Family Film Club:
Nature’s Resources
+ Talks + Kids’ Clothing Swap Shop
Saturday 24 May, 11:00
Barbican, Cinema 2
Suitable for ages 2–8
Full duration: 70min
We are thrilled to present our first-ever children’s programme showcasing the harmonious collaboration between humans and non-human species, while celebrating the power of animation to bring the impossible to life. Across the history of cinema, children’s animated films have conveyed profound wisdom by exploring the cooperation of human and non-human species and contemplating the uncertain boundary where the body ends and nature begins. From the delicate silhouettes in Lotte Reiniger’s Thumbelina and the resourceful tiny mammal in How the Mole Got His Trousers to the sensuous biodiversity celebrated in Idodo and The Butterfly, these films remind us that adornment is not the sole preserve of humankind. Felix the Cat’s slapstick antics in Comicalamities and the witty animal world of A is for Ant bring a touch of hilarity to themes of metamorphosis, empathy and adaptation. Together, these stories celebrate dress as both a wondrous and profoundly strange language concocted by nature and human creativity alike.
Curators Susie Evans and Marketa Uhlirova will help guide young audiences through the films.
Kids’ Clothing Swap Shop
We’ll be hosting a kids’ clothes swap table in the foyer before and after the film screening. Bring along an item or two that you’d like to give a new home to and help yourself to something from the table too. Please bring along baby/children’s clothes (ages 0–10) that are clean and in wearable condition (one to three items max. per person please). Anything left over at the end of the screening will be donated to charity.
Presented with support from Dana and Michal Malý and the Czech Centre London.
Idodo
USA/Papua New Guinea/Switzerland, 2021. Dir. Ursula Ulmi. 10min How did reef fish acquire their beautiful colours? Based on an ancestral legend by a local clan of Papua New Guinea, Ursula Ulmi’s animation presents an unexpected reversal of the usual narrative in which humans borrow their garb from nature. Created in collaboration with local Papuan filmmakers, artists, performers, and musicians, Idodo is a poetic exploration of bodily decoration as an art form that holds both cultural and natural significance.
How the Mole Got His Trousers (Jak krtek ke kalhotkám přišel)
Czechia, 1957. Dir. Zdeněk Miler. 12min. Czech with English subtitlesThe much-beloved character Krtek was conceived as the protagonist in this first-ever episode, which illustrates the making of trousers – a child-friendly, step-by-step guide to linen textile production. Completed in 1957, the film received critical acclaim, winning two Golden Lions at the Venice Film Festival. Since then, the resourceful Little Mole has become an iconic character worldwide, promoting friendship and cooperation between species.
Thumbelina
UK, 1955. Dir. Lotte Reiniger. 10min This enchanting silhouette animation brings Hans Christian Andersen’s tale to life with exquisite detail. Nature plays a pivotal role in Thumbelina’s adventures, while her delicate dress and adornments reflect her fragility and connection to the natural world.
A is for Ant
UK, 2024. Dir. Jack Davison in collaboration with Shona Heath. 10min Combining sculptural costumes with live-action performances, cameos by animals, and experimental film effects, photographer Jack Davison and costume and set designer Shona Heath reimagine letters as representations of animals and insects. By distorting scale and magnifying bodily presence, their disarmingly eccentric zoo alphabet temporarily places humans and animals on a level playing field. Can you tell who is who?
Felix the Cat: Comicalamities
USA, 1928. Dir. Otto Messmer and Pat Sullivan. 8min In this silent cartoon, Felix endeavours to transform a ‘homely dame’ into a glamorous Hollywood starlet, using nature’s treasures. As an underwater appointment with the Mother of Pearl and a subsequent hunt for a fur coat both turn hazardous, Felix is forced to rely on the animator’s hand to get him out of trouble.
The Butterfly
Russia, 1972. Dir. Andrey Khrzhanovsky. 10min A city boy becomes entranced by a butterfly and the beguiling creature leads him away from his technological world into the mesmerising and untamed realm of nature. Evoking the butterfly as a timeless symbol of metamorphosis, this intricately crafted animation brings a touch of mysticism to depicting the boy’s physical and spiritual transformation.
Idodo
USA/Papua New Guinea/Switzerland, 2021. Dir. Ursula Ulmi. 10min How did reef fish acquire their beautiful colours? Based on an ancestral legend by a local clan of Papua New Guinea, Ursula Ulmi’s animation presents an unexpected reversal of the usual narrative in which humans borrow their garb from nature. Created in collaboration with local Papuan filmmakers, artists, performers, and musicians, Idodo is a poetic exploration of bodily decoration as an art form that holds both cultural and natural significance.
How the Mole Got His Trousers
(Jak krtek ke kalhotkám přišel)
Czechia, 1957. Dir. Zdeněk Miler. 12min. Czech with English subtitlesThe much-beloved character Krtek was conceived as the protagonist in this first-ever episode, which illustrates the making of trousers – a child-friendly, step-by-step guide to linen textile production. Completed in 1957, the film received critical acclaim, winning two Golden Lions at the Venice Film Festival. Since then, the resourceful Little Mole has become an iconic character worldwide, promoting friendship and cooperation between species.
Thumbelina
UK, 1955. Dir. Lotte Reiniger. 10min This enchanting silhouette animation brings Hans Christian Andersen’s tale to life with exquisite detail. Nature plays a pivotal role in Thumbelina’s adventures, while her delicate dress and adornments reflect her fragility and connection to the natural world.
A is for Ant
UK, 2024. Dir. Jack Davison in collaboration with Shona Heath. 10min Combining sculptural costumes with live-action performances, cameos by animals, and experimental film effects, photographer Jack Davison and costume and set designer Shona Heath reimagine letters as representations of animals and insects. By distorting scale and magnifying bodily presence, their disarmingly eccentric zoo alphabet temporarily places humans and animals on a level playing field. Can you tell who is who?
Felix the Cat: Comicalamities
USA, 1928. Dir. Otto Messmer and Pat Sullivan. 8min In this silent cartoon, Felix endeavours to transform a ‘homely dame’ into a glamorous Hollywood starlet, using nature’s treasures. As an underwater appointment with the Mother of Pearl and a subsequent hunt for a fur coat both turn hazardous, Felix is forced to rely on the animator’s hand to get him out of trouble.
The Butterfly
Russia, 1972. Dir. Andrey Khrzhanovsky. 10min A city boy becomes entranced by a butterfly and the beguiling creature leads him away from his technological world into the mesmerising and untamed realm of nature. Evoking the butterfly as a timeless symbol of metamorphosis, this intricately crafted animation brings a touch of mysticism to depicting the boy’s physical and spiritual transformation.