Press room

Perlimps, Brazil 2022, Dir Alê Abreu

Sat 22 Oct – Sat 29 Oct
Barbican Cinema 2, Cinema Café & Fountain Room

www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2022/series/family-film-week-2022

Young people and their families are in for treat this half-term with Family Film Week 2022, an action-packed week of screenings, workshops and events taking place at the Barbican. This year the programme celebrates the joys of adventure and discovery, with some of the best new films from around the world.

Susie Evans, Cinema Curator comments:

“This year’s Family Film Week has been a dream to curate, every film in this programme has made me want to run and share it on the big screen! The stories  open up new perspectives and are full of adventure, comedy and love – but most of all, they are full of joy. The joy of film-making, the joy of sharing and making people laugh, cry and gasp will all up there on the Barbican’s big screen during October half term - and I can’t wait to find out what our audience thinks.

I’m particularly excited about the international titles we’re showing – films like Perlimps, Nahuel and the Magic Book, Franzy’s Soup Kitchen and The Queen of the Foxes to name but a few – as I hope that these rare and wonderful films - and the free workshops - will spark the flame of cinematic discovery for our young viewers and get them thinking ‘what’s next?”

The weekend begins with Spectacular Shorts, a joyous selection of bite-sized film nuggets especially designed to introduce younger audiences to international cinema.

This follows with the feature Minions: Rise of Gru (Dir Kyle Balda) + Flash Film Quiz; the story of one twelve-year-old's dream to become the world's greatest ever supervillain and join the notorious Vicious 6. Before the film, Curator Susie Evans will host an in-cinema flash film quiz (with BSL interpretation).

The fun continues on Sunday with The Black Pharoah, The Savage and The Princess – in Michel Ocelot’s latest intricate animation – in which a storyteller captivates her audience with tales from medieval France, Egypt and Turkey.

Animated Adventures screens on Tue 25 Oct, a curated selection of shorts and features a mix of animated styles, including painting on glass, CGI and 2D, and hand-drawn ink line drawings based on Japanese scrolls. The programme continues with The Sea Beast (Dir Chris Williams), in this film young Maisie stows away on a pirate ship – where she is taken under the wing of legendary sea beast hunter Jacob Holland – and sets off on a quest in unchartered waters.

Further Family Film Week highlights include: a preview of My Father’s Dragon (Dir Nora Twomey), screening at the Barbican before its Netflix release, this is a new animation from the Cartoon Saloon and follows the fortunes of Elmer Elevator, a young boy who travels to a mysterious island to search for an imprisoned dragon; and Perlimps, a sublime, dreamy, multi-coloured animation from Oscar nominated director Ale Abreu; and Nahuel and the Magic Book (Dir German Acuña), a fantasy adventure filled with stunning drawing and feisty characters.

There is also a Family Film Activity sheet designed by Ivonne Vargas which will be available in the foyers every day.  On Fri 28 Oct there are free workshops running all morning for young film-fans to get creative and make their own animations with artists including John Harmer and Shelly Wain. Participants can sign up on site on the day.

On Sat 29 Oct, Family Film Week’s last day Folk Tales, Legends and Fables screens; a curated programme of shorts that explores legends, familiar folk lore characters and moral tales; with spoken word stories (in-between films) by the captivating storyteller Wendy Shearer. Before the film artist Kremena Dimitrova will lead a free drop-in workshop from 10am.  In this workshop children can make characters and scenes from the folk tales they will hear and watch.

The programme closes with the rarely seen Michel Ocelot film Kirikou and the Wild Beasts never theatrically released in the UK. A follow up to Kirikou and the Sorceress, the main storyteller begins to spin new tales about the diminutive hero and his exploits in saving their village.
 

Screenings and Events:

Sat 22 Oct:

Spectacular Shorts (U*)
11am, Cinema 2, approx runtime 55min

A joyous selection of bite-sized film nuggets especially designed to introduce youngest audience members to international cinema and differing animation styles. There will be aliens in the kitchen, mischievous spiders telling tales, a Latvian lullaby and more!

With live introduction with BSL interpretation

Age recommendation: 4+

Full programme:

Animanimals: Tiger
Dir Julia Ocker Germany 2022 4min (no dialogue)

Čuči čuči
Dir Māra Liniņa Latvia 2022 5min (English subtitles)

Luce and Rock
Dir Britt Raes Belgium, France, Netherlands 2022 13min (no dialogue)

I am Not Afraid
Dir Marita Mayer Germany 2022 7min (brief English subtitles)

Franzy’s Soup Kitchen
Dir Ana Chubinidze France/Georgia 2022 8min (no dialogue)

The Adventures of Anansi the Spider
Dir Iven Cudogham Netherlands 2021 7min (English subtitles)

Squirrel
Dir Julia Ocker Germany 2022 4min (no dialogue)

Minions: Rise of Gru (PG) + Flash Film Quiz!
Sat 22 Oct, 1.15 pm, Cinema 2

The young criminal mastermind, Gru, is determined to join his favourite supervillain group, the Vicious 6, but when he’s laughed out of auditions, he takes dastardly action and it’s up to his faithful Minions to help extract him from the carnage! Steve Carrell returns to voice Gru as well as Taraji P Henson, Alan Arkin and Michelle Yeoh - this movie is wall to wall fun! 

And before the film starts curator, Susie Evans, will be hosting an in-cinema flash film quiz. With BSL interpretation.

US 2022 Dir Kyle Balda 87min. HoH Captions.

Age recommendation: 5+

Sun 23 Oct

The Black Pharoah, The Savage and The Princess (PG*)
1.15pm, Cinema 2

A storyteller captivates her audience with stories from medieval France, ancient Egypt and Turkey – all featuring Michel Ocelot’s signature blend of magic, romance and adventure. This intricate animation is beautifully realised and a stunning experience on the big screen.

Dir Michel Ocelot France 2022 83min in French with English subtitles.
Subtitles read aloud by voice over artist via headsets for children. Headsets available first come, first served.

Age recommendation: 7+
With live introduction.  

Tue 25 Oct

Animated Adventures (U*)
11am, Cinema 2

Another of our specially curated selections of shorts from around the world features a mix of animated styles including painting on glass, CGI and 2D, and hand-drawn ink line drawings based on Japanese scrolls!

Approx runtime: 60min
Age recommendation: 5+

Full programme:
Animanimals: T-Rex
Dir Julia Ocker Germany 2022 4min (no dialogue)

Suzie in the Garden
Dir Lucie Sunková Czechia-Slovakia 14min (English subtitles)

Little Polar Bear’s Boredom
Dir Koji Yamamura Japan 2022 7min (dialogue and text in both English and Japanese)

Cat and Moth (+ recorded intro from director)
Dir India Barnardo Canada 2022 7min

The Queen of the Foxes
Dir Marina Rosset Switzerland 2022 9min

My Better World – The Watermelon Story
South Africa 2021 8min

Animanimals: Cat
Dir Julia Ocker Germany 2022 4min

The Sea Beast (PG)
Tue 25 Oct, 1.15pm, Cinema 2

When young Maisie stows away on a pirate ship, she is reluctantly taken under the wing of legendary sea beast hunter Jacob Holland (voiced by Karl Urban) and the two are soon off on a monsterific quest in uncharted waters.

Dir Chris Williams US 2022 115min

Age recommendation: 6+
Thanks to Netflix.

Wed 26 Oct

My Father’s Dragon (PG)
11am, Cinema 2

Family Film Week is thrilled to be previewing this new animation from Cartoon Saloon before its release on Netflix.

Directed by Nora Twomey (director of The Breadwinner and Secret of the Kells) the film is based on the acclaimed book by Ruth Stiles Gannett and follows the fortunes of a young boy, Elmer Elevator, who travels to a mysterious island to search for an imprisoned dragon. Featuring the voices of Adam Brody, Chris O’Dowd, Whoopi Goldberg, Dianne Weist and Judy Greer. 

Ireland 2022 Dir Nora Twomey 99min tbc

Age recommendation: 6+ 
Thanks to Netflix.

Thurs 27 Oct

Nahuel and the Magic Book (PG*)
1.15pm, Cinema 2

Nahuel has a fear of the water which his father, a fisherman, cannot understand. But when Nahuel discovers a magic book that might solve his problem, he unleashes the greed of an evil wizard and must band together with new friends to save his seaside world from disaster. This ravishing fantasy adventure is filled with stunning animation, feisty characters and a healthy dose of peril!

Age recommendation: 7+

Brazil/Chile 2020 Dir German Acuña 98min in Spanish with English subtitles.
Subtitles read aloud by voice over artist via headsets for children. Headsets available first come, first served.

Fri 28 Oct

10am – 1pm FREE Animation Workshops
Fountain Room, Barbican Centre

Free workshops take place all morning for young film-fans to get creative and make their own animations with artists including John Harmer and Shelly Wain. Participants can sign up on site on the day.
Places are first come, first served and please sign up on arrival.

Perlimps (U)
Fri 28 Oct 1.15pm, Cinema 2

Claé and Bruó, two bickering secret agents – one from the Kingdom of the Sun, the other from Kingdom of the Moon – are sent to an enchanted forest to discover the secret of the ‘Perlimps’ and whether this can avert the disaster threatening their world. Oscar nominated director, Alê Abreu delivers a painterly, multi-coloured animation with a powerful message about the importance of dialogue and care for our environment.  

Dir Alê Abreu Brazil 2022 75min in Portuguese with English subtitles. Subtitles read aloud by voice over artist via headsets for children. Headsets available first come, first served.

With live introduction
Age recommendation: 5+

Sat 29 Oct

10 am – 11 am FREE Workshop
Cinema Café / Cinema 2 & 3 Foyer, Barbican Centre

Prior to the screening of Folk Tales, Legends and Fables at 11 am, artist Kremena Dimitrova will lead a free drop-in workshop; children will be encouraged to make characters and scenes from the folk tales they will hear and watch.

Folk Tales, Legends and Fables (U*) + live storytelling with Wendy Shearer
Sat 29 Oct, 11am, approx runtime 65min

This curated programme of shorts brings together stories from all over the world, exploring local legends, familiar folk lore characters and moral tales. It’s an extra special morning too because we’ll be joined in the cinema by the wonderful storyteller, Wendy Shearer, who will also be weaving us some tales between the films to really get us thinking.

Subtitles read aloud by voice over artist via headsets for children. Headsets available first come, first served.

Age recommendation: 5+

Full Programme:
The Adventures of Anansi the Spider
Dir Iven Cudogham Netherlands 2021 7min (English subtitles)

Birth of the Oases
Dir Marion Jamault France 2021 9min (English subtitles)

Orisha’s Journey
Dir Abdul Ndadi USA 2014 5min

Idodo
Dir Ursula Ulmi Papua New Guinea, Switzerland 10min (English subtitles)

The Queen of the Foxes
Dir Marina Rosset Switzerland 2022 9min

The Adventures of Anansi the Spider
Dir Iven Cudogham Netherlands 2021 7min (English subtitles)

Kirikou and the Wild Beasts (U*)
Sat 29 Oct, 1.15pm

We’re delighted to be screening a rarely seen Michel Ocelot film that was never theatrically released in the UK. After the events of Kirikou and the Sorceress, our storyteller decides that the adventure was over too quickly and begins to spin new tales about the diminutive hero and his exploits saving the village. 

Dir Michel Ocelot France 2005 75min in French with English subtitles.
Subtitles read aloud by voice over artist via headsets for children.
Headsets available first come, first served.

Please note: this film contains natural nudity throughout.

Age recommendation: 5+