Wexner Arts Nov/Dec 2009 : Page 2

GenerAl PuBlIC $3 FILM $15 | ANY6 TICKETS memBerS $2 FILM $10 | ANY6 TICKETS Tickets for Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation are specially priced and not part of the package discounts. please note: The age recommendations listed here are very general. If you would like to discuss the specifics of any film before viewing it with your child, please call Jean Pitman at (614) 292-4614. Thu–Sun, DeC 3–6 Celebrate creative filmmaking for—and by—young people. This year Zoom brings you animation galore, a riveting drama the whole family will want to see and discuss, two magical classics, an entertaining documentary about a subject that touches everyone’s life, and the return of one of our most popular events ever: Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation. The Cereal and Pajama Party and Ice Cream Social are back, too, along with hands-on art-making activities. This is our sixth annual festival of cinematic fun for families, and we think it’s a fantastic lineup for film fans of any age. December oHIo PremIere A Town called Panic (Stephane Aubier & Vincent Patar, 2009, Belgium) Thu, DeC 3 | 7 pm Cowboy, Indian, and Horse all improbably live together, and that’s the least of the whimsical absurdities on display in this delightful European Claymation. You’ll have to see the strange situations and characters of this world to believe them. A Town Called Panic is the first film based on a popular French TVseries of the same name (which aired on Nicktoons courtesy of Aardman Animation, the creators of Wallace and Gromit). It was also the first stop-motion animated feature film to be included in the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival. In French with English subtitles. Occasional impolite language; ages 8+. (75 mins., video) oHIo PremIere Tahaan (Santosh Sivan, 2008, India) FrI, DeC 4 | 7 pm Tahaan is an 8-year-old boy who lives in the conflict-torn Kashmir valley of Pakistan. When his family’s donkey is sold by his mother to repay debts, Tahaan sets off on a quest to recover his beloved animal friend. He must decide whether to trust strangers or keep secrets from his mother, and after he is recruited by militants to throw a grenade into an army compound, he faces a crucial choice about how far he's willing to go to achieve his goal. More than a war story, this is a film about yearning, finding your purpose in life, understanding right and wrong and, ultimately, about choosing peace. Fable-like and beautifully shot, Tahaan captures the scintillating colors, textures, sounds, and smells of a beautiful and ancient land now characterized by border checkpoints, sniper fire, corrupt money lenders, and “disappeared” fathers. In Hindi with English subtitles. Ages 8+. (105 mins., 35mm) This insightful and thoughtfully created movie provides a rare and welcome opportunity for families, friends, and neighbors to talk openly about a challenging global topic—living with war and conflict—from a child’s perspective. A guided discussion with wexner Center Director of education Shelly Casto follows the screening. oHIo PremIere Kid Flix mix SAT, DeC 5 | 10 am There’s something for everyone in this kaleido- scopic collection of animated films selected from the best pieces in the 2009 New York International Children’s Film Festival. The musical and narrative shorts come from all around the world and feature a spectacular array of animation styles: tradi- tional, CGI, collage, and stop-motion among them. Among the surprises are a music video by They Might Be Giants and adaptations of the inventive children’s books The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith) and Knuffle Bunny (by Mo Willems). All works are presented in English. Ages 3+. (65 mins., video) beauty and the beast (Jean Cocteau, 1946, France) SAT, DeC 5 | 12 pm Pure magic! This 1946 French version of the classic story remains a landmark in fantasy filmmaking and is still regarded as the most enchanting live- action fairy-tale ever made. Some of the astonish- ing effects in the film, such as human candelabras, were incorporated into the Disney animation, but nothing has matched the sense of wonder and imagination created by this interpretation. Jean Marais’ sensitive, frightening, and tragic perfor- mance as the Beast is one of cinema’s most iconic creations. In French with English subtitles. Ages 7+. (93 mins., 35mm) oHIo PremIere What’s on Your Plate? (Catherine Gund, 2009, USA) SAT, DeC 5 | 2 pm “What’s a Funyon!!?,” a young girl asks. Come along as two 11-year-olds explore food from a kid’s-eye point of view. Inspired by an Ohio summer vacation from their home in Manhattan, the girls follow a trail of information seeking facts and explod- ing myths about food by interviewing a variety of people from doctors to farmers to chefs. Farming, school lunches, distribution, ingredients, diet, health, and global politics are among the topics they address with fresh questions and sassy humor. The girls’ unfiltered honesty and curiosity bring a welcome sense of authentic inquiry to this engag- ing documentary about a topic of clear relevance to all of us. Ages 8+. (73 mins., video) wexner Center members, pick up your free tickets at the ticket office/information desk in the lobby on December 5. The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Lotte Reiniger, 1926, Germany) SAT, DeC 5 | 4:15 pm Beautiful and mesmerizing, The Adventures of Prince Achmed was the first full-length animated film. Taken from The Arabian Nights, the story features a Prince who calls upon Aladdin, the Witch of the Fiery Mountain, and a magic horse to help him win the hand of the Princess. Director Lotte Reiniger crafted the elegant animation from delicate hand-cut silhouettes based on Indonesian shadow puppets. Whimsical, intricate, enchanting, and visually stunning, this completely “hand-made” film will charm all ages and audiences. The film will be shown in a version with a new orchestral recording of the magnificent 1926 score by Wolfgang Zeller. Ages 4+. (67 mins., video) This festival was organized by Chris Stults, Wexner Center assistant curator of film/video, and Jean Pitman, educator for youth programs. Thanks to Cardinal health for its generous lead sponsorship of this year’s Zoom: Family Film Festival. onscreen

On Screen

Thu–Sun, DeC 3–6

Celebrate creative filmmaking for—and by—young people.

This year Zoom brings you animation galore, a riveting drama the whole family will want to see and discuss, two magical classics, an entertaining documentary about a subject that touches everyone’s life, and the return of one of our most popular events ever: Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation.

The Cereal and Pajama Party and Ice Cream Social are back, too, along with hands-on art-making activities. This is our sixth annual festival of cinematic fun for families, and we think it’s a fantastic lineup for film fans of any age.

December
oH Io PremIere A Town called Panic (Stephane Aubier & Vincent Patar, 2009, Belgium) Thu, DeC 3 | 7 pm

Cowboy, Indian, and Horse all improbably live together, and that’s the least of the whimsical absurdities on display in this delightful European Claymation. You’ll have to see the strange situations and characters of this world to believe them. A Town Called Panic is the first film based on a popular French TV series of the same name (which aired on Nicktoons courtesy of Aardman Animation, the creators of Wallace and Gromit).

It was also the first stop-motion animated feature film to be included in the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival. In French with English subtitles. Occasional impolite language; ages 8+.

(75 mins., video)

oH Io PremIere Tahaan (Santosh Sivan, 2008, India)

Tahaan is an 8-year-old boy who lives in the conflict-torn Kashmir valley of Pakistan. When his family’s donkey is sold by his mother to repay debts, Tahaan sets off on a quest to recover his beloved animal friend. He must decide whether to trust strangers or keep secrets from his mother, and after he is recruited by militants to throw a grenade into an army compound, he faces a crucial choice about how far he's willing to go to achieve his goal.

More than a war story, this is a film about yearning, finding your purpose in life, understanding right and wrong and, ultimately, about choosing peace.

Fable-like and beautifully shot, Tahaan captures the scintillating colors, textures, sounds, and smells of a beautiful and ancient land now characterized by border checkpoints, sniper fire, corrupt money lenders, and “disappeared” fathers. In Hindi with English subtitles. Ages 8+. (105 mins., 35mm) This insightful and thoughtfully created movie provides a rare and welcome opportunity for families, friends, and neighbors to talk openly about a challenging global topic—living with war and conflict—from a child’s perspective. A guided discussion with wexner Center Director of education Shelly Casto follows the screening.

OH Io PremIere Kid Flix mix SAT, DeC 5 | 10 am There’s something for everyone in this kaleidoscopic collection of animated films selected from the best pieces in the 2009 New York International Children’s Film Festival. The musical and narrative shorts come from all around the world and feature a spectacular array of animation styles: traditional, CGI, collage, and stop-motion among them.

Among the surprises are a music video by They Might Be Giants and adaptations of the inventive children’s books The True Story of the Three Little Pigs (by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith) and Knuffle Bunny (by Mo Willems). All works are presented in English.

Ages 3+. (65 mins., video) beauty and the beast (Jean Cocteau, 1946, France) SAT, DeC 5 | 12 pm Pure magic! This 1946 French version of the classic story remains a landmark in fantasy filmmaking and is still regarded as the most enchanting liveaction fairy-tale ever made. Some of the astonishing effects in the film, such as human candelabras, were incorporated into the Disney animation, but nothing has matched the sense of wonder and imagination created by this interpretation. Jean Marais’ sensitive, frightening, and tragic performance as the Beast is one of cinema’s most iconic creations. In French with English subtitles. Ages 7+.

(93 mins., 35mm)

OH Io PremIere What’s on Your Plate?

(Catherine Gund, 2009, USA) SAT, DeC 5 | 2 pm “What’s a Funyon!!?,” a young girl asks. Come along as two 11-year-olds explore food from a kid’s-eye point of view. Inspired by an Ohio summer vacation from their home in Manhattan, the girls follow a trail of information seeking facts and exploding myths about food by interviewing a variety of people from doctors to farmers to chefs. Farming, school lunches, distribution, ingredients, diet, health, and global politics are among the topics they address with fresh questions and sassy humor.

The girls’ unfiltered honesty and curiosity bring a welcome sense of authentic inquiry to this engaging documentary about a topic of clear relevance to all of us. Ages 8+. (73 mins., video) wexner Center members, pick up your free tickets at the ticket office/information desk in the lobby on December 5.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Lotte Reiniger, 1926, Germany) SAT, DeC 5 | 4:15 pm Beautiful and mesmerizing, The Adventures of Prince Achmed was the first full-length animated film.

Taken from The Arabian Nights, the story features a Prince who calls upon Aladdin, the Witch of the Fiery Mountain, and a magic horse to help him win the hand of the Princess. Director Lotte Reiniger crafted the elegant animation from delicate hand-cut silhouettes based on Indonesian shadow puppets. Whimsical, intricate, enchanting, and visually stunning, this completely “hand-made” film will charm all ages and audiences. The film will be shown in a version with a new orchestral recording of the magnificent 1926 score by Wolfgang Zeller.

Ages 4+. (67 mins., video)

INTroduced bY e r I c Z A l A And cHr I s sTromPolos raiders of the lost Ark: The Adaptation (Eric Zala, 1982–89, USA) SAT, DeC 5 | 7 pm Sun, DeC 6 | 1 pm SpeCIAl TICkeT PrICeS $6 general public, $4 members “one of the single greatest experiences of my life as a moviegoer.”—New York Press “It’s not the years, it’s the mileage.” One of the most popular films ever screened at the Wexner Center is back! Everything you’ve heard about this urban legend of a film is true: In 1982, three boys (then 10–12 years old) from the Mississippi Gulf Coast decided to make a shot-for-shot remake of Stephen Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark. Over the course of the next seven years—while having to figure out how to recreate state-of-the-art special effects in their backyard—the boys also dealt with all the changes that come with going into and emerging out of puberty. Not only did they have to figure out how to drag a person under a moving truck, they had to kiss a girl for the first time.

The result is a film that is perhaps even more exciting and inventive than the original—and a truly inspiring tribute to the virtues of dedication and imagination. The behind-the-scenes stories that director Eric Zala and star Chris Strompolos (who plays Indiana Jones) share during their Q&A sessions are as entertaining as the film itself! Ages 10+.

(100 mins., video)

Mr. bug Goes to Town (Dave Fleischer, 1941, USA) Sun, DeC 6 | 3:30 pm Free In the silent film and early sound era, the pioneering Fleischer Brothers ran one of the most popular animation studios in the country. The characters they featured in cartoon shorts include Betty Boop, Popeye, Superman, and Koko the Clown. The colorful musical Mr. Bug Goes to Town (the studio’s second and last feature) involves a young, idealistic grasshopper who must save his community of bugs from the rapid expansion of a neighboring city. A newly restored print of this seldom-seen classic shows off the Fleischers’ clever visuals and treatments of songs by such popular composers as Hoagy Carmichael (“Stardust”) and Frank Loesser (Guys and Dolls). See if you can spot Mr. Bug’s influence on such recent Pixar films as A Bug’s Life and Wall-E. Ages 3+. (78 mins., 35mm)

FamIlY ACTIVITIeS

Art Projects & tours SAT–Sun, DeC 5–6 Make your own flipbook, color pictures, and play video games designed by kids in summer workshops at the Wex. You can also take a family-friendly tour of our galleries.

Saturday morning cereal & Pajama Party SAT, DeC 5 | 9:15–10 am Kick start your day at the festival by pouring yourself a bowl at the cereal bar provided by Whole Foods Market. Kids in pajamas receive a surprise with their cereal.

Ice cream social SAT, DeC 5 | 3–5 pm Join us for a free ice cream social featuring an assortment of flavors from Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams, a Columbus favorite, between films.

The next Generation DeC 1–31 Discover more creativity by young people.

Stop by the Box, our video space, throughout the month to see works by filmmakers ages 8 to 18.

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