Family bonding in the Dark

Cinema, Entertainment, Featured, What's On
August 17, 2021

With the summer holidays now here, going to the movies is a great complement to the usual activities of the warmer months. And the cosy, cool darkness of CCM’s Small Auditorium as an excellent spot for family bonding and escaping the heat.

From animated adventures to live action stories and gripping documentaries, the silver screen will come to life with eight fine productions carefully picked from festivals around the world in a string of acclaimed European, American and Asian features. Depicting alien encounters, traveling to remote cultures and telling both imagined and real stories, this Film Carnival is a journey of numerous paths and overlapping realities, unveiling classic art forms and unknown kingdoms.

Blast into the Past is a Chinese animation that will take children back to the world of the Boonie Bears. This adventure plunges the heroes on a time travel journey to an ancient past where they are captured by a primitive tribe and must deal with a bunch of gigantic animals.

From France comes little Terra Willy, a young boy who is suddenly left to explore a whole new planet on his own during an intergalactic mission. As he is separated from his parents, meeting friendly aliens and facing some pretty scary threats, young Willy is, in fact, preparing to grow up.

Luis and the Aliens is an adventure involving beings from another world alluding to the interaction between diverse cultures. Filled with hilarious moments, this German production shows what happens when a 12-year-old boy witnesses the crash of a star ship with three crazy aliens on board.

Jumping to the live action world, ARTmusing Film Carnival presents another fantasy made in Germany, Jim Button and the Wild 13, a lively parade of characters telling the story of a brave young boy in search of his origins. With its pirates, princesses, dragons and bursting special effects, the feature may also subconsciously work on the kids’ sense of identity and justice.

Yuli is an electrifying biopic on the exciting life of legendary Cuban dancer Carlos Acosta. As the first black man to take on some of the most famous leading roles, his tough upbringing on the road to success is a real life example of a self-made star. From the loneliness of being separated from his family to his acclamation as the first non-white Romeo, this film confronts viewers with the hardships of growing in society’s feeblest side.

Travelling further to an even more remote destination, we arrive at the far away kingdom of Eswatini (former Swaziland). There we find five African children in Liyana, a genre-defying documentary fusing real life footage with an animated tale to create an inspiring story of perseverance and hope. If we still need proof that life can be both dangerous and beautiful, parents may enjoy taking their preteens to watch Josee, the Tiger and the Fish, a Japanese animated romantic comedy depicting the struggles and joys of a young paraplegic woman and her impact on those around her.

Finally, Jackie & Oopjen is a light hearted film that plunges the audience in the world of Rembrandt, the Dutch painter considered to be one of the greatest in the history of art. Amsterdam’s Rijksmuseum, which has a wonderful collection of Rembrandt’s works, is like a second home to 12-year-old Jackie. As her mother, who works there, is always busy, the young girl wanders around the museum after hours. One day, suddenly, Oopjen Coppit, the woman depicted in Rembrandt’s famous 1634 painting, steps out of the canvas triggering an unlikely friendship and a fantastic adventure.