In the spirit of MVFF’s Mind the Gap gender equity initiative, these short stories all feature fun, fascinating, and feisty young female characters—both real and fictional. For young Milly, in Natalie van den Dungen’s Sherbert Rosencrantz, You're Beautiful (Australia 2018, 11 min), having a guinea pig as a best friend seems perfectly normal; her mother, however, begs to differ. In Scott Hamilton Kennedy’s Two Medusas (US 2017, 12 min), the ultimate Halloween horror unfolds when two girls both decide to dress as Medusa for the school costume contest. Some people think girls should not be boxers, but in Emily Sheskin’s documentary JessZilla (US 2017, 7 min), 10-year-old Jesselyn Silva is already proving them wrong. In Matthew Sandager’s live action/animation hybrid Dear Henri, (US 2017, 13 min), Henrietta finds an imaginative way to stay connected with her recently deceased namesake grandfather. In Tilda Cobham-Hervey’s A Field Guide to Being a 12-Year-Old Girl (Australia 2017, 20 min), a dozen titular pre-teens create a Wes Anderson-style performance to explain this critical juncture in female adolescence. After moving to a new town, homesick Maria finds friendship with the unlikely help of a chicken in João Pedro Pereira’s Galinha (US 2018, 12 min). The fear of her undocumented parents being deported is all too real for Sophie Cruz in Paola Mendoza’s timely documentary Free Like the Birds (US 2016, 10 min)—but this young girl is fearless in her fight for their freedom. And in Kerry Skinner’s action-packed The Bicycle Thief (UK 2018, 8 min), another spunky young girl takes chase to recover her stolen bike. Age 10+

Expected Guests:
Director Joao Pedro Pereira-Webber; Producer Molly Shea Byrne; Cinematographer Jack Maraghy (Galinha)  (All Screenings)
Directors Stewart Alexander and Kerry Skinner (The Bicycle Thief)  (Oct. 6, 10)

Oct 10 screening is a CFI Education program open to school groups and the general public

Oct 13 screening includes free admission to The Hoopla! Visit the Family Films page for details