SCHLiNGEL Abu Dhabi: day two

SCHLiNGEL Abu Dhabi’s return continues with a full day of films for the young, taken from the international film festival for children that has been running since 1996 in Germany. All films with dialogue have English subtitles.

There are three sessions today, each charged at AED 25 (and there’s a multi-show pass at AED 75 to cover any or all of the films, including the opener on 24 October).

Today’s programme:

11am-1pm Animation Programme: Best of German SCHLiNGEL Shorts

Scrubby (2023): Scrubby lives a secure and warm life in his mother’s fur, until she slowly loses it. When he’s searching for her, he meets a naked, freezing creature. Is his fur enough for the both of them?

Glow (2023): A short meditative mood piece about being and observing, made from a place of joy and curiosity around other living creatures.

Master Painter Ernst (2022): Forgetful squirrel Ernst almost goes nuts looking for his meticulously hidden acorns. Only a shift in perspective can help him …

Master Painter Dotty (2024): The highly inspired turtle Dotty enthusiastically paints one picture after another. Whu doesn’t her grandma like any of them?

Operation Rising Tusk (2015): The US space programme Operation Rising Tusk sends an elephant into space to challenge the USSR and the space-dog Laika.

Red (2020): A story about a little girl who lives in a red world – and accidentally discovers that there are other colours too

Meta (2022): A short animated film that playfully and experimentally explores themes such as transformation, transience, cycles, connection, and interaction to show that everything consists of many parts and that in the end we are all connected with each other.

3pm-5pm Pettersson und Findus dir Ali Samadi Ahadi (2014: still above)

In search of a home, the bold young tomcat Findus finds shelter in the farmyard of old Pettersson, breaking the silence of the old man’s life once and for all. It’s the beginning of a wonderful friendship. This live-action film with an animated cat is based on the bestselling children’s book series of the same name by Sven Nordqvist.

6pm-8pm Fritzi, a Revolutionary Tale dir Matthias Bruhn & Ralf Kukula (2019)

This full-length animation covers the protests against the Communist regime in East Germany and the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, told from the perspective of a 12-year-old girl who’s taking care of her best friend Sophie’s dog Sputnik while Sophie and her family are on holiday. When Sophie does not return, Fritzi and Sputnik set out in search of her …