Films & Schedules - Family Fare

The Letter for the King follows the medieval quest of sixteen-year old Tiuri, who risks his future as a knight to fulfill a promise, and in so doing discovers adventure, honor, valor, and love.

Based on the story by Tonke Dragt, The Letter for the King brings one of the most popular young-adult books in Dutch history vividly to life in this knights-on-horseback adventure. Sixteen-year-old Tiuri sets out on a dangerous journey marked by sword-clanging battles and unexpected help from a beautiful princess. On the eve of becoming a knight, he must sacrifice his own dreams when he promises a dying messenger that he will deliver an extremely important letter to the King. Join Tuiri on his perilous, life-changing journey through mountain, forest, and valley where not only lives but also kingdoms hang in the balance.

Selected Filmography: Mark of the Beast (80), The Dream (85), Nynke (01).

Ages nine and up.

Sponsored by French American International School.

108 Minutes    

Interests: Narrative Feature, Family Fare, Literature.

When a volcanic eruption forces the Moomin family to take refuge in an old theater, Moominpappa decides to write a play for the family to perform.

Based on Tove Jansson’s well-loved “Moomin” books, this visually striking animated film will delight young children and big kids alike. A tranquil summer day is interrupted by a volcanic eruption, causing a flood in the Moominvalley. The water rises higher and higher in Moominhouse, forcing the family to take refuge in a strange house that floats by. The unusual lifeboat turns out to be a theatre. Moominpappa begins to write a play for the others to perform.

First Feature Film.

Ages nine and up.

Sponsored by Scandinavian Heritage Foundation.

75 Minutes    

Interests: Narrative Feature, Animation, Family Fare, Literature.

A lonely orphan's life is transformed by an extraordinary woman who teaches him to conquer grief and discover the magic in nature and himself.

Set on the beautiful Irish coast, Sarin’s warm, emotional film tells a story of acceptance, kindness, and the healing power of love. Eight-year-old Tomas’ gentleness makes his life difficult. His helpful nature is interpreted as weakness and the other boys at the orphanage bully him. Then one day, a kind woman named Maire sweeps in and infuses his once-cheerless existence with love, laughter, and the belief in magic. After Maire whisks him away to her home on enchanted Corrie Island off the West Coast, Tomas grows and comes into his own—but Maire’s reserved husband can’t hide his lack of interest in the child. Just when Tomas begins to come out of his shell and see the goodness in the world and the people around him, Maire’s delicate health takes a turn for the worse. Will her husband, who has not accepted Tomas as his son, be able to step up to the responsibility of caring for Tomas as Maire has done?

Filmography: Cold Comfort (89), Deluxe Combo (04), Partition (07).

100 Minutes    

Interests: Narrative Feature, Family Fare.

Through a Glass, Darkly is the moving story of a Norwegian teen suffering from a terminal illness who comes to terms with her life and imminent death via conversations with an otherworldly presence.

Adapted from Jostein Gaarder’s acclaimed novel, Through a Glass, Darkly is the sensitive, moving story of how an otherworldly presence helps a young girl come to terms with her serious illness. Cecilie, home from the hospital, wants everyone to act normally, but it isn’t so easy for her family. It isn’t easy for Cecilie either, but she has found a way to cope—by thinking back to a family holiday in Spain where she fell in love with Sebastian. One night an odd man enters Cecilie’s room, claiming to be an angel named Ariel. At first Cecilie doesn’t believe him, but when he does things that no human can do, she accepts his claim and asks him to reveal the secrets of heaven. Ariel agrees, but only if she first tells him what it is like to live on Earth.

Filmography: The Last Viking (97), Little Big Sister (00), Okay and Big Plans (02), The Man Behind the Door (03).

Best Live Action Feature Award, Chicago Children’s Film Festival.

Sponsored by Norwegian Consulate General, San Francisco.

85 Minutes    

Interests: Narrative Feature, Family Fare.

This surreal, stop-motion adaptation of a popular European television show has Cowboy, Indian, and Horse traveling through space and time on a quest to free their wrongly imprisoned neighbor. A gleefully surreal treat for animation fans of all ages.

This thoroughly delightful, surreal stop-motion animated fantasy tells of an eccentric provincial village and its beguiling inhabitants. The impetuous Cowboy and Indian, eager to buy a birthday gift for their more mature roommate, Horse, accidentally set off a chain of events that destroys their residence and places their innocent neighbor behind bars. Setting out to right their wrongs, Cowboy and Indian are joined by Horse and taken on a journey to the center of the earth, across a frozen tundra, and into a bizarre underwater parallel universe. Rendered in a completely charming style, this feature film version of a popular European television program will thrill animation lovers of all ages.

First Feature Film.

In French with English subtitles.

Sponsored by French American International School.

75 Minutes    

Interests: New Directors, Narrative Feature, Animation, Family Fare.