EDISON & LEO BY NEIL BURNS, CANADA 2008, ANIMATION
Edison is an inventor whose motto is ‘I Will’ and believes he can invent a solution to every problem, whether it’s saving his wife, toughening up his eldest son Faraday, or finding a new mother for his sons. Edison’s sixteen-year-old son, Leo, must learn to control his electrical impulses in order to save the day, get his girl back from his father, and get out of town forever. This father and son relationship very quickly establishes ‘anything and everything is possible’.
FIRST SQUAD: THE MOMENT OF TRUTH BY YOSHIHARU ASHINO, MISHA SHPRITS AND ALIOSHA KLIMOV, RUSSIA-JAPAN 2009, LIVE ACTION
Nadya is a medium. Recovering from her concussion, Nadya discovers her new gift, the ability to foresee the “Moment of Truth”. Nadya’s ability is indispensable for the classified 6th Division of the Russian Military Intelligence, which is waging a secret war against the “Ahnenerbe”, an occult order within the SS. The Ahnenerbe summons from the realm of the dead the powerful prince of darkness, Baron von Wolff. To oppose the Baron Nadya decides to enlist the support of her old friends from the beyond, the Pioneers of the First Squad.
GOEMON BY KAZUAKI KIRIYA, JAPAN 2009, LIVE ACTION
In 1582, the mighty warlord Nobunaga was betrayed by his retainer, Mitsuhide. Master thief Goemon - the Japanese Robin Hood - steals a wooden box once owned by Mitsuhide. Hideyoshi’s men, including Lord Mitsunari and his legendary ninja Saizo, are after the box and Goemon finds himself fighting for his life. He discovers evidence inside the box of the secret pact between Mitsuhide and Hideyoshi to assassinate Nobunaga. This revelation would tear Japan apart.
IN THE ATTIC: WHO HAS A BIRTHDAY TODAY? BY JIRÍ BARTA, CZECH REPUBLIC-SLOVAKIA-JAPAN 2009, ANIMATION-LIVE ACTION
Peace reigns over the kingdom of abandoned toys until Buttercup, a beautiful doll, becomes the object of desire of the cruel ruler of the Land of Evil, the all-powerful plaster Head. In the pitched battle to save her, the strenght of friendship and the desire to perpetuate the good old world come to light.
KING OF THORN BY KAZUYOSHI KATAYAMA, JAPAN 2009, ANIMATION
In 2015 a disease called “Medusa”, that kills by turning the body into stone, has become a worldwide epidemic. Hoping for a remedy to be found in the future, some infected people are chosen by the private corporation Venus Gate to be put in cold sleep capsules in the underground facility of an ancient English castle. Only seven of the Medusa suffers survive. How long have they been asleep? And what’s happened to the world?
LES LASCARS BY EMMANUEL KLOTZ AND ALBERT PEREIRA LAZARO, FRANCE 2009, ANIMATION
In a shoddy, run-down neighbourhood at the edge of an unnamed European metropolis, two lowlifes, José Frelate and Tony Merguez devise a couple of wild schemes to reel in enough money to land a vacation to sunny Santo Rico island. Each man adopts a unique approach but, meanwhile, a number of unsavory supporting characters pop up, including a porno director, a possessive girlfriend, and two hoods who must hide out in a swimming pool when their plans to get to Santo Rico fall through.
MAI MAI MIRACLE BY SUNAO KATABUCHI, JAPAN 2009, ANIMATION
Shinko is a third grade elementary school student who was born and raised in one of the town’s venerable families. She has a strange curl on her forehead (she calls it her “Mai Mai”) and loves playing in the fields. On the other hand, her secret joy is to imagine and to daydream about the world one thousand years ago. One day, a girl called Kiiko moves from Tokyo and enters Shinko’s class. Shinko and Kiiko make friends after which become engulfed in a strange incident of one thousand years earlier.
OBLIVION ISLAND: HARUKA AND THE MAGIC MIRROR BY SHINSUKE SATO, JAPAN 2009, ANIMATION
Haruka is an ordinary teenager. Communication with her ever-absent workaholic father is not at its best, and “home” has become synonymous of solitude. One day, in a shrine yard, Haruka spots a strange creature resembling a fox, carrying a toy plane. As she goes after the funny animal, she finds herself on Oblivion Island: here Haruka will encounter the memories of her childhood. But humans are not supposed to be on Oblivion Island, and the Baron, who rules that world, has put his eye on that unexpected intruder…
PANIQUE AU VILLAGE BY STÉPHANE AUBIER AND VINCENT PATAR, BELGIUM, 2009, ANIMATION
Animated plastic toys like Cowboy, Indian and Horse have problems, too. Surreal adventures take over as the trio travel to the center of the earth, trek across frozen tundra and discover a parallel under water universe where pointy headed creatures live. Each speedy character is voiced — and animated —as if their very air contains both amphetamines and laughing gas. With panic a permanent feature of life in this papier mâché town, will Horse and his girlfriend ever be alone?
UNDER THE MOUNTAIN BY JOHNATHAN KING, NEW ZEALAND 2009, LIVE ACTION
When teenage twins Rachel and Theo Matheson investigate the creepy old house next door, they discover the Wilberforces – shape-shifting creatures that lurk beneath Auckland’s ring of extinct volcanoes. Guided by the mysterious Mr Jones and with the help of their older cousin Ricky, the twins must rekindle the unique powers they once shared if they are to destroy this ancient evil – before it destroys them.
