), Brunswick Browns (2010), The Animal Book (2010), The Vacuum Kid (2012), Abiogenesis (2013) and The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore (2013).
The film festival offers 13 different packages appropriate for ages ranging from two years old to 15+. Movie aficionados of all ages can customise their film viewing schedule according to age, subject or special interest. The films aim to stimulate dialogue about world cultures, foreign languages and cultural diversity.
Our festival picks include:
Brunswick Browns (2009) available on the 10th Birthday Retro Collection DVD. Director and Producer: Ollie Ivin-Poole
Style: Film
Country: Australia
Language: English
Ollie, a six-year-old local first-time film director, featured his three pet chickens known in his short film. Brunswick Browns is an endearing film illustrating a young boy’s perspective on life with his pet chickens. But the one who stole the show and became a little star at the 2010 LBS festival was Ollie’s younger sister.
Lego Adventure 3: Attack of the Giant Pig! (2013). Premiering at this year’s festival.
Style: Stop animation / film
Director and Producer: Maxim Hussey
Country: Australia
Language: English
A criminal steals a growth ray from a nearby museum. He uses the ray on a guinea pig, which becomes enormous and wreaks havoc on the city of Lego Town. This film was shot as a stop animation with Lego figures and blocks, and the guinea pig was then superimposed in to the film with use of a green screen. It is quite impressive that a child with no previous experience in producing films was able to achieve special effects that outshine some professional films from a few decades back, when computers were not yet available to the general public.
Room on the Broom (2012)
Style: Animation
Directors: Max Lang and Jan Lachauer
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Based on the popular children’s book by Julia Donaldson, this lovely clay animation is about a kind witch who invites a surprising collection of animals to join her on her broom, much to the frustration of her cat. Most of the children in attendance at the preview screening were familiar with the story, and they eagerly shared what was going to happen next with their parent(s). They must have felt empowered and quite ‘in-the-know’ shedding light on the subject.
Mia (2013)
Style: Animation
Director: Wouter Bongaerts
Country: Belgium, Netherlands
Language: None
In a mundane and drab world where people are seemingly concerned only with the repetitive routine of life and their electronic devices, a seven-year-old little girl, Mia, attempts to ‘liberate’ her mother who seems imprisoned by the same condition as the rest of their metropolis’ inhabitants. The director uses colours and different illustration techniques to cleverly distinguish different worlds. The film is without a specific language, so it was understood by everyone by simple yelps, noises and facial expressions of the characters. As it is intended mainly for children, it’s great that there was no need for subtitles.
R’ha (2013)
Style: Animation
Director: Kaleb Lechowski
Country: Germany
Language: English
R’ha was originally a student film produced by German director Kaleb Lechowski that attained viral exposure online. Describing an alien being tortured and interrogated by a machine somewhere on another world, the film is only six minutes long, but it leaves the viewer longing for more. Indeed, there will be more, as this short is now being developed into a feature length film. R’ha is worth seeing for its digital animation quality and storyline, as well as for its capacity to encourage young wannabe filmmakers.
Little Big Shots International Film Festival for Kids
Melbourne
www.littlebigshots.com.au/program/melbourne
31 May – 1 June Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square
6 June – June Australian Centre for the Moving Image, Federation Square
National Program:
www.littlebigshots.com.au/program/national
New South Wales
7 – 10 July Museum of the Riverina, Wagga Wagga
11 July Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, Casula
3–7 September Sydney Opera House, Sydney
9–22 January 2015 Little Darlings Night Owls Kids Film Festival
Australian Capital Territory
11–18 July National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra
Western Australia
7–9 October Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle
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