Introducing the selected titles of 29th Tokyo International Film Festival – Youth Section – TIFF Children

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“TIFF-Children” is a program for ages around 1 to 12. Along with the KINEKO International Children’s Film Festival, films from all over the world will be shown at Futako Tamagawa. During the period, “Live Cinema”, live dubbing of the movies will support small children who can not read subtitles.

 

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Feature Films
 
Heidi

Orphan girl Heidi happily lives with her grandfather in a remote cabin in the Swiss mountains. But one day, Heidi is taken to the city by her aunt… A heartwarming story set in beautiful Alps.

Director: Alain Gsponer
Cast: Anuk Steffen, Bruno Ganz, Isabelle Ottmann

 
Abulele

In the depths of grief following the death of his older brother, Adam meets an ancient monster called Abulele. They soon become friends but one day Special Forces comes to capture Abulele, and…
Director: Jonathan Geva

 
How to Steal a Dog

Ji-so lives with mom and a brother in a truck. So, she decides to buy a house by stealing a dog from a rich owner, and returning for a reward. Will she finally move into a house with this plan?
Director: Kim Sung-ho
Cast: KIM Hye-ja, KANG Hae-jung, LEE Re

 
The Pasta Detectives

While searching for the “lost and found macaroni”, the lowly gifted Rico meets the highly gifted Oskar, and they become friends for life. Across Berlin, they are after Mr. 2000, a notorious kidnapper.
Director: Neele Leana Vollmar
Cast: Anton Petzold, Juri Winkler, Karoline Herfurth

 
Paw

Zoli is a dog trainer. One day he finds an orphaned dog, Paw. Zoli and Paw become friends. There is no such thing as a hurdle when they are together, and they find purpose and meaning in their lives.
Director: Robert Pejo
Cast: Zsolt Trill, Tamás Keresztes, László Szacsvay

 
Short Films

 
Head Up!

A small white goat and a big brown goat. Even though they have different talents, they learn something important by helping each other.
Director: Gottfried Mentor

 
Tiger

A happy little tiger is imprinted on a food plate. But if you leave him alone and he can’t find anything to eat on his plate, he will leave it and explore the table to satisfy his appetite.
Director: Kariem Saleh

 
SPRING IN AUTUMN

In the dark cold autumn, little Janka is sick in his bed. He wishes that the sun would shine again. His big sister asks animals to wake the sun with her. Is it going to work?
Director: Tatiana Koublitskaja

 
The Things My Father Never Taught Me

Melvin, whose father never taught him how to talk to girls, starts giving his 3-year-old son dating tips. The technique Melvin teaches his son is…
Director: Burleigh Smith
Cast: Burleigh Smith, Aiden Papamihail, Bridie Carter

 
Hey Deer!

Adorable cocoa-drinking deer is eager to tidy up and shovel every day. However, one night an earthquake ruins the effort. Between two cups of cocoa the life-changing truth comes out…
Director: Örs Bárczy

 
Moom

Every forgotten object has a memory with its previous owner still attached. This is a story of Moom, one of those memories stuck in this world. One day, Moom meets another memory just like him.
Director: Robert Kondo, Daisuke ‘Dice’ Tsutsumi

 
Burnt

In the scorched desert, three burnt plant creatures meet something green. As they chase the object, strange things occur…
Director: Devin Bell
Cast: Caitline Savage, Joshua Jones, Devin Bell

 
Kiwi & Strit, The Noisy Cow

Kiwi and Strit want to sleep, but when they are interrupted by a noisy forest cow, they are kept awake. Now Kiwi and Strit have to come up with a solution.
Director: Esben Toft Jacobsen

 
The Debt

Love-struck 10-year-old Daithi falls for his beautiful classmate Jessica. He turns to his best friend Penny, a rough and tumble tomboy from a broken home, to help him win Jessica’s heart.
Director: Helen Flanagan
Cast: Lee O’Donoghue, Susie Power

 
The Cryptozoologist

Bernard, a veteran cryptozoologist, has a chance to hunt the Mosquifant. After travelling to a distant island, he is very close to capturing the strange creature. Is he going to make it?
Director: Vicente Mallols
Cast: Toby Harper, Joe Lewis

 
An Object at Rest

An Object at Rest follows the life of a stone as it travels over the course of millennia, facing nature’s greatest obstacle: human civilization. Is he ever able to find his own place and settle down?
Director: Seth Boyden
Cast (Voice): Filip Hofman, Sarah Parsons, Pola Pilnik

 
Strings

Maria’s routine at school is altered by the arrival of a very special child. Soon they become close friends. The film is full of nuances and it relates a tender story of a friendship between two very special children.
Director: Pedro Solís García
Cast: Belén Rueda, Miriam Martín

 
I’ve Just Had a Dream

8-year-old Irene dreamt of being someone different. The girl in her dream dreamt of being Irene. What should we make of these dreams?
Director: Javi Navarro
Cast: Andrea Mas, Estela del Carmen

 
The Wet Hair

Sophie wants to have curls like her friend Camille, so she steps out into the rain, even though her mother told her not to go outside.
Director: Rebecca Akoun
Cast: Eva Belcastro, Cécile Montillet, Cédric Allard

 
My Stuffed Granny

Sofía loves her grumpy Granny even though she eats most of the scarce food they can afford. Granny’s pension is what keeps Sofía and her father alive. What will happen to them once Granny is gone?
Director: Effie Pappa
Cast: Effie Pappa, Jo Ann Kaplan, Agis Pirlis

 
Two Left Feet

In the street of Rome, Mirko realizes there is a cute girl sitting nearby and watching him playing soccer with his friends. Her name is Luana. He eventually finds out her surprising truth but his honest remark makes her smile.
Director: Isabella Salvetti
Cast: Gabriele Sgrignuoli, Maria Elena Schiorlin

 
Lila

This is a story of a girl named Lila who likes drawing. When she takes pencils, every day can be a little bit more fun and miracles can happen in a café and at a park. But what is the miracle she really wants?

Director: Carlos Lascano
Cast: Alma García

 
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