>>PREVIEW
REEL FUN FILM FESTIVAL
April 24 to 28
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For parents who fancy themselves students of the cinema, the mainstream selection of "family entertainment" can be downright depressing. Even solid educational choices like Sesame Street are connected to a mountain of licensed products and Hollywood can’t seem to get beyond Pixar and its growing number of clone studios. But, just like grown-ups have an alternative to big-budget action movies and syrupy rom-coms with the flourishing independent film industry, there’s hope for the PG and younger crowd.
Next week young Calgarians will get a taste of what’s out there via the first annual Reel Fun Film Festival, which will feature diverse programming aimed at school-aged children from kindergarten through high school. Focusing on films that will challenge children’s perceptions of mainstream cinema, the festival organizers have packed their schedule with dramatic features, animated fare and documentaries that will give the kids a chance to learn while sitting in the theatre.
The festival’s gala opener is A Lobster Tale, a family-friendly feature-length drama by Canadian director Adam Massey. The fable stars Colm Meaney (The Commitments, Star Trek: TNG) as Cody Brewster, a down-on-his-luck lobsterman whose trap brings up a mound of magical seaweed that has the power to perform medical miracles. Previously disrespected by their East Coast community, Cody and his family find the townspeople alternately buttering them up and threatening them for a piece of the enchanted moss. While the festival recommends this one for anyone over the age of eight (there is a bit of sexual content, thanks to an old-timer who seeks a cure to his erectile dysfunction), despite its fantastical premise, it really is something that adults can enjoy, too. Meaney is great in the lead role – and Graham Greene is even better as the quirky local sheriff – and it carries a depth and genuine sweetness rarely found in more widely distributed family fare.
The festival only features one other official public screening (the beautifully stop-animated Davie And Golymir), but festival director Cathy Mckee says that everyone is also welcome to attend the fest’s afternoon screenings at the Eau Claire Cineplex Odeon, which have been primarily set up for school groups. Highlights from this lineup include a global warming doc called Everything’s Cool and Nicolas Winton: The Power Of Good, a documentary that details an English stockbroker who saved over 1000 Czech children from Nazi concentration camps.
"Children want to see documentaries about things that are important to them, like global warming and endangered species," Mckee says. "People like Michael Moore and Al Gore have opened so many doors. Documentaries don’t seem boring to them anymore."
McKee is describing the festival’s inaugural run as its "ta-da year," promising a more extensive lineup of public screenings next year, as well as interactive workshops for the kids. Until then, she’s happy to help foster a real appreciation of the cinema in the children who visit the festival with their school classes.
"Love of film starts at a young age," she says. "It’s a great way to learn."
The Reel Fun Film Festival runs from April 24 through April 28, with daily school screenings at Eau Claire Market. A Lobster Tale plays at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 24 at the Plaza Theatre and Davie And Golimyr (preceded by shorts by Quickdraw Animation) plays at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 28, 2007 at the Plaza. For a full schedule, visit the festival’s website at www.reelfunfilmfest.com. |
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