Thu, Dec 3 | 12:30 PM
A Town Called Panic
(Stephane Aubier & Vincent Patar, 2009, Belgium)
Recommended for Grade 3 and up

Cowboy, Indian, and Horse all improbably live together, and that's the least of the whimsical absurdities on display in this European Claymation delight shown at the Wexner Center for the first time in Ohio. You'll have to see for yourself the surrealist circumstances that cause the unlikely roommates to meet up with a giant mechanical penguin, parachuting cows, and a secret underwater civilization populated by pointy-headed bad guys who wear diving suits and goggles and look really, really weird. This is the first film based on a popular French TV series of the same name (the series aired on Nicktoons courtesy of Aardman Animation, the creators of Wallace and Gromit) and was the first stop-motion animated feature film to be included in the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival. In French with English subtitles. (75 mins., video) Subtitles contain occasional profanity. Subtitles can be read aloud on request.

This would be a great film for French classes or French immersion programs, as well as for art and film/video classes, and any elementary school class eager to spark interest in creative storytelling and reading.


Fri, Dec 4 | 12:30 PM OR
Mon, Dec 7 | 10 AM
What's on Your Plate?
(Catherine Gund, 2009, USA)
Recommended for Grade 3 and up


"What's a Funyon!!?," a young girl asks. Follow two 11-year-old African American girls as they explore questions and topics related to food�and farming, school lunches, distribution, ingredients, diet, health, and ultimately, global politics—from a kid's-eye perspective. Inspired by an Ohio summer vacation from their home in Manhattan, the girls follow a trail of information seeking facts and exploding myths about food by interviewing a variety of people from doctors to farmers to chefs using their fresh questions and sassy sense of humor. (73 mins., video)

Appropriate for elementary, middle, and high school students, this film would be great for science, social studies, geography, economics, language arts, and health/nutrition classes or subjects treatments, as well as for students of film/video and mass communications/journalism.


Mon, Dec 7 | 12:30 PM
Tahaan
(Santosh Sivan, 2008, India)
Recommended for Grade 3 and up

One of the most remarkable and powerful films about and for children in recent years shows Tahaan and his family living in the conflict-torn Kashmir Valley of Pakistan. In his quest to get back a beloved donkey sold by his mother to repay debts, this 8-year old boy must decide whether to trust strangers, keep secrets from his mother, and, ultimately, how far he will go to be reunited with his animal friend. More than a war movie, this film is about yearning, finding life-purpose and finally understanding between right and wrong as Tahaan is recruited by militants to throw a grenade into an army compound. Ultimately a story of choosing peace, this film is fable-like and beautifully shot incorporating the scintillating colors, textures, sounds and smells typical of this ancient place that now includes border check points, the sound of sniper fire, corrupt money lenders and—disappeared—fathers. In Hindi with English subtitles. (105 mins., 35mm) Subtitles can be read aloud upon request.

This insightful and thoughtfully created film provides classes with a rare opportunity to openly discuss a challenging global topic—living with war and conflict—from a child's perspective. It could be integrated into elementary, middle, and high school curriculum, particularly in social studies (and could relate to discussions of current events, geography and international relations, political science, and sociology).


Wed, Dec, 9 |10 AM
Beauty and the Beast
(Jean Cocteau, 1946, France)
Recommended for Grade 2 and up

Pure magic! This 1946 French version of the classic story Beauty and the Beast remains landmark in fantasy filmmaking and is still regarded as the most enchanting live action fairy tale ever made. Some of the astonishing effects in the film, such as human candelabras, were incorporated into the animated Disney version, but nothing has matched the sense of wonder and imagination created by this interpretation. Jean Marais' sensitive, frightening, and tragic performance as the Beast is one of cinema's most iconic creations. In French with English subtitles. (93 mins., 35mm) Subtitles can be read aloud upon request.

This is another film with appeal to elementary, middle, and high school students. It would be great for younger students in a French immersion program or older students studying French. It could also to connect to language arts studies at many level (including reading and storytelling for younger students and world literature, theater/drama, and folklore for older students). It offers a fine introduction to fantasy and special effects for students of film/video and art.