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Announcing First Ever NY/SF Int'l Children's Film Festival

NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S FILM FESTIVAL

AND SAN FRANCISCO FILM SOCIETY PRESENT

NY/SF INTERNATIONAL

CHILDREN'S FILM FESTIVAL

SEPTEMBER 24-26, 2010

LANDMARK EMBARCADERO CENTER CINEMA

50 AWARD-WINNING SHORTS AND FEATURES,

OPENING NIGHT GALA, PREMIERES, AUDIENCE VOTING,

DIRECTOR Q&AS, WORKSHOPS

New York, NY August 18, 2010 – NY Int'l Children's Film Festival (NYICFF) and San Francisco Film Society (SFFS) announced the inaugural NY/SF Int'l Children's Film Festival (NY/SF) taking place Sept 24-26, 2010 at Landmark's Embarcadero Center Cinema in San Francisco. The festival will feature visually stunning, ground-breaking and thought-provoking films for ages 3-18, with filmmaker appearances, director workshops, and audience voting. All features will be making their West Coast or Bay Area premiere at the event and the short film lineup includes Academy Award® nominated titles and winners of Sundance, Cannes and other prestigious “adult” festivals.

NY/SF will present 50 short and feature films cherry-picked from New York Int'l Children's Festival, the nation's largest. The SF-based event is the first step of a multi-city expansion by NYICFF, which has already launched a “Best of NYICFF” touring festival, a broadband film website, and the theatrical distribution arm, GKIDS, which is responsible for Academy Award® nominated animated feature, The Secret of Kells.

Said NYICFF director Eric Beckman, “As a former SF resident, I am thrilled to be creating a bi-coastal footprint for NYICFF with the launch of NY/SF. SFFS is a perfect partner for us, not just because of their prestige, expertise, and the great SF audience – but because they absolutely share our vision of a more provocative, eye-opening, film for young people. We are excited to be working with SFFS to bring these ground-breaking films to SF audiences, and we look forward to launching similar events in other cities.”

Said SFFS director of programming Rachel Rosen, “Eric and I began talking about this event at TIFF last year and we are excited to be bringing the plan to fruition. NYICFF has really been a force in helping shape the landscape of children's cinema over the past decade and they believe as we do that kids deserve and appreciate thought-provoking films. The NY/SF program is a great complement to San Francisco Int'l Film Festival and SFFS's year-round programming.”

FEATURE FILM LINE-UP

Eleanor's Secret – West Coast Premiere, France, Dominique Monfery, 2009, 76 min, in English

In this colorful, beautifully designed adventure perfect for youngest audiences, the characters from classic fairytales and story books come alive to help a young boy learn to read an ancient spell, which will preserve the stories for future generations of children. (All ages)

Little White Lies – West Coast Premiere, Germany, Marcus Rosenmüller, 2009, 100 min, Subtitled

Dreamlike, darkly atmospheric visuals straight out of the German Expressionist tradition create a fable-like feeling both timeless and foreboding in this thought-provoking and highly-engaging parable about how lies, big and small, can accumulate and create unexpected consequences. (Ages 10 to adult)

Mia & the Migoo – West Coast Premiere, France, Jacques-Rémy Girerd, 2008, 92 min, Subtitled

Winner of Best Animated Feature at the European Film Awards! Created from an astounding 500,000 hand-painted frames of animation, Jacques-Remy-Girerd's second feature is a stunningly beautiful and thrilling eco-adventure that pits a plucky, wild-haired young girl against profit-hungry land developers, with the future of life on Earth in the balance. (Ages 8 to 16)

Oblivion Island – West Coast Premiere, Japan, Shinsuke Satō, 2009, 98 min, Subtitled

The creators of Ghost in the Shell mix exquisitely detailed 2D backgrounds with modern 3D character designs in a dazzling animated adventure that plays like Alice's fall through the rabbit hole into a world of topsy-turvy, anime dream-logic. (Ages 8 to 16)

The Secret of Kells - Director's Workshop – Ireland, Tomm Moore, 2009, 75 min, in English

"Stunning! A magical adventure unlike anything we've seen before." – USA Today. Tomm Moore's shimmering, Oscar®-nominated masterpiece. Magic, fantasy and mythology come together in a sweeping story about the power of imagination and faith to carry humanity through dark times. With interactive presentation and post-screening Q&A with director, Tomm Moore. (Ages 8 to adult)

Sounds Like Teen Spirit – Bay Area Premiere, UK, Live Action, Jamie J. Johnson, 2008, 89 min, in English

Pubescent hysteria, burgeoning talent and dreams of fame collide in this highly entertaining film about the Junior Eurovision Song Contest, where aspiring young performers from all over Europe sing their hearts out for a chance at international stardom. Director in person! (Ages 8 to adult)

Summer Wars – West Coast Premiere, Japan, Mamoru Hosoda, 2009, 114 min, Subtitled

“Spectacular! Visionary! Mind-Bending! Staggering!” - Variety. This scintillating new cyber-punk/sci-fi feature from Mamoru Hosoda is a visual tour-de-force, a film whose “dazzling fluency of motion and untethered brilliance of invention makes the usual fantasy anime look childish and dull!" - Japan Times (Ages 11 to adult)

Tahaan – Bay Area Premiere, India, Santosh Sivan, 2008, 105 min, Subtitled

Set in scenic but strife-ridden Kashmir, Tahaan is a fable-like story about a young boy trying to regain his beloved pet donkey. Breathtaking cinematography captures Kashmir's snow-covered mountain passes and shimmering lakes, while mystic Sufi singers provide a compellingly exotic musical bed. (Ages 8 to adult)

Turtle: The Incredible Journey –Bay Area Premiere, UK, Nick Stringer, 2009, 79 min, in English

This awe-inspiring nature film follows the personal story of a single loggerhead turtle as she grows into a strong-willed adult, braving the 6000-mile journey that has been the species' perilous ritual for millions of years. A visually resplendent, captivating adventure on par with March of the PENGUINS. (All ages)

SHORT FILM LINE-UP - NY/SF will present four programs of short films, representing the absolute best in new animated, live action, and experimental film from around the world, including Academy Award® nominees, plus festival winners and audience favorites from Cannes, Sundance, Berlin, Toronto, Ottawa, Venice, Annecy, and other festivals worldwide.

Kid Flix Mix – ages 3 to 8

Party Mix – ages 8 to 16

Flicker Lounge – films for teens and adults only – ages 12 to adult

Girls' POV – films for teen and 'tween girls – ages 10 to adult

ABOUT SFFS

The San Francisco Film Society is a nonprofit arts and education organization dedicated to celebrating the world of film and media in four core areas: Internationalism and Cross-Cultural Exchange, Educating and Inspiring Bay Area Youth, Showcasing Bay Area Film Culture and Exploring New Media. Its activities are organized via three major program areas: Exhibition, Education and Filmmaker Services.

The Film Society shows the best of world cinema year-round and presents the San Francisco international Film Festival each spring and the San Francisco International Animation Festival, New Italian Cinema, Cinema by the Bay and French Cinema Now each fall. SFFS presents more than 300 days of programming each year, reaching a total audience of more than 100,000 people. Its acclaimed Youth Education program introduces International Cinema and media literacy to more than 10,000 teachers and students annually.

ABOUT NYICFF

Founded in 1997, NYICFF is the country's largest festival of film for children and teens and stands at the forefront of a movement to define a new, more compelling and provocative “film for kids.” The NYICFF jury includes Frances McDormand, Susan Sarandon, Matthew Modine, Uma Thurman, John Turturro, James Schamus, Michel Ocelot and Evan Shapiro. In addition to the annual March film festival, NYICFF produces year round programming, film production workshops for children, an online festival with over 200 short films available commercial free, and a “Best of NYICFF” tour in theaters nationwide.

NYICFF has recently spun-off distribution arm GKIDS, distributor of award-winning filmed entertainment. Theatrical releases include Tomm Moore's Oscar® nominated The Secret of Kells, Michel Ocelot's acclaimed Azur & Asmar, in partnership with The Weinstein Company, and Nina Paley's multiple-award-winning animated feature, Sita Sings the Blues. Upcoming GKIDS releases include the European Film Award Best Animated Feature winner Mia and the Migoo by Jacques-Remy Girerd.


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