Language & Literature Based Programs
Celebrate the love of reading and writing with this rich array of short films – many of them based on folktales, books, and poems! These dynamic films inspired by the written and spoken word will excite your students to discover the transformative power of literature and language for all grade levels.
All films are official selections from the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, and all programs include an introduction and post-screening discussion led by one of our trained media educators. Curriculum aligned with the Common Core standards is also provided to teachers prior to the day of screening.
Flexible scheduling throughout the day – come to us or let us come to you! For details about screenings at Facets Multi-Media, click here. For details about screenings at your location, click here. For more information, contact Facets Group Sales at fldtrips@facets.org or (773) 281-9075 ext. 3009.
Programs Available:
Awesome Adaptations
Animated Short Film Program
Grades PreK-1 (Ages 4-6)
70-minute program includes media education
All world language films will be screened with English subtitles read aloud for younger audiences.
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Themes: Friendship, teamwork, managing expectations; syllable vowel sounds; genre (poem, oral history, bedtime story, song); order and sequence, shapes; relation between illustration and text.
Films from Australia, Germany, Sweden, and the US.
Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
Miss Devine
Tales for Tiny Tots: “Everyone Gets to Come Along”
Art
Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site
The Princess’ Painting
Kitten’s First Full Moon
Guess How Much I Love You: “Blue Wonder”
Dooby Dooby Moo
Early readers will be excited to compare and contrast the filmed versions of their favorite reads! Whether Walt Whitman’s frosty poem or the Common Core Standard, Kitten’s First Full Moon – there are many treasures to rediscover on the big screen. In one film, a determined princess finally understands the true meaning of self-expression when a member of her court speaks up. In another film, a Nutbrown Hare and friends gather examples of the color blue, only to find the biggest blue is above them the whole time. Whether favorite illustrations come to life or meeting new friends in familiar circumstances, there are fresh and friendly experiences ahead in Awesome Adaptations!
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Once Upon a Time
Animated Short Film Program
Grades 2-4 (Ages 6-9)
90-minute program includes media education
All world language films will be screened with English subtitles read aloud for younger audiences.
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Themes: Family relations and celebrations in diverse cultures; friendship, teamwork, overcoming differences; perspectives on gender in other cultures.
Films from Belgium, England, Hungary, Iran, Poland, Russia, and the US.
The Owl and the Pussycat
Delirious Tales: The Chicken, the Elephant and the Snake
Hungarian Folk Tales: “The Wee King”
Hajar’s Wedding
Two Princesses
Polish Fairy Tales: “The Golden Apple Tree”
Room on the Broom
What do folktales and fairy tales teach about different traditions and cultures? In an animated fabric film, two sisters pair up to take on a witch with bad intentions. In a beautiful, painterly film from Iran, the village celebrates the happiness of a young couple-to-be. In the award-winning “Room on the Broom”, friends come together to help their witch in distress. Compare and contrast film adaptations of treasured books, poems and folktales. “Happily ever after” can take many forms, so set aside some Once Upon a Time for your students to visit these new and exciting places!
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Tales with Tails
Animated Short Film Program
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
90-minute program includes media education
All world language films will be screened with English subtitles.
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Themes: Narration, point of view, character, setting; genre: stories, myths, folktales, poems from different cultures, animals, deduction, sequence, adventure.
Films from Brazil, England, Hungary, and the US.
The Happy Duckling
Wolf Dog Tales
Tyger
I Want My Hat Back
Hungarian Folk Tales: “The Golden Calf”
The Gruffalo
Folktales, poems and stories from diverse cultures leap off the pages! In one film, an oral lesson from the Native American narrator reveals the wisdom of the wolf, as there is much to learn from our animal brothers and sisters. The next film is a puppet animation version of William Blake’s famous poem, in a powerful, inventive reimagining from Brazil. Finally, two favorite book adaptations, including the CICFF 2010 Best of Fest winner, “The Gruffalo” and the immensely popular 2013 Festival favorite, “I Want My Hat Back”.
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Words Matter
Animated/Live-Action Short Film Program
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
90 minute program includes media education
All world language films will be screened with English subtitles.
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Themes: Word structure, definition. Point of view, character. Paying it forward. Love of words, character feelings and connections, internal life of books.
Films from Brazil, Norway, and the US.
Max’s Words
Comic Books: A Practical Guide
The Owl and the Pussycat
The Young Detectives: “World of Imagination”
Wallace’s Lists
Encyclopedia
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Characters in these films recognize the power of the word! Whether collecting them, as Max does in the first film; or finding and “owning” their meaning, as Alex tries to grasp, in “Encyclopedia”. The hero in the Oscar-winning animated short film, Mr. Lessmore, finds the true meaning of words: to bring connection and life from the page to the reader. In another film, “pages” in Dad’s imagination have come to life, and it’s up to “The Young Detectives” to help find the lost writer in his tangled words. Compare and contrast – what do these films and film versions of poems and stories have to tell us about where words come from, feelings and motivations?
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Animation Short List
Grades 4-7 (Ages 8-13)
Screened in English
100-minute program includes media education
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Three years of award-winning films finally come together in this program where little characters discover big courage. The little mouse might be able to outsmart the other animals in the forest, but what happens when he’s faced with the giant Gruffalo itself? Will Morris Lessmore find a way to fix his black-and-white world, or is the color lost forever? And can a penguin find its way to the South Pole before it’s too late? These characters don’t let the big world keep them from following their dreams!
Lost and Found (England)
2009 Children’s Jury Prize Winner
(1st Prize for Animated Short Film)
The Lost Thing (Australia)
2011 Academy Award Winner!
2010 Adult Jury Prize Winner
(1st Prize for Animated Short Film)
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore (USA)
2012 Academy Award Nominee!
2011 Adult Jury Prize Winner
(1st Prize for Animated Short Film)
The Gruffalo (England)
2011 Academy Award Nominee!
2010 Best of Fest Award Winner
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Point of View
Animated/Live-Action Short Film Program
Grades 5-8 (Ages 10-14)
90 minute program includes media education
All world language films will be screened with English subtitles.
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Themes: Point of view, narration, genre (poems, fantasy, science fiction, adventure, futuristic/dystopia, folktale). Style (rhymed verse). Feelings, paying it forward.
Films from Australia, England, Iran, and the US.
Emmeline
The Boy with Chocolate Fingers
Junk
The Boy in the Bubble
The Cunning Tailor and the Young Man
The Lost Thing
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr Morris Lessmore
Discover an alternate world of films in rhymed verse, each featuring a quirky narrator’s point of view – that of the outsider. In one film, the hero goes beyond what is expected of him and a sweet surprise is in store. In another film, narrated by Alan Rickman, Rupert discovers he can’t cut himself off from everyone, just yet. In the Oscar-winning films, “The Lost Thing” and “Morris Lessmore”, the heroes make a wordless connection to creatures other than themselves, with a big results. Compare and contrast – what do these dreamers have to tell us about new outlooks?
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It’s the Write Time
Animated/Live-action Short Film Program
Grades 6-9 (Ages 11-15)
90-minute program includes media education
All world language films will be screened with English subtitles.
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Themes: Compare and contrast different genres, formats, styles of texts with filmed versions of poems, journals, letters. Character and relationships. Point of view. Observation and description. Connection and paying forward, communication through the written word. Epistolary romance.
Films from Canada, England, Finland, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, and the US.
The Human Voice
Feet, Why Do I Need Them?
Emmeline
Coast Warning
Bottle
The Squirrel and the Swallow
MSCMMNCTN
The Blizzard
The Social Addicts
Onion Skin
Witness the power of the written and spoken word as it transforms lives in these short films. In one film, a pair of feathered pen pals meet when the seasons change and look to expand their exchange. In When Joe expresses his feelings for Kaitlyn through a handwritten letter rather than a text she doesn’t know what to make of this quaint method of communication. Whether these films are about letters, diaries, journals, poems, texts – celebrate the magic of imagination and communication.
