SAT 6 Sep • London International Animation Festival

Kids' programme (U) 1.30

A very special programme of films selected to spark the imaginations of our most special audience. Tons better than Saturday morning TV and with no ads and including the British premiere of a brand new Goofy short film from Disney – the first Goofy short in 50 years!

All ages welcome.

Goofy 'How to Hook up a Home Video' (US 2007) dirs. Stevie Wermers & Kevin Deters 7m. A very hilarious new Goofy short from Walt Disney Animation Studios. Disney launches a new shorts programme with a timely Goofy misadventure, reinvigorating the Disney legacy by wonderfully capturing the spirit of the 'How To' Goofy shorts of the 40s and 50s. Hand drawn and with a contemporary spin, we see Goofy experiencing the woes of modern technology as he struggles to install and operate his newly purchased home cinema system so he can slump into his armchair and indulge in watching his football team live on the big screen, but all does not quite go to plan...

ello! (Korea 2006) dir. Min-Ji Kang 3m. Groups of children take turns creating a series drawings based solely on their ideas and feelings about the drawing that was given to them. The end result has no story but is a wonderful parade through the creative imaginations of a lot of kids.

Cyber (Germany 2007) Stefan Eling 5m. A mega-good time ride on the ultimate magic armchair.

Animatou (Switzerland 2007) 6m. A whole bunch of really cool ways to animate a cat and mouse chase.

The Witches Button (Latvia 2007) dir. Nils Skapans 8m. A jolly, carefree, slightly absent-minded witch loses her magic button. What would the world have looked like if the witch hadn't found it again?

The Tiny Fish (Russia 2006) dir. Gregory Malishev 10m. A little girl and her cat brave the winter to go ice fishing and as a reward get to save the life of a very special fish.

Wave Of Care (Czech Republic 2007) dir. Alexandra Hetmerova 3m. Even sheep deserve to look their very best.

The Tale Of Sir Richard (UK 2007) dir. Peter Dodd 4m. Sir Richard, the brave but ill-fated knight wants more than anything in the world to slay a dragon, if only it weren't for a problem with his silly sword...

Max's Words (US 2007 dirs. Galen Fott & Jerry Hunt 10m. When his brothers won't share their collections of stamps and coins, Max starts a collection of his own – a collection of words. One word leads to another, and suddenly Max discovers he has a story worth telling, and sharing!

Orsino Loco (France 2007) dirs. Anais Mallegol, Fabien Fallet & Frederic Tatabout 6m. A special place where just about anything is possible and just about anything can happen.

Maggie and Mildred (US 2008) dir. Holly Klein 3m. A gorgeously embroidered film about Maggie and Mildred – best friends forever!

Wolf Daddy (Korea 2005) dir. Hyung-Yun Chang 10m. An unlikely meeting between a wolf who is a novelist and a six year-old girl who meet in the countryside one rainy day.

A Sunny Day (Germany 2007) dir. Gil Alkabetz 7m. The sun rises as it does every morning, but today it discovers that it is not as welcomed as it had hoped it would be.

These films are all screening as part of the London International Animation Festival (LIAF 2008), a week long celebration of animated film. For more information and to view the whole festival programme, please look at the festival website at www.liaf.org.uk

Programme running time: 82 mins (approx.)

£5/£4 Children

SAT 13 Sep • Hackney & Islington Amnesty Group presents

PERSEPOLIS (12A) 1.15

(France/US 2007) dirs. Vincent Paronnaud & Marjane Satrapi 96m. Digital.
Voices of Chiara Mastroianni, Sean Penn, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands, Iggy Pop.

Artist and novelist Marjane Satrapi's autobiographical tale of a young girl's coming-of-age in Iran during the Islamic revolution is a brilliantly imaginative, visually extraordinary piece of animation. Based on Satrapi's acclaimed graphic novels, it records a journey from childhood innocence to teenage life abroad and a return home to a world that that has been transformed. PERSEPOLIS is an enthralling tale of a spirited young woman who has to deal with the consequences of her nation's history. It is certainly a moving story, but often one told with humour, and it offers a unique window on a turning-point of world history.

+ speakers

£7/£5 Concs & Under 15’s

Love Letters and Live Wires (U) 2.00
(Highlights from the GPO Film Unit)

(UK 1936–1939) 80m. Digital.

In 1933, the General Post Office made history by founding its own film production unit. The GPO Film Unit would become internationally renowned as a centre for creative, exciting public information films, leaving us perhaps the most evocative record of the 1930s zeitgeist on celluloid. This selection of some of its greatest short films, newly restored by the BFI National Archive, showcases the Unit’s sheer range: from quintessential documentary (Night Mail) to avant-garde animation (Trade Tattoo) and even musical comedy (The Fairy of the Phone). Made by such varied talents as Grierson, Cavalcanti, Len Lye and Norman McLaren, the films bring alive a revolution in mass communications as epoch-changing then as the internet is now. While dispensing clear and entertaining instructions on the use of such new-fangled devices as the post code, the telephone or the air mail service, they brilliantly promote the GPO’s contribution to workplace efficiency, world trade and smoothing the path of true love.

Films featured:
N OR NW (1938) dir. Len Lye
LOVE ON THE WING (1939) dir. Norman McLaren
THE FAIRY OF THE PHONE (1936) dir. William Coldstream
THE HORSEY MAIL (1938) dir. Pat Jackson
TRADE TATTOO (1937) dir. Len Lye
A MIDSUMMER DAY'S WORK (1939) dir. unknown
THE TOCHER (1938) dir. Lotte Reiniger
NIGHT MAIL (1936) dir. Harry Watt

This special touring programme marks the 75th anniversary this year of both the BFI and the GPO Film Unit.
Presented by the BFI in partnership with Royal Mail, The British Postal Museum & Archive and BT Heritage.

£6/£5 Concs & Under 15’s

TOCAR Y LUCHAR (To Play and To Struggle) (12A) 1.30

The captivating story of the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra's 'Sistema' - an incredible network of hundreds of orchestras formed within most of Venezuela's towns and villages. Once a modest program designed to expose rural children to the wonders of music, the 'Sistema' has become one of the most important and beautiful social phenomena in modern history. The documentary portrays the inspirational stories of world class musicians trained by the Venezuelan 'Sistema', including the Berlin Philharmonic's youngest player Edicson Ruiz and world renowned conductor Gustavo Dudamel. With interviews with many of the world's most celebrated musicians including Claudio Abbado, Simon Rattle, Plácido Domingo, Giuseppe Sinopoli and Eduardo Mata, this documentary is an inspirational story of courage, determination, ambition, and love demonstrating that "only those who dream can achieve the impossible".

To be introduced by Néstor López, First Secretary of the Venezuelan Embassy.

£6/£5 Concs & Under 15’s

SUN 28 Sep • Matinee

HISTOIRE(S) DU CINEMA (18) 1.00

(Fr 1997-98) dir. Jean-Luc Godard 265m. Subtitles. Digital

Jean-Luc Godard transformed the face of cinema with his prolific, influential and revolutionary body of work which includes such classics as BREATHLESS, WEEKEND and SLOW MOTION to name but a few. His video series HISTOIRE(S) DU CINEMA, consisting of eight episodes made over a period of ten years, is an extraordinary look at the medium through the eyes of this unique filmmaker. Hugely ambitious in scope, the series covers a wide range of topics from the birth of cinema to Italian neo-realism to Hollywood and beyond. A dazzling montage of sight and sound, HISTOIRE(S) DU CINEMA features a diverse array of film extracts, the voices of – among others – Juliette Binoche and Alfred Hitchcock, and an eclectic music soundtrack ranging from Beethoven to Leonard Cohen.

To be introduced by Chris Petit

Screening courtesy of Artificial Eye and Gaumont

£10/£8 Concs