Kids

From the musical to the practical, inspiration strikes these characters when they need it most. Of course, their friends and families are there to help! Laugh with Superdad and Pelé on an unexpected day off, fly with Mama Crow as she shields her nest from a greedy fox, and root for Fly Guy as he competes for the title of Best Pet Ever! Creative Critters, Clever Kids features 11 films from nine countries.

There’s Bliss in the Kiss
Dir. Melanie Beisswenger
Germany/Singapore, 2009, 1min
No dialogue.
A princess looking for a magical frog to kiss doesn’t notice the prince right in front of her. 

Collective Consciousness #6
Dirs. Lucia Araujo & Pedro Jua
Brazil, 2010, 2min
 In Portuguese with English subtitles. New York Premiere 
Using an inventive paper-animation technique, this short shows where your trash goes when you throw it away and why it’s so important to be a conscious consumer.

Most Scary Animal
Dir. Dmitry Rezchikov
Premiere.Russia, 2008, 5min
 In Russian with English subtitles. New York 
When faced with the prospect of being eaten by a hungry jaguar, a cowardly rabbit comes up with an ingenious plan to be the scariest animal in the forest.

Chopin’s Drawings
Dir. Dorota Kobiela
Poland, 2011, 2min
No dialogue. New York premiere. 
In this celebration of Frederic Chopin’s Etude Opus 25 No. 2, two children venture inside a piano and explore the clever drawings Chopin made as a child. 

Edeltraud & Theodor
Dir. Daniel Acht
Germany, 2011, 7min
In German with English subtitles. New York premiere.
Edeltraud the sheep puts up with lots of pranks from his best friend Theodor on his parents’ farm. But when a thief steals Edeltraud, Theodor shows up in fine form to save him! 

Hi! Fly Guy
Dir. Tedd Arnold
US, 2012, 7min
In English. New York premiere.
After bumping into an energetic fly and deciding to take him home, young Buzz figures that flies can be pets, and even friends, in this adaptation of the filmmaker’s book of the same name. But will the world agree with him? 

Mama Crow and the Fox
Dir. Mohammad-Ali Soleymanzadeh
Iran, 2012, 10min
No dialogue.
The caring Mama Crow uses all her love and ingenuity to protect her babies from a scheming fox. 

Kosher
Dir. Isabelle Stead
UK, 2010, 10min
No dialogue. 
A Jewish boy makes friends with a pot-bellied pig to his family's horror. When his father takes the pig away, the boy thinks he'll never see him again. But maybe he'll make another friend. 

Nully & Preisemuth – Different Dinners
Dirs. Leona Frommelt & Renate Bleichenbach
Germany, 2010, 5min
In German with English subtitles. New York premiere.
Nully and Preisemuth are best friends and share everything—except an appreciation of the same kinds of food.

Superdad & Pelé
Dir. Annette S. Helland
Norway, 2011, 10min
In Norwegian with English subtitles.
Little Pelé loves fun-filled weekends with his dad, but during the week it seems like his dad cares only about work. A power outage shows Pelé and his dad that a weekday can be as much fun as the weekend.

The Princess’ Painting
Dirs. Klaus Morschheuser & Johannes Weiland
Germany, 2010, 6min
In German with English subtitles.
When an artistic but overbearing princess gets some honest feedback about her painting from a gardener, her reactions swing from anger to gratitude.