Sixth Annual Children’s Film Symposium

Washington University’s Center for the Humanities and Program in Film & Media Studies, both in Arts & Sciences, will host their Sixth Annual Children’s Film Symposium Saturday, Nov. 21.

*Princess of the Sun* (2007)

Titled “An Exploration of Children’s Films and Their Audiences,” the daylong symposium is presented in conjunction with Cinema St. Louis. It will feature five screenings as well as a Q&A with Michael Barrier, an animation and comics historian and author of The Animated Man: A Life of Walt Disney (2007).

All events are free and open to the public and take place in Brown Hall Auditorium, located near the intersection of Forysth Boulevard and Hoyt Drive.

For more information, please call the Center for the Humanities at (314) 935-5576.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

10 a.m. Princess of the Sun (2007) Directed by Philippe Leclerk This funny, visually rich animated film centers on Akhesa, a 14-year-old princess who doesn’t have the slightest idea that one day she will rule Egypt. But after uncovering a plot to kill her father, Pharaoh Akhenaton, Akhesa and her future husband, Tut, journey to visit Queen Nefertiti, who has been exiled to Elaphantine Island. There both Akhesa and Tut grow from pampered children to independent and mature adults. In French with subtitles. Recommended for ages 10 and older.

1 p.m. Tahaan: A Boy With a Grenade (2008) Directed by Santosh Sivan This beautifully photographed live-action film follows eight-year-old Tahaan as he journeys across a difficult, war-torn country to bring home his beloved pet donkey. In Hindi with subtitles. Recommended for ages 12 and older.

*Egon & Donci* (2007)

3 p.m. Egon & Donci (2007) Directed by Adam Magyar Egon and Donci live together in an idyllic village on a small planet far, far away. Though both are aliens, Egon bears a striking resemblance to a human boy, and Donci is best described as an overweight cat. But their simple existence grows considerably more complicated when Voyager 3 flies into their lives, carrying a message from Earth. The language spoken is alien and there are no subtitles. Recommended for ages 12 and older.

5 p.m. West of Pluto (2008) Directed and written by Henry Bernadet and Myriam Verreault This French-Canadian film follows a handful of working-class teenagers over the course of 24 hours. Things begin innocuously enough, with a series of class presentations, but soon turn more serious, touching on issues of teenage boredom, unrequited love and sexual awakening. In French with English subtitles. Includes adult language and situations. Recommended for high school and older.

7:30 p.m. The Hollywood Cartoon Q&A with Michael Barrier Barrier conducts a guided tour of six favorite cartoons from the Walt Disney, Warner Bros. and MGM studios. Included are Beep Beep (directed by Chuck Jones for Warner Bros., 1952), Book Revue (Robert Clampett, Warner Bros., 1946), Fresh Airedale (Chuck Jones, Warner Bros., 1945), Little Rural Riding Hood (Tex Avery, MGM, 1949), Who Killed Cock Robin? (Disney, 1935) and Woodland Café (Disney, 1937). Recommended for ages 10 and older.