Sprockets - with a French Twist

SPROCKETS – with a French Twist

SPRCKETS, a film festival for children and youth begins in Toronto from today April the 17th and runs through the 23rd.

Opening the minds of children and youth to films and cultures from around the world, Sprockets engages and entertains its audiences with a programme drawn from the best of Canadian and international cinema. The only film festival for young people in Toronto, Sprockets provides a rare opportunity to watch films that kids around the world are lining up to see and which, in many cases, may not be available again.

For complete information of all films at Sprockets, ticket pricing and show times, check the website at:

http://www.sprockets.ca/

For the French twist, check the 4 French films in the year’s line up.  You will not be disappointed!

Le Voyage d’Inuk / Inuk (Mike Magidson, France/Greenland)
U (Gregoire Solotareff & Serge Elissalde, France)
Le Peitit Nicolas (Laurent Tirard, France)
Molly in Springtime (Pierre-Luc Granjon, France/Canada)

Capsule reviews for some of them:

MOLLY IN SPRINGTIME (France/Canada 2008) ***
Directed by Pierre-Luc Granjon)

This adorable 27-minute short is a fairy tale set in the Kingdon of Balthasarville whre good ovcercomes evil in the end.  The villain of the piece Bonifacio poisons the townsfolk and usurps the thrown.  Thanks to the bravery of the princess, an antidote is found and the evil plot is foiled.  Done in puppet animation, the colourful tale is a pleasure to watch despite the fact that the narration may be too fast for the younger children to follow.

U (France 2006) ***
Directed by Serge Elissalde

U is the first syllable uttered (in French, of course) when the little princess, Mona cries when tormented by the rats who force her to do chores in a ruined castle by the sea.  The cry summons U, a unicorn and female creature that soon becomes best friends with Mona.  But when a group of musicians move into the nearby forest, Mona falls for Kulka (a lizard?) and things change.  Serge Elissalde and Gregoire Solotareff’s animation is comprised of creatures with long limbs, large bellies and long pointed ears and feet placed in a painted background of forest, sea and rocky landscape.  If the story is unimpressive (catered to 4 year-olds and up) - the haunting melodious tunes, color and imagery of U will more than make up for it.  You have to stay for the credits to observe the happy ending.