THE GOLDEN
ELEPHANT - 14
14th INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S FILM FESTIVAL, HYDERABAD
- ANDHRA PRADESH
NOVEMBER 14 - 20, 2005
INDIA
INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIO SECTION (FEATURE
FILMS)
Daniel And The Superdogs
CANADA
Feature
2004 / 35mm / Col / English / 102 mins / Fiction
Direction: André Melançon
Screenplay: Pierre Billon, Richard Schlesinger
Art Direction: Amanda Bernstein
Director of Photography: Jean Lépine
Editing: Matthieu Roy-Decarie
Music: James Brett
Sound: Martin Trevis
Cast: Matthew Harbour, Annie Bovaird, Macha Grenon,
Patrick Goyette, Claire Bloom
Producers: Rock Demers and Chantal Lafleur
11-year-old Daniel is feeling abandoned. His mother
died a few months ago and his father has buried himself
in his work. That doesn’t leave much time for Daniel
and a rift of mutual incomprehension grows between father
and son. Happily, Daniel can count on his best friends
Colin and William, with whose help he is training an
abandoned dog for the Superdog show. His relationship
with April, a girl his age whose mother runs a dog pound,
isn’t nearly as happy. After a story full of twists
and turns, Daniel manages to reconcile with his father,
he wins April’s affection… and he leads his dog Gypsy
to victory at the Superdog show.
2004 / 35mm / Col / Persian / EST / 96 mins / Fiction
Direction: Parviz Sheikh Tadi
Screenplay: Parviz Sheikh Tadi, Hossein Yadegari
Director of Photography: Naser Mahmoud Kelayeh
Editing: Yaqub Ghafari
Music: Homayoun Reza Atarodi
Sound: Mohammad Emami
Cast: Jahangir Almasi, Rozita Ghafari, Alireza Sheikholeslami
Producer: Mohammad Khazai
Morteza, a deaf and dumb boy, lives with his mother
in a beautiful village in north Iran and studies at
a boarding school. When the new superintendent joins
the boarding school, some misunderstandings develop
which trigger unexpected adventures.
Behind the Curtain of Fog is based on a plot
by Reza Mir Karimi.
2004 / 35mm / Col / Persian / EST / 80 mins / Fiction
Direction: Gholam-Reza Ramezani
Screenplay: Mojtaba Khoshk-Daman
Director of Photography: Saed Nikzat
Editing: Saeed Shahsavari
Music: Hamid-Reza Sadri
Sound: Hossein Bashash
Cast: Ghazale Parsafar, Mehrdad Hassani, M. S. Babakhanloo
Producer: Mohammad-Bagher Ashtiani
Hayat is a 12-year-old girl who lives with her family
in a beautiful village in Iran. Since one month, she
has been preparing hard for an exam scheduled to take
place in the village school. However, her father falls
gravely ill the night before her exam and is admitted
to the hospital. Hayat has to look after her infant
sister on the most important day of her life. Good Samaritans
try to help but Hayat is not the kind of girl who quickly
gives up… Hayat means life.
Direction: Eberhard Junkersdorf
Script: Christopher Vogler
Art Direction: Hans Lindenmüller
Animation: Jonathan McClenahan
Editing: Uli Schön
Music: Søren Hyldgaard
Sound: Friedrich M. Dosch
Voices: Lee Evans, Sharon Alexander, Doug Parker, Ellen
Kennedy, Ian James Corlett, David Kaye, Richard Newman,
John Payne et al. Producer: Eberhard Junkersdorf
One of Europe’s most loved folk tale characters comes
to life in this colourful new animated film on the adventures
of Till Eulenspiegel. Till is a mischievous, fun loving
fool who is dismayed to learn of his wizard grandfather’s
mysterious disappearance from the town of Boomstadt.
Till’s only hope of finding him is to follow the clues
laid down by a magic mirror and solve the puzzle of
who is keeping the old man hostage. Whether it be fearlessly
undertaking a trip to the Isle of the Dead or a fight
with a sinister army of skeletons, Till with his ability
to outfox his opponents with quick wit and a sense of
style is the man for the job. Jester Till is
an upbeat, colourful film that combines traditional
2D animation with some well-integrated 3D computer generated
techniques.
2003 / 35mm / Col / Swedish / EST / 88 mins / Fiction
Direction: Ella Lemhagen
Screenplay: Ella Lemhagen
Director of Photography: Anders Bohman
Editing: Malin Lindström
Music: Kaada
Sound: Thomas Huhn
Cast: Amanda Davin, Helena af Sandeberg, Torkel Petersson,
Jørgen Langhelle, Julia Ragnarsson, Leonard Goldberg,
Bjørn Floberg
Producers: Charlotta Denward, Tomas Michaelsson
The weekend is closing in and all children with divorced
parents prepare to leave. Julia and Martin, both 11
years old, are tired of constantly travelling between
their respective parents. When they meet at the airport
they get the opportunity of a lifetime. They trade places
and engage in a journey that will change their lives
forever. At first, both children feel major relief.
But slowly it becomes clear that you cannot live another
person’s life. The children have to reveal their secret
and confront their own problems.
2004 / 35mm / Col / Persian / EST / 60 mins / Fiction
Direction: Gholam-Reza Ramezani
Screenplay: Gholam-Reza Ramezani
Director of Photography: Amir Karimi
Editing: Saeed Shahsavari
Sound: Yadollah Najafi
Cast: Melika Emami, Mahnaz Afzali
Producer: Mohammad Bagher Ashtiani
6-year-old Soraya is bored of entertaining herself
with dolls in the rear courtyard while her mother works
in the living room. When she hears the voices of two
children next door, Soraya pleads to be introduced to
the family but her mom steadfastly refuses, claiming
that she has no way of ascertaining their social status.
However, things change when the neighbours’ ball inadvertently
comes into Soraya's possession. The Play is a
film about the daily life of many children worldwide
who don’t want to accept the imposition of an adult’s
opinion in their playful activities. Soraya is one such
girl, who by her perseverance succeeds to play as she
likes.
Waterbomb for the Fat Tomcat is a sweet comedy
set in a small Latvian village, with hilarious modern
predicaments and insights. The parents of Martha and
Linda, age 8 and 4, have to leave town for work. The
rambunctious, highly imaginative girls are stuck with
their strict aunt Linda who is unaccustomed to children.
Linda is trying to woo a gentleman she hopes to marry
but the manure collecting activities of her nieces stink
up the romance. The sisters and their aunt are at cross-purposes
until mischievous Grandpa and some water balloons save
the day.
2004 / 35mm / Col / Portuguese / EST / 79 mins / Fiction
Direction: Mauro Lima
Screenplay: Cláudia Levay
Art Direction: Oscar Ramos
Director of Photography: Uli Burtin
Editing: Diana Vasconcellos
Music: Luiz Avellar
Sound: Miriam Biderman
Cast: Eunice Baía, Vitor Morosini, Arilene Rodrigues,
Kadu Moliterno, Chris Couto, Aramis Trindade, Leandro
Hassum, Roney Villela, Daniel Munduruku
Producer: Pedro Carlos Rovai
Tainá, protector of the Amazon rainforest, faces a
dangerous gang that assail the millenary trees where
many animals take shelter. Now an early teenager, Tainá
divides her efforts between confronting the bandits
and taking care of the 6-year-old Catiti. Catiti escapes
from the Indian village wishing to imitate Tainá’s exploits.
Meanwhile, young Carlito comes from the city on a holiday
with his biologist father. A cultural shock ensues,
involving the urban and scientific learning of Carlito
and the natural, traditional knowledge of Tainá. But
they must unite to overcome the aggressive evildoers.
2003 / 35mm / Col / Norwegian / EST / 103 mins / Fiction
Direction: Elsa Kvamme
Screenplay: Elsa Kvamme
Director of Photography: Kjell Vassdal
Editing: Thomas Tängskf
Music: Geir Bøhren, Bent Åserud
Sound: Sturla Einarson
Cast: Klara Døving, Sergio Bini, Hanne Lindbæck, Stig
Henrik Hoff, Anne Ryg, Minken Fosheim, Trond Høvik
Producers: Petter Borgli and Tomas Backstrøm for Dinamo
Story AS
Fia thinks everyone is a clown except herself, her
mother... and Bustric. This is a family film about 8-year-old
Fia who for a long time has been a mother for her own
mother. She has grown up in an "upside down"
world where it is important that mother is never sad.
But one day the police show up. Fia becomes the focus
and her life will never be the same again. Fortunately,
she finds an ally in the magician and clown Bustric,
who shows up whenever she really needs him. Because
she had actually made up her mind, school was supposed
to last three months only. If it's difficult to have
one mother, having two is like an earthquake.
2003 / 35mm / Col / Norwegian / EST / 87 mins / Fiction
Direction: Peder Norlund
Script: Peder Norlund
Director of Photography: Harald G. Paalgaard
Editing: Zaklina Stojcevska
Music: Stefan Nilsson
Sound: Rune Palving
Cast: Julia Boracco Braaten, Line Verndal, Niklas James
Knudsen, Jørgen Langhelle, Samuel Fröler, Ingar Helge
Gimle, Aksel Hennie, Robert Skjærstad, Åsne Serierstad
Producers: Axel Helgeland, Kaare Storemyr, Ellen Jacobsen
Kim, a 12-year-old girl, has a dramatic encounter
with a wolf while out on a secret climbing expedition
during her summer vacation. Terrified and helpless,
she is trapped inside the wolf's den along with a starving
cub. Kim is about to begin the most amazing summer of
her life as babysitter and hunting partner for a wolf.
Wolf Summer tells the fascinating tale of an
unusual partnership and an even more unusual friendship
between a child and a wild animal.
2005 / 35mm / Cinemascope / Col / Dutch / EST / 92
mins / Fiction
Direction: Willem van de Sande Bakhuyzen
Screenplay: Mieke de Jong
Director of Photography: Guido van Gennep
Editing: Wouter Jansen
Music: Robert Lockhart
Sound: Kees de Groot, Mark Rose
Cast: Loes Luca, Carice van Houten, Barry Atsma, Joep
Truijen, Neeltje de Vree,
Kees Hulst
Producers: Leontine Petit, Joost de Vries
Lepel is an adventurous family feature about
the 9-year-old boy Lepel. After the mysterious disappearance
of his parents in a hot air balloon, his mean grandmother
Koppenol uses him as a servant. One day, Lepel flees
and hides out in the local department store. He hopes
to find his parents with the help of Pleun, a tough
girl who secretly lives behind the sweaters and Max,
the friendly shop assistant who is secretly in love
with Miss Broer, the shop manageress. But Koppenol doesn't
give up Lepel that easily.
2004 / 35mm / Col / Finnish / EST / 90 mins / Fiction
Direction: Liisa Helminen
Script: William Aldridge, Liisa Helminen, Leena Krohn
(the novel Ihmisen vaatteissa)
Director of Photography: Timo Salminen
Editing: Jukka Nykänen
Music: Tuomas Kantelinen
Sound: Paul Jyrälä
Cast: Kari Ketonen, Roni Haarakangas, Inka Nuorgam et
al. Producer: Hanna Hemilä
A Pelican lands on a beach in Finland and becomes
so fascinated by humans that he decides to settle down
and live like them. The Pelican gets a job at the opera
house, befriends two children, and falls in love with
a lovely, swan-like ballerina. But then the Pelican
is dramatically unmasked and taken away to the zoo.
The children help him escape. The Pelican, disillusioned
with the ways of humans, bids farewell to his friends
and returns to his life as a bird.
Pelicanman is based on the fairy tale ‘In Human
Clothes’ by Leena Krohn.
2005 / 35mm / Cinemascope / Col / Kannada / EST / 110
mins / Fiction
Direction: P. Sheshadri
Screenplay: P. Sheshadri, J. M. Prahlad
Art Direction: Shashidhar Adapa
Director of Photography: H. M. Ramachandra
Editing: B. S. Kemparaj
Music: Hamsalekha
Sound: Santosh Mavinakuruve
Cast: Karthik Sharma, Anirudh, Kishan et al. Producer: Jaimala Ramachandra
The arrival of a village boy to the city introduces
the city kids to the joys of simple rustic games. The
ensuing chaos results in the parents forbidding them
to go out. The determined children find an old man who
lets them use his vacant place to play and his subsequent
involvement leads to the construction of a creative
playground. However, the old man’s son plans to bring
down the playground and put up a commercial complex
in its place. The children rise up in protest and prevent
the demolition of the playground.
2004 / 35mm / Col / Russian / EST / 76 mins / Animation
Direction: Konstantin Bronzit
Script: Maksim Sveshnikov
Animation: O. Obrazova
Editing: S. Glezin
Music: Valentin Vaenkov
Sound: Vladimir Goloynin
Producers: Alexander Boyarsky, Sergey Selyanov
Alosha Popovich is a hero; and like all heroes he has
an enemy, in this case the evil Tugarin. Tugarin has
taken all the gold from Alosha's home town and made
Alosha look like a loser. So Alosha, joined by his uncle,
his fiancée and her nagging grandmother, their donkey,
and naturally enough a wise-cracking talking horse,
sets off on a humorous and heroic journey to win back
his good name and the city's stolen riches.
2005 / 35mm / Col / Korean / EST / 93 mins / Animation
Direction: Nelson Shin
Screenplay: Nelson Shin
Art Direction: Yoon Jongtae, Kim Byoungkap
Editing: Nelson Shin
Music: Sung Donghwan
Sound: Park Duksoo
Voices: Kang Heesun, Kim Dohyun, Tak Wonjae
Producer: Nelson Shin
Shim Hakku loses his eyesight after his family was
ruined by conspirators. Blind and poor Shim Hakku has
to look after his daughter Chung. Shim Chung grows up
to be a beautiful and strong girl. One day, she decides
to sacrifice herself to the sea monster Indangsu and
plunges into the sea to restore her father's eyesight.
She has a narrow escape from death and returns to land
after spending some time in the sea palace. Finally,
she meets her father again and Chung's love for her
father restores his eyesight.
2004 / 35mm / Col / Chinese / EST / 90 mins
/ Fiction
Direction: Fang Gangliang
2004, a remote village in northwest China. There is
a popular saying among local businessmen, “If you carry
an egg 500 metres away, the egg will be worth 5 Yuan
(0.1 €).” Local people are thus accustomed to bargain
with goodwill in all situations. This film is a story
of how a little girl bargains to earn her tuition fee.
12-year-old Xiao Yan has to discontinue her education
as she is unable to afford the fees. She does not want
to marry at such an early age and she believes that
she can prevent it from happening only by continuing
her studies. So she decides to make some money to pay
for her education during the summer vacation…
