Kensuke’s Kingdom: dir Neil Boyle and Kirk Hendry (2023)

An animated adventure based on the 1999 children’s novel by Michael Morpurgo. On a worldwide sailing trip with his family, young Michael and his dog are swept overboard during a storm in the Pacific. They wash ashore on a desert island; it seems they must adapt to facing life alone … but over time, the boy feels another presence on the island. It’s Kensuke, a Japanese WWII straggler, and he’s not happy that his kingdom has been invaded. But when dangerous invaders threaten their fragile island paradise, Michael and Kensuke join forces to save their secret world …

This co-production between Luxembourg. France and Britain shows as part of the European Film Festival, organised by the Delegation of the European Union to the UAE in partnership with the Cultural Foundation Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah Art. Through a curated selection of titles ranging from award-winning productions to emerging voices in European cinema, and with impressively discounted ticket prices, the Festival aims to highlight the richness and diversity of Europe’s film landscape.