CHIFF, which stands for Children’s International Film Festival, is on at the Ritz Cinema in Sydney from 24 May to 2 June, and at the Classic Cinemas, Lido Cinemas and Cameo Cinemas in Melbourne from 24 May to 10 June.
Among the films screening at the festival, there are 6 with a French link.
Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion
Difficult to think of a more well-known series for French films that the series of Asterix and Obelix. At the CHIFF, the most recent film, Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion will be screened.
Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the comic book, we see Asterix, Obelix and all of our favourites head off in search of a talented druid to whom they can entrust a secret recipe. But after a fall while picking mistletoe, Getafix, the venerable druid, realises that his reflexes are not what they used to be and he sets off in search of a successor.
With his compatriots Astérix and Obélix by his sides, he will embark on a quest across Gaul to find a druid worthy of knowing the recipe of this magic potion.
Expect to laugh a lot and non-stop action in this timeless story which will amuse both children and the young at heart!
Captain Morten and the Spider Queen
Morten is 10 years old and spends his days building a toy boat and trying to avoid the ire of his little available guardian. The guardian is a former ballerina called Anna, who is charged with looking after him while his father is at sea. Morten hopes to be a captain like his father.
After an unexpected meeting with Señor Cucaracha, an inept magician, Morten finds himself shrunk to insect size and stuck on board his toy boat while the room around him floods.
With a spider Queen and a scorpion pirate already on board, being captain is going to be harder than Morten imagined!
Friendship is the wildest adventure
When Mia is 10 her life is turned upside down when her famliy decides to leave their London house to go and manage a lion farm in South Africa.
When Charlie, a beautiful little white lion is born, Mia becomes very close to it. Three years later, Mia’s life is again turned upside down when she discovers her father’s disturbing secret.
Distraught at the thought that Charlie could be harmed, Mia decides to run away. The two part on an adventure across the African Savanna to find a place where Charlie can live his life in safety and freedom.
Miniscule: Mandibles from far away
This is a film without dialogue which was made in France.
The rhyme « Ladybug, ladybug, fly away home…» doesn’t take into account how hard it is when you are only half a centimetre long and you’re 6,000 kilometres away from home!
This little ladybug finds itself on a Caribbean island when it is accidentally shipped there in a box of chestnuts. It’s parents embark on an odyssey to find it in a race against time while developpers threaten native habitats on the island.
With the help of a friend sailing to its aid, this troupe of little coloured heros hatch a detailed plan to save a special part of the rainforest.
A crazy adventure starts – seen through insect eyes and made even more impressive by the live action hybrid animation filmed in luxurious Guadeloupe.
The philosophy of the boys at the Caldermount boarding school is “survival of the fittest”. If you’re not a champion on the sportsfield, you’re worthless and a nobody.
No one knows that better than Amberson, bookworm, who has been at the bottom of the social ladder for longer than he remembers.
But even if Amberson is awkward at sports, his imagination comes to the fore when he helps the handsome school hero chase Agnès, the daughter of the visiting French teacher, even though he is quite taken by her himself. Will Amberson have the courage to reveal who he is?
A fresh and vibrant comedy, Old Boys is a modern take on Cyrano de Bergerac’s classic story.
Big people were once small… but few remember it.
Based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s story, this musical and magical fable starts with a pilot (Richard Kiley) forced to make a landing in the arid Sahara Desert. There he becomes friends with a wandering child who comes from faraway.
Together, the two share amusing, charming and touching encounters. Have you ever gained wisdom from a fox (played by Gene Wilder all in orange)? Or taken care of a rose more special than all the other roses? Or visited a faraway King? Witnesses a snake’s wily dance (Bob Fosse)?
Directed by Stanley Donen (Singin’ in the Rain), this spectacular technicolour musical is a joy for young and old alike.
CHIFF 2019 screening dates and places:
SYDNEY
24 May – 2 June
Ritz Cinema Randwick
MELBOURNE
24 May– 10 June
Classic Cinemas, Elsternwick
June Lido Cinemas, Hawthorn
Cameo Cinemas, Belgrave
How much do tickets cost?
Single tickets cost $12.50.
There is also a family ticket (2 adults and 2 children or 1 adult and 3 children) for $40.
If you have a group of 10 or more, you can purchase tickets for $10 each – you just need to purchase them at the cinema box office or by email to [email protected] .
You can purchase tickets via the website www.chiff.com.au or by phone on (03) 95247955, (note tickets booked this way attract a $1.50 booking fee).
More information:
Website: www.chiff.com.au
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CHIFFAustralia
Instagram: www.instagram.com/chiffaustralia
What’s your favourite childhood film?
