2. Whānau Friendly

Children love short films! Let the magic of cinema inspire and fire their imaginations! This collection of films is suitable for the whole family. Journey with a space traveller to a desolate dwarf planet. Follow a young Kiwi girl who shows milk kindness. Meet otters, kererū and pīwakawaka and find out how a dog and his human companion work together aboard a space station! There is something for everyone, with films sure to bring a sparkle to your child’s eyes.

Total length: 60 minutes
Rating: PG Sexual references.
Best for: 7-12 years

Blush

Animation, 11 mins, United States

Dir/Writ: Joe Mateo
Prod: Heather Schmidt Feng Yanu

After an asteroid knocks his spaceship off course and he crash-lands on a desolate dwarf planet, a stranded astronaut’s chances for survival dwindle with each breath. But when an ethereal visitor arrives, the universe may deliver an astonishing salvation.

Miro Wine

Animation, 4 mins, New Zealand

Dir/Writ/Prod: Bree Greally, Lily Martin-Babin

A grumpy kererū is annoyed by the affectionate pīwakawaka. Slowly a bond is formed and the kererū ends up missing the pīwakawaka when it is gone.

Milk

Drama, 5 mins, New Zealand

Dir/Writ/Prod: Celia Jaspers
Prod: Auriga Martin, Juanita Deely
Special message from the filmmaker(s)

When she sees an old man unable to pay for his milk, a young girl has a change of heart.

Dans la Nature (In Nature)

Animation, 5 mins, Switzerland

Dir/Writ: Marcel Barelli
Writ: Fleur Daugey
Prod: Nicolas Burlet

In nature, a couple is a male and a female. Well, not always! A couple is also a female and a female. Or a male and a male. You may not know it, but homosexuality isn’t just a human story.

Fetch

Animation, 18 mins, New Zealand

Dir/Writ: Sam Gill
Prod: Evie Mackay, Janine Frizzell
Special message from the filmmaker(s)

A dog and his human work together as the only maintenance crew aboard a colossal space station. Overwhelmed by the scale of scope of the job, the man slides into depression, causing the station to malfunction catastrophically!

La Source des Montagnes (The Source of the Mountains)

Animation, 7 mins, France

Dir: Camille Di Dio, Marianne Moisy, Briag Mallat, Benjamin François, Adrien Communier, Pierre Gorichon
Prod: ESMA

Each year when the mountains come, the Paccha-Picchus’ oasis rises and they are lifted up into a winter climate. But one day, the mountains stop coming and the restless Kinko decides to go looking for them.

Je suis un Caillou (I am a Pebble)

Animation, 7 mins, France

Dir: Berteraut Mélanie, Bresson Yasmine, Coulombier Léo, Grondin Nicolas, le Chapelain Maxime, Massé Louise
Prod: ESMA

Bubble, a young otter, lives with three mossy stones and thinks of them as her family. She imagines them as real otters, but as she becomes aware of their true nature, she has to face her own loneliness.