Little Big Shots children's jury competition

Thanks to everyone who entered the 2009 Little Big Shots film reviewing competition. We loved reading through your reviews and hearing your thoughts on the wide range of films that screened at ACMI Cinemas and ArtPlay back in June. But there could only be ten lucky winners, who each win a spot on the 2010 Little Big Shots children's jury and a season pass to the festival next year. With so many top quality entries, boy, was it a tough decision! But we're thrilled to announce that the winners are:

Louis Gordon, aged 8
Cian Raab, aged 7
Nicholas Love, aged 11
Bridie Li, aged 11
Genevieve Cox, grade 6
Charlotte Price, grade 6
Caylie McDonald, aged 11
Bridget Ball, aged 12
Beatrice Goad, aged 12
Taylor Scanlan, aged 12

And here are their winning reviews:

Review of “A Place Called Mimili” by Louis Gordon (age 8)

Some films make you laugh, some films make you cry, but this one makes you think. The films “A Place Called Mimili” is about the students from the Anangu School in Mimili, which is in a very remote part of South Australia.

The students are to a sports and dance competition with other schools form their “country”. The school has their own choreographer who helps them tell a story with their dance. There were many positive things in this film, here are just a few.

The film felt very peaceful and I learnt things I may not have learned at school. The town of Mimili is not rich but they use everything they’ve got and even at the tiniest of celebrations the whole town comes along. Their culture is amazing with lots of rituals, dances and of course their unique art. The children don’t need expensive electronic games – they can make something simply from some sticks and leaves.

I would have maybe liked to have learnt a bit more about their actual history and to hear some stories from their elderly. But whether you are a preppy or a grad six you can watch this movie and walk out a better person.

Review of “The Morse Collectors” by Charlotte Price (grade 6)

If your tap wouldn’t stop dripping and your clock wouldn’t stop ticking at the same time, would you suspect that someone was sending you Morse code messages? That’s exactly what one young boy from Northern Ireland thinks.

“The Morse Collectors” is about two kids discovering a code with the water from the tap. This is a live-action film set in Northern Ireland and directed by David Cooke.

David, the main character, first realises that there are messages being sent to his house through the tap and the clock by his mysterious, unusual friend Jacob. David and his sister Judy are told to burn the messages by Jacob and let no one see them.

I love the way that this film is about a mystery and not knowing what to do, and the way the characters are very mature about the situation they are in. I was very interested while I was watching the film and especially when David realised that the pattern with the tap involved people crying for help.

This was my favourite aspect of the film: when I found out what the code meant. The film makes you think about all the messages and how hard it would be if you were in that situation.

Review of “New Orleans” by Genevieve Cox (grade 6)

“New Orleans” is a superb and inspiring documentary about the City of Hope. Molly Nemer, who is only 12 years old, is the director, narrator and interviewer, and did a fabulous job of making a documentary that is interesting and enjoyable.

Molly takes us on a journey through New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina hit. She shows us all the volunteers, whose ages range from 5 years old to 50 years old. Molly mainly interviews children and teenagers who volunteered to help in the clean up, but also talks to some of the victims to get their perspectives of the tragedy.

New Orleans goes for roughly 5 minutes, and after watching the film at Little Big Shots, I felt inspired by the City of Hope!

8/10

Review of “John and Karen” by Nicholas Love (age 11)

During the Little Big Shots film festival, we saw an awkward episode about something everyone can relate to - John said something insulting Karen's unique "penguiny" abilities ... and she was mad at him. John knew he had done the wrong thing. Over tea and gingernut biscuits, John had the difficult task of apologising.

My favourite character was John because he did everything wrong - like the biscuit crumbs that kept falling out of his mouth - and he had a knack for saying the wrong things at the wrong time. They were a fantastic pair of characters because they were so different. John is a big fluff ball and Karen was so tiny and agile. On top of that they come from different poles, too!

It is quite entertaining to have them sitting in a lounge room, sipping their tea. The subtleness of the moment is helped by the British accents of the voice actors. The animation directed by Mathew Walker, keeps up the idea of contrast -the big polar bear has little ears and little paws and holds his little gingernut biscuit.

The situation is so simple and yet they continue to make it more complicated than it should be. I like how in the end it was a happy ending. Exquisite!

Review of "Love Child" by Bridie Li (age 11)

“Love Child” is a must-see film. It is original, hilarious and endearing. The film follows the life of a spoilt, only child who had everything she could ever wish for. However, her situation changes when her family adopts a pet cat and the balance of her family is interrupted.

I enjoyed the film for a number of different reasons. First of all, I liked the storyline because it was easy to relate to, also having a twist ending which is hard to predict. The use of very little dialogue created a powerful atmosphere and cleverly allowed the viewer to use their imagination to make up their own mind about the plot. This keeps the viewers’ attention on the movie the whole way through.

The film also explores the want of possessions and how it is not possessions that make you happy. In the movie the girl has everything she could ever want and is really happy when her family adopts a pet cat. However, she is soon forgotten by her parents and longs for their attention. Through this, the film explores the consequences of being selfish.

The director of the film, Daniel Wirtberg, has directed many films in which he has won prestigious awards. He is an amazing director. In fact, he is not only a director, he is also a talented writer and producer. Wirtberg directs the film in such a way that the viewer is able to see the little girl’s point of view and feel sorry for her.

The combination of a great storyline, good directing and the use of no dialogue allowed this six minute short film to be extremely enjoyable. Not only did the film have hilarity in it, it also explores love, selfishness and has many pleasant surprises. Altogether I would rate the film 4 stars out of 5.

Review of “Funglasses” by Caylie McDonald (age 11)

I think I need my own pair of Funglasses!

With no prior knowledge, surprisingly, “Funglasses” is a fun, entertaining children’s short film directed, produced and written by Matthias Daenschel. This is the third short film he has produced since 1999’s, “Kunstflug”, and “Tauro” in 2002. “Funglasses” is definitely a must-see.

Greg one day complains to his optometrist about being stuck in a world of black and white. His optometrist finally decides on the option of Funglasses. When trying them on, Greg puts himself in danger and sets out on a wild adventure. From shriveling apples to going down into the depths of the ocean, “Funglasses” is a film you’ll want to watch over and over again!

The film is in English but in a strong German accent. It doesn’t make the film any less interesting though.

The spectacular special effects are what won the film over as my favourite for the festival. The details when under the sea were phenomenal but not as good as when Greg put his hand out and the apples shriveled; that was amazing!

Overall, I absolutely loved the film and admired the special effects. I think it’s about time I got a pair of Funglasses!

Review of “Pinnaroo Surfer” by Bridget Ball (age 12)

Surfing South Australia!

Directed by 17 year old Kade Richardson, “Pinnaroo Surfer” is a great, funny mockumentary about a 17 year old boy who loves surfing. But living in a dusty little town like Pinnaroo might make it a bit tricky. Kade, however, has got another technique that he is willing to test!

As well as being the director, Kade Richardson is also the starring actor and writer of this funny film. Danah Ribbons is a friend of Kade’s who filmed the movie.

The movie was quite funny and tricked most of us watching it as it seems that he is talking about actual surfing but really he is not. Kade’s alternative surfing is quite clever really, and when you see him surfing in his own way it looks hilarious!

The movie has a great feel as you see the surroundings of a kind, country town with laidback country kids and the great friendship that they seem to have. This is one of Kade’s first major short films and since he has made a series of “Pinnaroo Surfer” showing on ABC2! Overall, I think this is a wonderful movie with a great feel and a humorous and clever story!

Review of “The Legend of the Scarecrow” by Beatrice Goad (age 12)

Marco Besas, the director and writer, and Carlos Lscano, the animator, have worked well together to produce an emotional, sad and effective short film made in Spain, about a lonely scarecrow wanting to change his life.

Carlos has drawn the scarecrow simply but cleverly, with a pumpkin head and a scarf that stands out in the dull setting of a paddock. The scarf blows solely to the background sound effect of the swirling wind which accompanies the film beautifully throughout. The narrator’s Spanish voice is quite deep and has a sad tone which works well with Carlos’ animation and the feeling of the movie.

From my point of view the subtitles are not a problem but are simple and easy to read. This makes you relax and concentrate on the emotion and complication of the film rather than wasting your time reading them.

The ending was quite a shock and not anticipated. It really showed that not all films have to end happily. Rather than a happy ending it presented to the audience the legend of the black crow. This short film is appropriate for all ages above 8, is a B+ movie and makes you more aware and considerate of people who are lonely.

Review of “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs” by Cian Raab (age 7)

So you think you know the story of the Three Little Pigs? I thought so too. Until I went to the Little Big Shots Film Festival and saw the film “The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.” In the film the story is told by the wolf himself and when I saw him it made me wonder why the pigs and everyone else think he is the Big Bad Wolf, because first of all he doesn’t really look that bad and secondly his story does seem good to me, not as bad as the same story told by three little pigs.

Did you know the wolf said he only needed sugar for his granny’s birthday cake and that was the reason why he actually went to the pigs’ houses? And did you know that he actually had a cold and that was why he had to sneeze and the houses of the first and the second pig fell down and killed them? And did you know that he thought it’s better to eat the pigs before they get rotten and the food would be wasted?

I didn’t, but I find it easy to believe. The story of the wolf could be a lie, but the story of the pigs could be a lie too. The good thing about the film is that it shows two sides of the story. Before I saw the film I had only one side and thought the wolf was bad. The film made me think, if I made a story, if I was an author or an illustrator which side of the story I would show.

I like the film because it made me laugh very often, for example when the police car drove straight through the broken down houses and not around them or when the wolf called the third pig “WHAT A PIG!” since he thought he was very impolite and meant it as a rude word.

I also like that the film was a cartoon and it was very well drawn. And the music was cool. Mum said it was Blues music. I have never heard it before. It made my feet tap. The voice of the narrator was very funny, not too fast, not too slow and even better than my teacher’s voice when she reads stories to us. So, even if you think you know the story of the Three Little Pigs, it will not be boring to see this film again. Go for it, it rocks!

Review of “Crooked” by Taylor Scanlan (age 12)

Short film “Crooked” hits the big screen!

From illustration to animation Australian author and illustrator Tali Gal-on creates “Crooked”, a non verbal one minute short film that is just plain genius. A hunched over old woman tries to straighten an also hunched over tree and ends up regretting it. This animation is simple yet creative and no dialogue made it more fun and imaginative to interpret.

I really enjoyed this movie because it was so simple that almost everyone in the cinema fell off their seats with laughter. “Crooked” had perfect timing and a storyline with perks and wit. Tali Gal-on uses neutral colours to animate her success and the old woman’s movements were very inventive. Overall, this film deserves all its nominations and awards and truly is an original.