Little Big Shots goes retro for their 10th Birthday

LBS_the animal bookFeaturing the best in local and international children’s shorts, animations, documentaries and, amazingly child-produced films, the tenth Little Big Shots Film Festival kicks off this weekend with more than 105 short films on offer, premiering movies from 27 countries including USA, UK, France, Canada, Japan, Brazil, Russia, Germany, South Africa, and of course, Australia!

Originally conceived in 2004 by film reviewer and published author, Nick Place, the festival now stands as Australia’s only major stand-alone kids’ film festival, with its focus on short films for kids plus plenty of competitions and opportunities for involvement, making it one of the year’s most exciting experiences for kids.

To celebrate the magic and the wonder of being ten, Little Big Shots have produced a special Retrospective Collection DVD featuring nine wonderful films from across the history of the festival.

Birthday Boy
Produced – 2004 / Screened – 2005
Set in Korea in 1951, a young boy named Manuk moves through the debris from the war in order to find material to make into toy soldiers.

Aston’s Stones
Produced – 2007 / Screened – 2008
Aston feels sorry for all the lonely stones so he brings home as he can. It begins to get very crowded at his house and his father suggests that the stones go on a holiday to the beach.

The Goat That Ate Time
Produced – 2007 / Screened – 2008
An adventurous young goat who eats almost anything discovers after the words of an elder that time is incredibly delicious.

Because You’re Gorgeous
Produced – 2008 / Screened – 2009
Warthog is proud of his lion-like head of hair. He struts proudly around until one lock of hair springs out of place. Warthog does all he can to regain his pristine looks but the more he tries the worse it gets.

Brunswick Browns
Produced – 2009 / Screened – 2010
Six-year-old Ollie is a typical Brunswick boy and this, his first film, is about his three pet chickens, known as The Brunswick Browns.

The Animal Book
Produced – 2006 / Screened – 2010
A story of two sisters who exist in a threatening world of giant machinery. When a snatched retreat to the sisters’ broken playground is interrupted by a flying book, one of them is offered an opportunity to escape the world for a better life.

The Vacuum Kid
Produced – 2011 / Screened – 2012
Kyle is an ordinary 5th grader with an extraordinary collection of over 160 vacuum cleaners. Being a local celebrity with a curious obsession turns out to be not so easy for this wonderfully quirky 12-year-old kid.

Abiogenesis
Produced / Screened – 2013
In this breathtaking science fiction spectacle, a strange mechanical device lands on a desolate world and proceeds to bring about a magical transformation that has profound implications for an entire galaxy.

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore
Produced – 2011 / Screened – 2013
As Morris relaxes on his balcony with a book in the French Quarter of New Orleans, a hurricane blows all the buildings away. After the storm has passed all the residents are devastated. After seeing a woman flying through the air he meets a flying book. It leads him back to a library and a lifetime of adventures begins.

Little Big Shots Film Festival screens this weekend (6 – 9 June) at ACMI – Federation Square, Melbourne. For more information or to order a copy of the 10th Anniversary DVD, visit: www.littlebigshots.com.au for details.

Image: The Animal Book