SQUARE EYES - New Zealand Children's Film Foundation

A SITE FOR SQUARE EYES!

Featuring previews and premieres of new releases, together with both recent and historic feature films, documentaries, short film and animations from around the globe, Square Eyes screenings present the best of world cinema for young New Zealand audiences.

SQUARE EYES AT THE 2010 NEW ZEALAND
INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS

Square Eyes is delighted to again be associated with the most brilliant 'NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL'.

This year we are proud to present two wonderful feature length films; 'IN THE ATTIC', from legendary Czech stop-motion animation master Jirí Barta; and 'TURTLE: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY', from Emmy-Award winning producer and director Nick Stringer. Don't miss the chance to see these films on the big screen, as they were meant to be seen. Further screening details here.

SQUARE EYES DECEMBER BENEFIT SCREENINGS

Come and join Square Eyes for the presentation of two of the most anticipated films to hit the big screen this season.

Square Eyes is absolutely thrilled to present both
'WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE' and 'FANTASTIC MR. FOX',
thanks to the great generosity of Embassy Theatre, Twentieth Century Fox, Roadshow and Warner Bros.

Innovative director Spike Jonze collaborates with celebrated author Maurice Sendak to bring one of the most beloved books of all time to the big screen in 'WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE', a classic story about childhood and the places we go to figure out the world we live in.

'FANTASTIC MR. FOX' is visionary director Wes Anderson's first animated film, utilising classic handmade stop-motion techniques to tell the story of the best selling children's book by Roald Dahl.

Join us on Thursday 3 December at 6pm at the Embassy Theatre Wellington for the opening night of WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, and again on Saturday 12 December at 1pm for an exclusive preview of Wes Anderson's FANTASTIC MR. FOX.

"It's a curious coincidence that Wes Anderson and Spike Jonze, two of the young film auteurs who came to prominence around the late nineties, have kid-lit adaptations featuring puppets (albeit of vastly differing sizes) coming out simultaneously, and that both FANTASTIC MR. FOX and WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE strive for such hand-crafted, individualized looks... the least one can say is that neither very closely resembles anything that's come before." Variety

Proceeds from these two screenings will assist Square Eyes - New Zealand Children's Film Foundation as they work to enrich, engage, educate, enlighten, and entertain young audiences through film. Support Square Eyes in their efforts to present quality and diverse film for young New Zealanders with your attendance - we'd be delighted to see your Square Eyes there!

AGE APPROPRIATENESS

Rated PG for thematic elements, some adventure action and brief profanity, Square Eyes recommends WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE for ages 9 to adult. Rated PG for thematic elements, smoking and suggested profanity, Square Eyes recommends FANTASTIC MR. FOX for ages 7 to adult.

Like Maurice Sendak's 1963 morality tale on which it is based, Spike Jonze's big-screen adaptation of WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE has once again sparked discussion about the appropriateness of 'darker' material targeted towards a children's audience.

Fears about Spike Jonze's WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE age suitability first surfaced more than a year ago when test screenings reportedly reduced some children to tears. Delays and reshoots ensued, with some fans expressing concern that ’the scary bits’ would be excised from the final product.

Some early reviews suggested that WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE is ’a movie about a child that isn't a children's film’, as Brent Simon wrote in his review for Screen Daily. Is that because it's still too scary? No, but because Brent Simon felt that ’family audiences may find it too challenging’. Spike Jonze himself has acknowledged that this is not ’a studio film for kids, or ... a traditional film about kids. We didn't have a 'Movie Kid' in our movie, or a 'Movie Performance' in a 'Movie Kid' world. We had a real kid and a real world'.

And this is what Square Eyes finds so exciting about this particular large budget, predominantly live-action film. What we are given with this release is a chance to explore and redefine our expectations of what a 'family film' is - one of the primary purposes of Square Eyes.

Because few children live idyllic lives, film - as well as of course being entertaining - can touch on the difficult and the painful; providing a young audience the means to work though their more difficult experiences. Grief and divorce, unemployment, death, love and betrayal all have a place in children's film, just as in film for adults. As the great animation director Hayao Miyazaki states 'Children understand the complexity and uncertainty of things with their skin. They can't be underestimated'.

Through our Square Eyes programming we have discovered that most children are actually ok with mildly scary, with death and other challenging subject matter, with niggling fears, and dark corners. Children are thinking about all these things anyway. What they are possibly less ok with are adults who avoid talking with them about challenging subject matter, or adults who don't take them seriously.

Square Eyes encourage parents and guardians to select the most emotionally and intellectually appropriate films for their children, as we recognise that all children respond to films in different ways and our age recommendations are only a guideline. We encourage you to select films that you feel to be suitable viewing based on the information provided, to accompany your child or children to the screenings, to talk openly with them about the themes and issues raised, and to contact us at any point to discuss our programming with us in person.

Here is an extract from an article by A. O. Scott, featured in New York Times, which discusses WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE and FANTASTIC MR. FOX in relation to the canon of children's film which explores complicated themes and emotions.

Here is an extract from an article by Vanessa Thorpe and Anushka Asthana in the Observer, which also looks closely at this issue.

Join our mailing list by sending us a message at info@square-eyes.co.nz. This way we can keep you up-to-date with all our future Square Eyes happenings.


	A SITE FOR SQUARE EYES! Featuring previews and premieres of new releases, together with both recent and historic feature films, documentaries, short film and animations from around the globe, Square Eyes screenings present the best of world cinema for young New Zealand audiences. SQUARE EYES AT THE 2010 NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVALS Square Eyes is delighted to again be associated with the most brilliant 'NEW ZEALAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL'. This year we are proud to present two wonderful feature length films; 'IN THE ATTIC', from legendary Czech stop-motion animation master Jirí Barta; and 'TURTLE: THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY', from Emmy-Award winning producer and director Nick Stringer. Don't miss the chance to see these films on the big screen, as they were meant to be seen. Further screening details here. SQUARE EYES DECEMBER BENEFIT SCREENINGS Come and join Square Eyes for the presentation of two of the most anticipated films to hit the big screen this season. Square Eyes is absolutely thrilled to present both 'WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE' and 'FANTASTIC MR. FOX', thanks to the great generosity of Embassy Theatre, Twentieth Century Fox, Roadshow and Warner Bros. Innovative director Spike Jonze collaborates with celebrated author Maurice Sendak to bring one of the most beloved books of all time to the big screen in 'WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE', a classic story about childhood and the places we go to figure out the world we live in. 'FANTASTIC MR. FOX' is visionary director Wes Anderson's first animated film, utilising classic handmade stop-motion techniques to tell the story of the best selling children's book by Roald Dahl. Join us on Thursday 3 December at 6pm at the Embassy Theatre Wellington for the opening night of WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, and again on Saturday 12 December at 1pm for an exclusive preview of Wes Anderson's FANTASTIC MR. FOX. "It's a curious coincidence that Wes Anderson and Spike Jonze, two of the young film auteurs who came to prominence around the late nineties, have kid-lit adaptations featuring puppets (albeit of vastly differing sizes) coming out simultaneously, and that both FANTASTIC MR. FOX and WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE strive for such hand-crafted, individualized looks... the least one can say is that neither very closely resembles anything that's come before." Variety Proceeds from these two screenings will assist Square Eyes - New Zealand Children's Film Foundation as they work to enrich, engage, educate, enlighten, and entertain young audiences through film. Support Square Eyes in their efforts to present quality and diverse film for young New Zealanders with your attendance - we'd be delighted to see your Square Eyes there! AGE APPROPRIATENESS Rated PG for thematic elements, some adventure action and brief profanity, Square Eyes recommends WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE for ages 9 to adult. Rated PG for thematic elements, smoking and suggested profanity, Square Eyes recommends FANTASTIC MR. FOX for ages 7 to adult. Like Maurice Sendak's 1963 morality tale on which it is based, Spike Jonze's big-screen adaptation of WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE has once again sparked discussion about the appropriateness of 'darker' material targeted towards a children's audience. Fears about Spike Jonze's WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE age suitability first surfaced more than a year ago when test screenings reportedly reduced some children to tears. Delays and reshoots ensued, with some fans expressing concern that ’the scary bits’ would be excised from the final product. Some early reviews suggested that WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE is ’a movie about a child that isn't a children's film’, as Brent Simon wrote in his review for Screen Daily. Is that because it's still too scary? No, but because Brent Simon felt that ’family audiences may find it too challenging’. Spike Jonze himself has acknowledged that this is not ’a studio film for kids, or ... a traditional film about kids. We didn't have a 'Movie Kid' in our movie, or a 'Movie Performance' in a 'Movie Kid' world. We had a real kid and a real world'. And this is what Square Eyes finds so exciting about this particular large budget, predominantly live-action film. What we are given with this release is a chance to explore and redefine our expectations of what a 'family film' is - one of the primary purposes of Square Eyes. Because few children live idyllic lives, film - as well as of course being entertaining - can touch on the difficult and the painful; providing a young audience the means to work though their more difficult experiences. Grief and divorce, unemployment, death, love and betrayal all have a place in children's film, just as in film for adults. As the great animation director Hayao Miyazaki states 'Children understand the complexity and uncertainty of things with their skin. They can't be underestimated'. Through our Square Eyes programming we have discovered that most children are actually ok with mildly scary, with death and other challenging subject matter, with niggling fears, and dark corners. Children are thinking about all these things anyway. What they are possibly less ok with are adults who avoid talking with them about challenging subject matter, or adults who don't take them seriously. Square Eyes encourage parents and guardians to select the most emotionally and intellectually appropriate films for their children, as we recognise that all children respond to films in different ways and our age recommendations are only a guideline. We encourage you to select films that you feel to be suitable viewing based on the information provided, to accompany your child or children to the screenings, to talk openly with them about the themes and issues raised, and to contact us at any point to discuss our programming with us in person. Here is an extract from an article by A. O. Scott, featured in New York Times, which discusses WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE and FANTASTIC MR. FOX in relation to the canon of children's film which explores complicated themes and emotions. Here is an extract from an article by Vanessa Thorpe and Anushka Asthana in the Observer, which also looks closely at this issue. Join our mailing list by sending us a message at info@square-eyes.co.nz. This way we can keep you up-to-date with all our future Square Eyes happenings.	© 2010 Square Eyes. All Rights Reserved.