Cinefranco has just announced the program for its 2025 Youth Festival. This 16th edition will take place from February 24 to March 7, 2025.
The program will feature a number of films on today’s themes.
Safeguarding the forest habitat of animals and humans is at the heart of two animations celebrated by the Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Savages by Claude Barras and Into the wonder woods by Vincent Paronnaud and Alexis Decord touch on environmental issues without getting too accusatory.
Animals and the love they inspire are the subjects of Ride above (Christian Duguay), Princes of the desert (Éric Barbier) and the comedy Chien et chat (Reem Kherici).
From the dazzling destiny of the Ziouani sisters (Divertimento) to the hardships caused by school bullying, social prejudice and family difficulties (All stirred up!, The fantastic three, Blue sky Jo, Dreaming in neon), the films selected distill inspiring messages for young audiences.
Program list
Into the wonder woods (Vincent Paronnaud et Alexis Ducord)
10-year-old Angelo, an aspiring explorer, hits the road with his family to visit his beloved granny. When his distracted parents leave him behind at a rest stop, he is left to his own devices and decides to cut through the forest in search of his family.
He then enters a mysterious world inhabited by strange and wonderful creatures, some friendlier than others…
Chien et Chat (Reem Kherici)
Monica, mistress of Internet star cat Diva, runs into thief Jack at the airport, accompanied by the dog that has just swallowed the loot from his latest theft: a ruby. The humans are forced by the airline to put their precious pets in the hold. As they board the plane, they see their pets escape from their cages and luggage carts towards an unknown destination. The two opposing duos embark on a time-trial chase from Montreal to New York.
On one side, the humans who have lost track of their animals, and on the other, the animals left to their own devices to find their master… without knowing that police officer Brandt is on their tail, ready to do anything to recover the ruby.
Divertimento (Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar)
Classical symphonic music is everything for 17-year-old Zahia Ziouani and her twin sister, Fettouma. Nevertheless, living in underprivileged Parisian suburbs in 1995 with their Algerian background, they struggle arduously to approach their dreams – becoming an orchestra conductor and a cellist. Driven by determination, passion, and courage, they create their own orchestra, Divertimento. It will be a game-changer.
DIVERTIMENTO is inspired by the life of Zahia Ziouani, one of the few worldwide renown female conductors.
Blue sky Jo (Patrice Sauvé)
1980s, Quebec. Her name is Hélène, but she calls herself Jo because she wants to be like Joséphine the Little Musketeer, her favorite cartoon heroine. Jo is only ten years old, has three sisters, a father who is unhappy, and a mother who is understanding but strict. She lives in a working-class neighborhood surrounded by colorful people, the most endearing of whom is her new neighbor, Mr. Roger, a gruff old man who hides a tender heart.
With her romantic soul and an imagination eager for grand dramas, Jo also dreams of achieving great feats. One day, she decides to save her father from work and unhappiness.
The fantastic three (Michaël Dichter)
Max, a witty and brave 12-year-old, feels like he has two families instead of one. In and after school, he spends all his time with his two best friends Tom and Vivian, who are always there to make life easier for each other.
Together, they are The Fantastic Three. His real family on the other hand, is messy, with a depressed single mother and a brother in jail. When Max’s brother returns home, more trouble arises. To save his brother from his own downfall, Max drags his friends with him into a seemingly inevitable spiral.
Dreaming in neon (Marie-Claire Marcotte)
8-year-old Billie leans on her vivid imagination, and her loyal best friend Sherry, to unravel the web of secrets shrouding her mother’s identity. Believing that her mother is a ballerina icon, Billie stops at nothing to try to find her.
As Billie delves deeper into the mysteries of her family’s past, she begins to question the true intentions of the ones closest to her — her grandma and dad. Billie must decide whether to embrace her imperfect family or continue living in the comfort of their secrets.
Savages (Claude Barras)
In Borneo, near the tropical forest, Kéria rescues and takes in a baby orangutan found on the plantation where her father works. At the same moment, her cousin Selaï finds refuge with them to escape the raging conflict that pits his nomadic family against the multinationals that enrich themselves through deforestation. Together, Kéria, Selaï and the baby orangutan called Oshi face countless obstacles in the fight against the destruction of the forest.
Their universe is threatened by human stupidity and greed, a calamity that our protagonists try to confront by dreaming of a world that would be more just and more respectful of nature. In the same way, Kéria will get to discover and revalue her origins and her deepest self.
Ride above (Christian Duguay)
Born and raised among horses, Zoe leads a happy life driven by the dream of one day a rider as his father. Zoe’s favorite horse gives birth to a foal they call Storm.
She will be the first to see in him the champion that her family has always been waiting but an accident will leave her with serious sequelae.
All stirred up! (Manon Brian)
Sonia is a customs officer in a small border village in Quebec. When her daughter Lili-Beth enters the Little Chefs competition, the mother fears that her child will once again be a victim of bullying, especially since she has no cooking experience.
Sonia manages to convince Victor, a French chef living in New York with whom the first contact did not go very well, to show her daughter the basics of cooking and teach her a dish that could help her win. When the recipe practiced by Lili-Beth turns out to be a real delight, all the inhabitants – initially reluctant to help Sonia – rally behind the new pride of the region.
Princes of the desert (Éric Barbier)
When Zodi, a Berber boy, finds Tehu, a baby camel, he takes him under his wing with no hesitation. Over the months Zodi and Tehu bond together and Zodi discovers the camel’s amazing racing skills. When Tehu catches the attention of Tarek a cruel merchant, Zodi decides to save his friend and flee. Together they will cross the Sahara to take part in the race of the century. If they win, Zodi can save Tehu and his village.
Chased by Tarek, Zodi will find a friend in Julia, a smart vet. The boy and the camel have started the most incredible journey…
