Sprockets Offers Young People A Unique Opportunity To Discover The World

Toronto – Organizers of the Sprockets Toronto International Film Festival for Children are proud to announce the exciting line up of films from the best of international and Canadian cinema. The only film festival for young people in Toronto, Sprockets is a must-attend cultural event for families and schools. It provides a rare opportunity to see quality films that have not previously screened in the city and in many cases may not be available again. Engaging, educational and entertaining, Sprockets runs April 18 through 24, 2009, offering 70 films – 29 features and 41 shorts – representing 22 countries and 14 languages.

An enriching experience that is much more than just a day at the movies, Sprockets offers postscreening discussions with filmmakers and special guests to further explore the film’s themes, storytelling techniques and more. Directors Pieter Verhoeff (The Letter for the King) and Somaratne Dissanayake (King Siri), and Bilaal Rajan are among this year's guests. Additionally, festival-goers can enjoy the immensely popular, free hands-on film-craft activities before and after screenings at Famous Players Canada Square throughout the weekend.

Tickets are now on sale. Visit the official website, sprockets.ca, call 416-968-FILM (toll-free 1-877-968-FILM) or visit the Box Office at 2 Carlton Street, West Mezzanine level (near College subway station). Hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets are $6.60 for children and $10.61 for adults; Reel Rascals and Jump Cuts Young Filmmakers Showcase tickets are $6.60 per person (prices do not include GST, building-fund fee or service charges).

"For the past twelve years, students, educators and the public have been our best champions, and it's their support that has made Sprockets a unique and transformative experience," said Elizabeth Muskala, Co-Director of Learning.

Allen Braude, Co-Director of Learning added, "As we move toward our new home, Bell Lightbox, we look forward to offering a rich array of thought-provoking and entertaining cinema, and film-craft workshops that will engage the community and inspire young minds."

"Sprockets exposes kids to the whole big wide world outside of primarily American mainstream movies," said filmmaker Patricia Rozema. "Short of going to live in other cultures, the kind of movies they see at Sprockets might be the best way to open their eyes to glorious diversity of life on this planet."

Sprockets’ selection of 29 features includes the following films:

Spirit of the Forest – David Rubín, Juan Carlos Pena, Spain, English
When they find out that greedy Mrs.D'Abondo is planning to cut down the entire forest, gophers Furi and Linda rally a ragtag team of animals to help keep their home from being destroyed. The film’s all-star voice cast features Anjelica Huston, Sean Astin, Giovanni Ribisi and Ron Perlman. Age recommendation 5+

King Siri – Somaratne Dissanayake, Sri Lanka, Singalese with English subtitles
A poor but talented boy from a small Sri Lankan village attending a prestigious school in the capital Colombo is cast in the lead role in the school play but faces an enormous challenge to find the money for his elaborate costume. Director Somaratne Dissanayake will be in attendance. Age recommendation 8+

Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger – Cathy Randall, Australia, English
Unusual and unique, Esther Blueburger (Danielle Catanzariti) doesn't seem to fit in anywhere until she meets the cool and offbeat Sunni (Keisha Castle-Hughes). The cast also features Toni Collette, Essie Davis and Russell Dykstra. This film is co-presented with the Toronto Jewish Film Festival. Age recommendation 11+

The Letter for the King – Pieter Verhoeff, The Netherlands, Dutch with English subtitles
Pursued by thieves, spies and ruthless rivals, the young squire Tiuri must deliver a letter that carries the fate of an entire kingdom. Filled with action and stunning natural settings, the film is based on the book Tonke Dragt, which was voted one of the greatest Dutch youth novels of the 20th century. Director Pieter Verhoeff will be in attendance. Age recommendation 9+

Little Dodo – Thilo Graf Rothkrich, Ute von Münchow-Pohl, Germany, German with English subtitles.
A happy-go-lucky young orangutan stumbles upon a violin and is determined to learn how to play it. In the process, he shakes up life in the rainforest from treetop to trunk in this charming, adorable and beautifully animated film. Age recommendation 3+

Sprockets' shorts selection includes 41 films in six distinct programmes. Canadian Shorts celebrates the diverse homegrown talent across the nation from animation to live action and from comedy to drama. The programme includes the inspiring documentary Bilaal Rajan, directed by Lalita Krishna, about 12-year-old Bilaal Rajan, a youth spokesperson for UNICEF. Pacific Islander Shorts offers insight into the diverse identities and experiences of children of Pacific Island ancestry, and includes Hawaikii, directed by Mike Jonathan, which follows a young Maori girl who fears the first day of school and whether others will accept her and her culture. In Giraffes Can't Dance, directed by Bryan Cox and Maggie McGuire, all the other animals are certain that giraffes can't dance, until the night one giraffe proves them wrong. This charming story narrated by Billy Dee Williams screens in Reel Rascals Shorts, a programme especially for Sprockets' youngest audiences members, children aged three and over.

Now in its eighth year, Jump Cuts Young Filmmakers Showcase brings together the best work by youth from grades 3 through 12 from across Ontario, celebrating the originality and diversity of young voices. A jury of industry professionals views all finalist films selected to screen and awards three grand prizes. This year's Jump Cuts lineup will be announced on April 7.

SCHOOL PROGRAMME
The Sprockets School Programme runs from April 20 to 24, with 36 films from 14 countries. Dealing with such important children's issues as tolerance, gender equality, self-confidence, accessibility and climate change, the programme includes 19 feature-length films and 17 shorts. Students engage in post-screening discussions and panels with filmmakers and special guests, further exploring the film themes, storytelling techniques and more. Additionally, each film has a unique teacher resource designed to support and extend the Sprockets experience in the classroom by connecting the films to many aspects of the Ontario curriculum. In addition to screenings, Sprockets School Programme offers Guerrilla Filmmaking with Jared Raab, a workshop designed for students to experience the exciting and inspiring world of filmmaking through hands-on activities. Sprockets is also offering a workshop for educators, Storyboarding, which provides strategies for incorporating storyboarding into the classroom.

Sprockets is generously supported by Bell, RBC, Cineplex Entertainment LP and the Toronto Arts Council.

Bell Lightbox
Currently under construction in downtown Toronto, Bell Lightbox is soon to be the world's leading destination for film lovers. This major new cultural institution on the Canadian and international landscape will be structured around five state-of-the-art cinemas celebrating film from around the world. Bell Lightbox programming will give context to films through innovative cross-media exhibitions, lectures, and film-related learning opportunities for all ages. Designed by innovative architecture firm KPMB, Bell Lightbox's fluid design encourages exploration, movement and play within its soaring atriums.

The campaign to build Bell Lightbox is generously supported by founding sponsor Bell. The Government of Canada and the Government of Ontario each have contributed $25 million to realize Bell Lightbox. A gift of more than $22 million has been confirmed from the Reitman family – acclaimed filmmaker Ivan Reitman and his sisters Agi Mandel and Susan Michaels – and The Daniels Corporation, who together form the King and John Festival Corporation. The project is also supported by RBC as Major Sponsor and Official Bank, Visa†, Copyright Collective of Canada, NBC Universal Canada, The Allan Slaight Family, The Brian Linehan Charitable Foundation, CIBC, and many other individuals and corporations. The Board of Directors, staff and many generous individuals have also contributed to the campaign. The total amount raised to date is $147 million, three quarters of the total campaign of $196 million. For more information on the Bell Lightbox campaign, visit belllightbox.ca

We are a charitable, not-for-profit, cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world through film. Our vision is to lead the world in creative and cultural discovery through the moving image.