Family Film Festival 2018 – Programme
The Bromley Family Film Club is delighted to announce the programme for its 2018 Free Family Film Festival on Sunday the 2nd of September at Beckenham Place Mansion.
The festival includes a mix of feature films, short animations, a giant zoetrope, musical intermezzos and lots of fun and engaging workshops and activities.
We start the day with a selection of animated short films curated by our friends from the London International Animation Festival. As always, they offer an innovative selection of short animations from all over the world, for even our youngest film buffs to enjoy.
Feeling creative? You can get stuck in with workshop facilitator Laura Kloss, who is returning this year with her amazing giant zoetrope. Make your own spinning zoetrope and learn how to turn still images into moving pictures or have a go at making an animation using Laura’s life-sized version.
Our second screening of the day is the Oscar-winning animated film of Sergei Prokofiev’s ‘Peter and the Wolf’. British animator Suzie Templeton has brought this timeless folk tale alive and created a highly original stop-motion animation with depth, substance, and beauty.
Next up is a special Q&A session with renowned animator Tim Allen. Tim has worked on many films that will be familiar to us all: ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’, ‘Isle of Dogs’, ‘The Corpse Bride’, ‘Frankenweenie’, to name but a few. He has also worked on two of the films screened here today: ‘Peter and the Wolf’ and ‘My Life as a Courgette’. So come prepared with your questions!
Tim will stay after the Q&A for a very exclusive stop-motion animation workshop for children aged 9 to 12. This is a paying workshop that needs to be booked in advance.
Please email: [email protected] for tickets.
Our first family feature is the wonderfully affecting French-Swiss stop-motion masterpiece ‘My Life as a Courgette’. Described by one reviewer as a ‘little miracle of gentleness and tenderness’ the film is a moving exploration of the thoughts and feelings a young person might have when going through a difficult period.
Full of humour, the challenging issues and behaviours of each child is dealt with sensitively. The bright, colourful animation and affecting story make this a perceptive and uplifting film about friendship and child welfare. Please note that this film is PG rated for parental guidance and has some laugh out loud discussions of sex. We rate this film as engaging for children aged 10+. You can read a film review here.
With the help of our partners ‘Splattermake’ and a number of local artists all visitors can take part in making creatures using natural materials as well as ‘junk’ and bring them to life at our Animation Station.
Of course all filmmaking starts with a story. Storytelling is a great art and we are pleased to invite local storyteller Sarah Hall to the festival who will captivate the audience with a specially created tale…
Another key ingredient for a successful film is music, which is the running thread through much of our film programming this year. Even if a film is silent, it still has music to transport us and enhance the story. Not only does music play a key role in many of our films we also have a very special musical treat in store for you. Professional pianist Cyrus Gabrysch will perform a live soundtrack to a classic slapstick movie. Good old-fashioned fun for the whole family!
During the breaks more music will be provided by members of the Highfield Choirs singing songs from a wide range of memorable movies. Test your knowledge and see how many titles you can guess!
After all this excitement it is time for a more reflective film. ‘Lost and Found’ is based on the best selling book by Oliver Jeffers and is a wonderful animated tale about the meaning and value of true friendship.
And finally, rounding off our cinema-filled day we finish with an uplifting film from South Africa. ‘Felix‘ is a boy from a poor neighbourhood who wins a scholarship to a private school and tries to make his mark by playing in the school jazz concert.
This film will surely see you dancing back home, ready to take on the new school year.
So join us on Sunday the 2nd of September and enjoy a day of ‘Movies at The Mansion!’
