January Issue Item: NWFF Children's Film Fest Trailers

The Editors' picks of films coming up at the fifth annual Children's Film Festival at Northwest Film Forum, playing January 22 - 23

Read our interview with festival director, Liz Shepherd in the January 2010 issue of City Arts Seattle. Photo by Kyle Johnson.

The Crocodiles (also recommended by Shepherd)

The trailer is in German. Luckily, editorial intern Corey studied the language throughout high school (his talents continue to amaze here). His synopsis:

The film follows a small gang of kids who call themselves "the Suburban Gators." A break-in at one of the Gators mom’s shop gives a young wheelchair-bound boy, and only witness to the crime, the chance to join the gang after being previously rejected. After joining, the crew sets out to defeat the unbeatable criminal gang together – getting up to childish hijinks along the way. A sequel has already finished shooting.

Little Dodo. Also from Germany (trailer's in German as well). Rough translation:

One day, an orangutan named Dodo discovers a violin in the jungle. He begins to play music with it, but an older orangutan takes it, deciding to use it to scare away the local tiger. Soon after, the jungle’s river dries up; and from this problem, Dodo discovers the greater mystery found in his music.

Moomins & Midsummer Madness.

One day Moomin Valley is hit by a volcanic eruption, which causes severe flooding. The Moomin family seeks refuge on a floating house that is actually a theatre. To pass the time, the family begins to produce a play with the residents of the theatre, but are separated after a series of accidents, which cause further troubles. After a few adventures, the family reunites for the opening of their play "The Lion's Brides."

Small Change.

Made by Francois Truffaut in 1976, this film is a comedy about the life of a family in Thiers, France. There's wild instances between children and adults as Truffaut works to explore the daily life of children. It's like The 400 Blows, but with laughs and less ennui.