FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Danielle Garnier
pressoffice@chicagofilmfestival.com
CINEYOUTH FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES GKIDS’ NOCTURNA AS OPENING NIGHT FILM
CHICAGO, (April 21, 2016) – Cinema/Chicago and the Chicago International Film Festival proudly present the Chicago premiere of GKIDS Nocturna as the Opening Night film of their CineYouth Festival.
As an internationally competitive film festival for students ages 22 and younger, the 12th annual CineYouth Festival will premiere Nocturna Thursday, May 5th at 6:00PM at Columbia College Chicago (1104 South Wabash, 8th Floor in Chicago). The film runs 88 minutes, is in English and is appropriate for all ages. The screening will be immediately followed by a fun-filled reception that will include hot dogs, cotton candy, a button making station and more. Admission is free and open to the public. RSVP required by emailing cineyouth@chicagofilmfestival.com
“We are so excited to present Nocturna as our Opening Night film this year,” said Rebecca Fons, CineYouth Festival Director and Education Director at the Chicago International Film Festival. “The film is delightful – I know families and film lovers alike will be charmed by the magic and imagination of the film, and we couldn’t be happier to present an internationally-made animated film to kick off CineYouth.”
GKIDS is the leading distributor of top-caliber animated films from around the world. Nocturna was directed by Adrià García and Víctor Maldonado and the music by French composer Nicolas Errera and released in the US in 2014. This will be the film’s Chicago premiere.
Supported by Presenting Partners Bloomberg Philanthropies and Columbia College Chicago, CineYouth continues through May 7th with free film screenings of short films made by filmmakers 22 years old and younger. The full schedule, as well as details about Opening Night can be found here: http://www.chicagofilmfestival.com/cineyouth/schedule-and-films/
NOCTURNA
Visually stunning and wildly inventive, this film explores the mystery of the night in a sweeping nocturnal adventure full of Alice in Wonderland-like characters and moody, dream-inspired landscapes. Have you ever wondered why your hair looks funny in the morning or where the sounds outside your window come from at night? A young boy named Tim finds out after an unusual discovery on the rooftop of his orphanage plunges him into the secret world of Nocturna, inhabited by curious creatures who control the night.
There are hairdressers who specialize in bed-heads, dream writers, and a vast herd of guardian cats led by the gigantic Cat Shepherd. Yet this world is in danger: the stars in the sky are disappearing, kids are becoming restless at night, and a mysterious shadow creature is haunting the empty streets, extinguishing anything that gives off light. If Tim and the Cat Shepherd can’t set things right, nighttime will never be the same! Bold anime-influenced character design and beautiful, fluid 2D animation help to create a fantastic dream world that balances the magical with a touch of menace. Tim and the audience ultimately learn that the night doesn’t have to be so scary after all.
ABOUT CINEMA/CHICAGO
Cinema/Chicago is a not-for-profit arts and education organization dedicated to encouraging better understanding between cultures and to making a positive contribution to the art form of the moving image. CineYouth is one of the year-round programs presented by Cinema/Chicago, which also include the Chicago International Film Festival Television Awards, Chicago International Film Festival, International Screenings Program, Education Program and Members Film Series. Celebrating its 52nd edition this year, the Chicago International Film Festival is North America’s longest-running competitive film festival.
ABOUT GKIDS
GKIDS is a New York-based distributor of award-winning feature animation for both adult and family audiences. Since 2009, the company has scored eight Best Animated Feature Oscar nominations – second only to Disney – with The Secret of Kells in 2010, A Cat in Paris and Chico & Rita in 2012, Ernest & Celestine in 2014, The Tale of The Princess Kaguya and Song of the Sea in 2015, and Boy and the World and When Marnie Was There in 2016.
Current and upcoming releases include Only Yesterday from master director Isao Takahata and Studio Ghibli, April and the Extraordinary World, the new sci-fi adventure from the producers of Persepolis, and Phantom Boy, the highly-anticipated new feature from the Academy Award-nominated directors of A Cat in Paris. GKIDS also handles North American theatrical distribution for the famed Studio Ghibli library of films, one of the world’s most coveted animation collections with titles Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke and others.
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