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Screening in Seattle!
Minneapolis (August 31, 2010) – Ana’s Playground, a short film about children living in armed conflict will screen on the opening night of the 1 Reel Film Festival, part of the 40th annual Bumbershoot: Seattle’s music and arts festival. Ana’s Playground will screen on Friday, September 3 along with a collection of other short films including: “Glenn Owen Dodds,” “Incident By A Bank,” “Ormie,” “Seeds of the Fall,” and “Zero”. The screening starts at 7:30 p.m. (doors open at 6:30 p.m.) at SIFF Cinema located at 321 Mercer Street at 3rd Avenue, McCaw Hall. Advance RSVP is required and additional information can be found here.
Ana’s Playground has qualified to be considered for an Academy Award® nomination in this years’ 83rd awards cycle due to wins at four Academy sanctioned festivals – the USA Film Festival in Dallas, Cleveland International Film Festival, Santa Barbara International Film Festival and Foyle Film Festival in Northern Ireland. Since the film’s release in September 2009, it has also won top honors at the Tiburon, Norwich, New Hampshire and Cenflo film festivals.
Set in a non-specific, war-torn country, Ana’s Playground is an examination of children living and dying in a world of armed combat. Told through the eyes of 11 year-old Ana, the story opens on a group of children playing soccer surrounded by signs of conflict. When their soccer ball is kicked into a sniper zone, Ana is sent in to retrieve it. Once inside, a dangerous game of cat and mouse ensues, as Ana becomes the sniper’s target. Viewers are kept guessing as to how the story will reach its ultimate conclusion — will their games end up in harmony or tragedy?
“Ana’s Playground is an allegory about the moment a child is forced to choose between humanity and ideology,” said filmmaker Eric Howell. “The film is not a political statement about a particular war or conflict, instead it directly examines the delicate nature of a child’s humanity and how the world at large is connected to and responsible for preserving it.”
Raven Bellefleur, an eleven year-old actress plays Ana, leading an all-Minnesotan cast and crew. Producers Jillian Nodland and Marsha Trainer worked hard to pull together and organize resources to shoot the film in November 2008 in the Twin Cities.
With a background that demonstrates a balance of studio films and independents, writer-director Eric Howell is on a mission to raise awareness for short films, as well as the plight of war-affected children around the globe. Early in his career, Howell developed his directing skills by working as a stuntman/ coordinator on numerous feature films including North Country, Joe Somebody, Fargo and A Simple Plan as well as hundreds of TV commercials and music videos. Howell has directed several short films as well as various episodic television projects. He continues to work in the industry writing and developing his own material.
“Our hope is that Ana’s Playground will entice audiences to explore more of the exceptional film work being done in the short film category,” said Howell. “Short films are covering ambitious subject matter and the quality of the final product looks like what audiences expect from feature-length films.”
The filmmakers are interested in partnering with corporations, foundations and individuals who can help sponsor Ana’s Playground at film festivals and screening events to help audiences learn more about war-affected children and organizations helping them.
Production
Production of Ana’s Playground was made possible entirely through charitable donations. George Lucas’s Skywalker Sound provided all sound engineering post-production; and the Coen brothers’ latest production A Serious Man donated much of the physical set support. A long list of other industry insiders also shows up in the film’s credits.
Awards
WINNER – Grand Prize – USA Film Festival (Academy Sanctioned Festival)l
WINNER – Best Narrative Short Film – Newport Beach International Film Festival
WINNER – Best Foreign Short Film – Rome Independent Film Festival
WINNER – Best Short Film – Cleveland International Film Festival (Academy Sanctioned Festival)
WINNER – Best Short Film – Tiburon Film Festival
WINNER – Audience Choice Award and International Spirit Award – Sedona Film Festival
WINNER – Best Live Action Short Film – Santa Barbara International Film Festival (Academy Sanctioned Festival)
WINNER – Best International Short Film – Foyle Film Festival (Academy Sanctioned Festival)
WINNER – Best Screenplay – Los Angeles International Short Film Festival
WINNER – Best Short Film and Best of the Fest – Norwich International Film Festival
WINNER – Best Dramatic Short Film – New Hampshire Film Festival
WINNER – Best Short Film – Cenflo Film Festival
Other screenings of Ana’s Playground taking place in September and October include the Montreal International Black Film Festival, Port Townsend Film Festival, International Conference on Children & War (Austria), Tacoma Film Festival, Heartland Film Festival (Indianapolis) and Valladolid International Film Festival (Spain).
For details on the film Ana’s Playground, to see an online media kit, or for more information about war-affected children, child soldiers and the organizations that support them, visit: www.anasplayground.com.
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Notes for media:
For an online, press-only opportunity to screen Ana’s Playground please contact Sarah Shamla.
Eric Howell, the writer-director of Ana’s Playground and Jillian Nodland and Marsha Trainer, producers from the film are all available for interviews.
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