2022 San Diego International Kids Film Festival--Short Films

"ENTRE GUERRA Y GUERRA, AFUERA LA BICICLETA United States | 17min Short | Drama Director: Valeria A Avina Roque has been asked to take care of Tala's garden over the weekend, when suddenly Tala's garden is taken over by other kids who are new in the block. Roque en Los Pecosos embark a journey to get Tala's garden back before she comes back.     A LETTER TO MY DAD United States | 5min Short | Drama Director: Brock Brenner A letter to my Dad.   A STORY OF COURAGE United States | 6min Short | Drama Director: Ariana Feiner Ariana Feiner shares her story with her rare metabolic condition, Hypoparathyroidism. She spreads her message of hope through her work with her children’s book for kids with chronic health conditions, Ariana Rose: A Story of Courage. Ariana exemplifies that it is not our obstacles that define us; it's the way we face them.   ABDULLAH China | 17min Short | Drama Director: Tianhui Huang Abdullah, a 11-year-old Pakistani youth, relocates to Yiwu, China to live with his father Hussein. Hussein is too busy with his business to spend much time with his adolescent son, who misses his mother still in Pakistan and hopes to find a way to return home …   AKESI AND THE FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE Germany | 15min Short | Animation Director: Curt Fortin, Saïd Abitar Part III of "Akesi and the Congo River", "Akesi and the Fight for Independence" is the final installation of this series. Rounding off his life lessons with one of hope and strength, Akesi learns about Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the independent Democratic Republic of the Congo, and how his resilience led to the independence of his homeland in 1960.     AKESI AND THE LOSS OF THE BATEKE KINGDOM Germany | 14min Short | Drama Director: Saïd Abitar, Curt Fortin Part II of the "Akesi and the Congo River" series, Akesi and the Loss of the Bateke Kingdom explores the history of Congo and the deception that led to its occupation by French and Belgium colonizers. Akesi watches from afar as history unfolds, unable to influence change with his modern knowledge. AKESI AND THE SECRETS OF THE FOREST Germany | 14min Short | Drama Director: Saïd Abitar, Curt Fortin Part I of the trilogy "Akesi and the Congo River", "Akesi and the secrets of the forest" introduces Akesi in his hometown of Brazzaville. Trying to make sense of his brother’s death, Akesi is led to the river, where a mystical journey unfolds. Seeing how the tribes celebrate those they’ve lost allows Akesi to make peace with his grief and enter a new state of understanding the cultures that surround him.   ALICE United States | 2min Short | Animation Director: Liz Van Verth   AN ILLUSORY JOY Taiwan | 6min Short | Animation Director: Chih-Chung Wang Let’s travel back in time and watch the story about a diplomat. In the valley with beautiful butterflies fluttering around, children could capture butterflies as many as they wanted. By turning these butterflies into beautiful paintings, people made large sums of money and became materially comfortable. From a young age, the diplomat relied on capturing these butterflies to get the money she needed for studies and daily expenses.      ANGELS France | 6min Short | Drama Director: Jasmine Bissete 1968, Tehran, Iran. When French-Iranian student Niloufar, 10, learns that President Georges Pompidou will visit her school, she devises her own way to make an impression.   ATTILA Norway | 13min Short | Drama Director: Fredrik Holmen Lillegraven, Mads Eriksen A 12-year boy lives with his father who is lost in bottomless sorrow after his wife is gone. The father is a shadow wandering around the house from bed to meaningless tv and back. The boy washes clothes, makes dinner and goes to school. He misses his dad and tries to reach him.   BBEFORE IT'S TIME TO SAY GOODNIGHT - A BEDTIME LULLABY United States |4min Short | Animation Director: Diane F Baumann Pansie the piglet can't sleep because she is terrified of the outside noises. Fiore the Fairy helps her to overcome her fear and shows her that the night sounds are not so scary after all.   BING - LEAF PICTURES United Kingdom |8min Short | Animation Director: Declan Doyle Bing is a groundbreaking television series. Celebrating the noisy, joyful, messy reality of life when you’re a pre-schooler, Bing stories are small but full of drama; everyday micro-dramas that all young children and the grown-ups in their lives will recognise.      BLIND Korea | 8min Short | Drama Director: Wonjin Kim On a late-night train, a blind beggar asks for alms. The eight passengers in the carriage all avert their gaze, each preoccupied with their own concerns. But when the beggar drops behind him a crumpled fifty-dollar note, eyes start to falter. BRASIER Canada | 19min Short | Drama Director: Emilie Mannering Championed in her sporting activities by her teenage brother, Pierre-Amelia’s (11) innocent world shatters when her experience among an elite soccer team of older girls precipitates her sexual awakening and reveals an unsuspected desire for her brother. «Blaze» delicately explores the taboo of forbidden desire in an adolescent world where nascent passions are often at odds with social norms.     CAMP KOBA United States | 19min Short | Drama Director: Kasha Fauscett An unintentional killing at Camp Koba leaves Layla to live in secrecy where it eats away at her subconscious. Upon trying to take her own life for the pain she burdens, she is rescued by the greatest force.   CHLOE EXPLAINS DOWN'S SYNDROME United Kingdom | 4min Short | Animation Director: Alex Amelines A charismatic 8 year old girl helps her peers understand what Down’s syndrome is all about.     CHRISTMAS SNOW Ukraine | 19min Short | Drama Director: OLEKSANDRA TESLENKO The film "Christmas Snow" is a story about a boy Sashko who, for the first time in his life, decided to prove to himself that he deserves the best Christmas gift. The price he has to pay is the first ever good grade for his school essay. Accidentally, he gets into adventure. He has only a few hours left until the New Year to find a notebook with his homework... DISORIENTED GUIDE Mexico | 20min Short | Drama Director: Diego Mejia Lartilleux, Carolina Mejía Lartilleux To prove he is like his family of thieves, a young asthmatic man steals some valuable boxes from a mansion but when the robbery goes wrong, he has to pretend he is a touristic guide to escape.     DOG-GONE IT! United States | 11min Short | Drama Director: Hunter James Cox This whimsical fun loving story centers on a young man and his abnormal human-like dog. One day the inseparable duo are split apart by a sneaky black cat sending the man on a journey to retrieve his best friend. Will they reunite or be lost fur-ever?   DRUMTALK Australia | 4min Short | Drama Director: Magic Steven      DUET United States | 21min Short | Drama Director: Mika Orr Duet is the story of one fateful day in the lives of 8-year-old girls May and Shadmit, who dislike each other but learn that their lives have become oddly intertwined forever.Duet is a multidisciplinary project, uniquely integrating film and music. The story raises questions about loneliness, regret, subject memory and fate that ties two children together for a lifetime.    EARTH'S EKKO United States | 20min Short | Animation Director: Joseph Silva The film is a tool for educators and parents, and features Ekko, an ocean-dwelling animated creature. Having lived there for millions of years, Ekko’s ocean home has become more-and-more disturbed by the harmful environmental effects of plastic created by humans. To learn about plastic, how to solve the plastic-pollution problem and protect Earth, Ekko embarks on a hopeful, educational adventure with three young human friends.      EXCHANGE DIARY Korea | 25min Short | Drama Director: Hee-jin KIM Do-won and Ye-rim, who are 'best friends', are writing an exchange diary.   FALLING DAY Korea | 8min Short | Animation Director: Chih-Chung Wang The story tells the tale of an old farmer who loves his land. He lives along with the rhythm of nature, listening to the rooster crowing, starting to work as the sun rises, and finishing working as the sun sets. Even when he moves to Guandu from Hualian by foot, he walks barefoot while carrying a pair of chickens with him. The sound of “rooster crowing” is a form of trust in the reliance on nature and the universe.   GARDEN SPELLS United States | 9min Short | Drama Director: Jordan Wilson When Claire’s grandma passes away, she leaves behind a spell book that promises magical help should Claire ever need it. Years later, Claire meets Colton in the bookstore where she works and instantly falls for him…but can’t quite seem to tell if he reciprocates the feeling. She calls upon the book and her grandma’s spirit to open his heart towards her.   GENERATION IMPACT: THE SCIENTIST United States | 8min Short | Drama Director: Stephanie Wang-Breal The Scientist, is about Emily Tianshi, a young woman striving to raise awareness and create solutions for the global water crisis. At age 13, Emily transformed her garage into a science lab to research San Diego’s unique Torrey Pine tree and uncover how the tree is able to produce its own source of moisture from the atmosphere, enabling its survival through years of severe drought in California.     GIFT OF LIFE United States | 2min Short | Drama Director: Neela Gerayli A single mother must make the decision to remove her daughter from life support.   GREAT GRANDFATHER’S WISHES Taiwan | 6min Short | Animation Director: Chih-Chung Wang Putting on the “story-telling glasses” to see the past of the family involves imagination in “travelling through time.” The great-granddaughter puts on the story-telling glasses with her father; together, they travel back to the father’s childhood and see how he fulfilled Great-grandpa’s wishes.     HELLO TO ME IN 100 YEARS Taiwan | 10min Short | Animation DirectorPaul Wu-Ching Chang What was Taiwan like 100 years ago? What will it be like 100 years from now? Maybe there will be flying cars, and many things can be done by machines. Maybe we will live under the sea or on Mars. Will advanced technology make us happier? What would I say to me in 100 years? HOW WE HEAL United States | 26min Short | Drama Director: Rodney Whittenberg Writers: Healthy NewsWorks Student Journalists Healthy NewsWorks elementary and middle school journalists interviewed therapists, a pediatrician, a medical historian, a dancer, and even an NFL player who discussed what healing is and ways one can heal when facing challenging times.     I KAZOO United States | 2min Short | Drama DirectorPaul Bariteau, Lani Bariteau The Kazoo Kids meet The Grand Kazoo at their lemonade stand and proceed to travel to Carnegie Hall, Yellowstone and KazooStock.   IFE AND RIFF RAFF United States | 7min Short | Drama DirectorPaul IFE OYEDOKUN Ife and Riff Raff is a humorous, action packed, animated short film filled with danger, laughs and intrigue. Ife (Ife Oyedokun) is a young African American boy from Nigeria adjusting to his new way of life in a new neighborhood. Ife and Riff Raff must defend the world from the diabolical Wizkid and his Evil Cat Drones, all while keeping his true identity as a young superhero hidden from his parents.     IN SEARCH OF CHOK CHOK Korea | 20min Short | Drama Director: Dayoon Kim Yeonwoo had a hard time to make friends after changing new school. On a rainy day, she found a snail on her way home. Since then she thinks the snail is her only friend and named it Chok Chok. One day Yeon-woo's only friend, the snail, disappeared. While searching for it, she meets Dajeong. INVISIBLE EYES Korea| 8min Short | Drama Director: JUNG Seung-hee Three children chasing after squirrels encounter invisible eyes in the deep forest and suffer from a strange sense of guilt.   LIKE THE ONES I USED TO KNOW Canada| 18min Short | Drama Director: Annie St-Pierre December 24, 1983, 10:50 p.m.; Julie and her cousins ate too much sugar, Santa Claus is late and Denis, alone in his car, is anxious at the idea of setting foot in his ex-in-law's house to pick up his children. The film is an early coming-of-age that is as squeaky as it is poetic.    LOST & FOUND Greece| 9min Short | Animation Director: Vivian Papageorgiou A naughty suitcase in an airport that wants to be free.     MADE IN SA: NEW MUSIC, NEW MUSICIANS United States | 22min Short | Drama Director: Brian Allen When a group of San Antonio-based composers writes piano works for local students and their teachers, a civic community comes together around new music. MAGIC SAPLING United States | 7min Short | Animation Director: James Camali A giant tree sustains all of the people in New York City. A young girl and her friend care for the tree. When her friend leaves for selfish reasons, all responsibility falls on Lucinda. She decides to continue the work on her own. Just as things get really tough, unexpected friends appear to show Lucinda the value of the community that she helps to sustain.     MEMORIES OF A FORGOTTEN CHILDHOOD Germany| 30min Short | Drama Director: Lars Smekal While father Rudi desperately tries to regain the lost family happiness at the slot machine, Niklas is often alone with his alcoholic mother Anna. When intoxicated, she is unpredictable: sometimes she treats him lovingly and tenderly, sometimes she terrorizes him with fits of raving madness. Niklas is torn between his sense of duty to help his parents and his desire to escape his parental home.   MOVIE NIGHT United States | 5min Short | Drama Director: Jude Harley, Sylvie Markel, Kimberly McVicar, Sofia Novotny, Phoebe D. Solomon   MY DAD'S AN ALIEN! Finland| 15min Short | Drama Director: Elin Grönblom A 9-year old girl gets a visit from her dad from out of space, but he is followed by an Alien hunter and the only way for the girl to save him, is if her mom starts to believe her MY FRIEND, GHOST United States | 2min Short | Animation Director: Will Kim "My Friend Ghost" is about friendship of a lizard and a ghost. Lizard takes on a journey to find his spooky friend, ghost after the ghost gets hit by a lightening and mysteriously disappears.     MY LITTLE AUNT Korea | 28min Short | Drama Director: Sunyou Ahn Ji Ran is a black sheep in the family. But Soyoung, 12 years old, considers Ji Ran the coolest in the world. This is a thrilling story of her “breast growth.” In the era of COVID-19, the family has a hard time. Even though the family is busy with their own concerns, Soyoung's heart grows in a dream.   NEST United States | 2min Short | Animation Director: Todd Lien When Sam, an orphan that steals for a living, introduces the newly lost boy, Jacob, into his chosen family of orphans, he doesn't realize the risk and danger this decision will bring upon his family.      ON MY WAY Canada | 9min Short | Animation Director: Paule Beaudoin Winter storm's night. In his last breaths of life, Jules (35) imagines himself at home, taking one last look at his family. As he gaze around, he notices his wife Emilie (32) peacefully asleep in their bed, bundled up in their blankets. Meanwhile, in the living room, his daughter Sara (9) is immersed in reading a comic book. Jules feels that he doesn't have much time left. He knows this moment with Sara will be his last, and it will be short. Too short. But all he wants, is to take his time.   PEPUKA Y EL MONSTRUO QUE SE LLEVÓ SU SONRISA Spain| 14min Short | Animation Director: Estela Moreno Bermúdez, Jose Lagares Diaz, Isabel Vilallonga Shelly, Auxi Marciano Almansa Pepuka is a doll that lived in a small town. One day, she traveled to a neighboring town and met a monster she fell in love with. Together with him, he will live the most difficult experience of his life, the loss of his smile. With his maskotas he will go on a long journey to find his smile.      RAINBOW United States | 8min Short | Drama Director: Hui Tan This is a fabulous film that confronts the cultural backdrop of the Chinese taboo that forbids dialogue about poverty or financial want, in this tale of love, learning, enlightenment, creativity and growth, two children discover a way to give a Mother's Day gift beyond the value of money.   RAJASAUR United States | 16min Short | Drama Director: Sreejith Nair A father and daughter living in prehistoric times must embark on a dangerous mission to return the lost egg of a Rajasaur, India's most dangerous dinosaur.   RISE OF THE SUPERKID United States | 8min Short | Drama Director: Dana Walker Ava, an eight-year old superhero, elicits help from her trusty four-legged sidekick on the quest to find her superpower. ROCKS 4 SALE! United States | 16min Short | Drama Director: David Dibble Kids in the former mining town of Silverton, Colorado, greet tourists with a time-honored rite of passage.   SEE YOU GARBAGE! Canada | 17min Short | Drama Director: Romain Dumont For Christmas, three garbage collectors, Élie, Nino and Belz, are surprised to be received for dinner at the house of the Prime Minister and the First Lady. They go there, enthusiastic and candid, without suspecting that on the menu, they have a painful series of disappointments and manipulations in store for them. See You Garbage! is a dramatic comedy that resembles a revolutionary tale, which attempts to explore the encounter between the well-coated contempt of the political class and a sudden awareness of its people. SPACE RACE United States | 6min Short | Drama Director: Shane Dioneda Two competing Astronauts race to claim the moon for themselves.     STAR ORPHANAGE Mexico | 5min Short | Animation Director: Boli Nolasco Reporters and cameramen arrive at the doors of the Galileo Galilei Orphanage to film the extraordinary children that the old and tired Apolo Sandoval has been in charge of for decades. SUMMER HOMEWORK Korea | 22min Short | Drama Director: Jae-wook Jung Leesun is filming a V-log for her summer vacation homework. Sooin is at the verge of divorce with Jaehyun. Jaehyun calls Sooin to invite her to a funeral for Leesun’s great aunt. Sooin and Leesun heads to Jaehyun’s hometown with different agendas; Leesun in effort to film a V-log as a whole family, while Sooin in effort to finalize the divorce.      THE ART OF CATASTROPHE United States | 29min Short | Drama Director: Jeffrey Delano Davis Meet Jeff, Maria, Vera, and Josie Davis. They're your regular American family going through a once in a 100-year pandemic. Watch as they dance, sing, paint, and vacation in their driveway, all to fight back the one thing more dangerous than the virus; despair. Culled from nearly 60 hours of footage shot at the height of the pandemic in New Jersey, "The Art of Catastrophe" is an unprecedented and unflinching look at one family's struggle for meaning amidst chaos.   THE BLUE BALLOON United States | 15min Short | Drama Director: Katherine Griffin A curious blue balloon leads a girl on an adventure through the streets of Paris, but she quickly discovers all is not what it appears to be. When she crosses paths with a little boy and his red balloon, it becomes clear there's a greater magical force at work.     THE COVE Canada | 15min Short | Drama Director: Caroline Mailloux At age 11, Claudia experiences life-changing events during a day filled with the joy of being at the beach. THE DOG WHO LOST HIS BARK United States | 21min Short | Drama Director: Viko Nikci It tells the story of ten year Roisin, a musical kid who rescues a dog called Oz. After they both struggle to connect with each other, Roisin discovers that Oz may have been a trick to distract her from the turbulence of a devastating change in her family’s situation.)   THE DOUBLE LIFE OF HUGH United States | 9min Short | Drama Director: Ben Tobin Hugh (Nate Ruth) and his father Hugo (Colin Allen) have very different ideas about what it means to be a mime.    THE DUKHA United States | 8min Short | Animation Director: Carmen Morrow, Zach Wolf In the remote taiga of northern Mongolia live the Dukha, one of the last groups of nomadic reindeer herders in the world. Tuvshuu is five years old. He and his sisters help with their family's herd at the summer camp, where there are cool winds and plenty of grass. Their way of life and knowledge of reindeer has been passed down for millennia. With less than 40 Dukha families left in the world, Tuvshuu will have some big decisions ahead.      THE OCEAN DUCK United States | 7min Short | Animation Director: Huda Razzak A woman visits her ailing grandmother in a hospital during a flood, bringing back fond memories of the past – spilling over into fantastical visions in the present – as an ancient tale comes to life.    THE PARK BENCH United States | 4min Short | Drama Director: Rob Edwards In a series of fractured images, we meet a young girl named Bella, who is scared and confused as she watches her mother care for her father in pain. Bella is quickly shooed away and finds herself alone on a park bench on a gorgeous day, where she meets a duck with a broken wing. She leaps at the chance to bring the duck home and distract herself from her worries. Over time, the duck fills the void in Bella and her mother’s lives with laughter and joy.     THE RASHOMON EFFECT United States | 5min Short | Drama Director: Jeremiah Dickey Named after Akira Kurosawa’s 1950 film based on the writings of Ryunosuke Akutagawa, the Rashomon Effect is an enduring cultural metaphor that has transformed our understanding of truth, justice, and human memory.   THE TINY TREE United States | 35min Short | Drama Director: Annie Cusick Wood Travel to a distant galaxy aboard Roger Rocketship with intrepid space explorers, Matt and his Dad. When their spaceship malfunctions and Dad comes close to floating off, they land on the nearest planet to safely assess the problem. Here on this seemingly lifeless planet, Matt stumbles upon a magical blue seed, and wants to keep it. But this planet and its inhabitants have other ideas - they need the blue seed to heal the planet, as it’s their last chance for survival.      THE TRUTH ABOUT KINDERGARTEN United States | 7min Short | Drama Director: Bissa Burr You think kindergarten is all sunshine and rainbows? Think again. This is the story of Big Buddy Alice assigned to 'help' middle-class Marley integrate into a super affluent Marin County private school. These kids? They take the kind out of kindergarten.   TRISKELION Belgium | 10min Short | Drama Director: Jessica Raes A Celtic fairy tale in stop-motion animation filled with adventure and magic. A story about tribal war and finding peace: An arrow from a rival tribe pierces the chieftain’s heart. With his dying breath, he gives his daughter the quest to end this senseless feud.     TWITCH United States | 9min Short | Drama Director: Sarah Horn What changed? She did! A sweet kid with a bully problem unexpectedly crosses paths with a self-proclaimed "spirit guide," who helps her find deeply hidden bravery and strength.   VACCINE OF BRAVERY. ZABEZOO. EARS N' TAIL United States | 6min Short | Animation Director: Zakhar Marmosetty The kindergarten will be vaccinated today. Zabezoo and her friends are very scared. What if it hurts? What if the vaccinations were invented by evil aliens? To allay their fears, the kids will have to go to the hospital.     W.U.B.L.O (WEIRD UNIDENTIFIED BABY-LIKE ORGANISM) United States | 10min Short | Drama Director: Matt Pierce Catch that WUBLO! It’s a race against time as seven kids scramble for custody of a mysterious alien creature.   WAKE UP THE CITY Taiwan | 8min Short | Animation Director: Chih-Chung Wang The story tells the tale of an old farmer who loves his land. He lives along with the rhythm of nature, listening to the rooster crowing, starting to work as the sun rises, and finishing working as the sun sets. Even when he moves to Guandu from Hualian by foot, he walks barefoot while carrying a pair of chickens with him. The sound of “rooster crowing” is a form of trust in the reliance on nature and the universe.     WHO FEELS ALONE IN THE WORLD? United States | 6min Short | Animation Director: Zakhar Marmosetty The kindergarten will be vaccinated today. Zabezoo and her friends are very scared. What if it hurts? What if the vaccinations were invented by evil aliens? To allay their fears, the kids will have to go to the hospital.   WHO IS IT: WHO IS SINGING? Taiwan | 4min Short | Animation Director: Hsing-Fang Lin One day, the lion and his wife are playing musical instruments together. Unexpectedly, someone begins to sing along with the melody. The lion and his wife are very excited, so the two embark on a journey with their musical instruments to find the beautiful voice..)     WHO IS JERRY ADAMS? Switzerland | 19min Short | Drama Director: Michael Degani Julien, a Swiss boy on his last day on vacation in LA, breaks away from his family to find the star of Michael Jackson. On the way he encounters a "fake" Spiderman, who tries to steal his camera, and a once upon a time Western movie star who saves the day.   WING CHUN "THE NEXT GENERATION" United States | 18min Short | Drama Director: Malcom Jennings Anthony Caucci was framed by the government and was then forced to work for them as an assassin. Although killing people involved in human trafficking is something he enjoys, he would rather spend time with his wife and raise his daughter.     WISHES IN THE WIND Canada | 5min Short | Drama Director: Fixt Point Conceived by Artistic Director Lisa Marie DiLiberto, Wishes in the Wind is a soulful parade that captures the struggles and resilience of children. As they criss cross each other along a path carrying rocks with words of worry and flags with declarations of hope, we glimpse into the hearts of young people navigating through this challenging moment together.