Nassau, Bahamas –
Ana’s Playground, a short film about
children living in armed conflict has been accepted to screen at the
Bahamas
International Film Festival. Ana’s
Playground will screen twice – once on
Sunday, December 13,
2009 at 11 a.m. at Galleria JFK Cinema Theatre 2 and again on Monday, December
14 at 5:30 p.m. at Galleria JFK Cinema Theatre 3. Ana’s Playground has won awards at
four of the past six film festivals it has screened including most recently,
its "Best International Short" win at the Oscar-qualifying 2009 Foyle
Film Festival in Northern
Ireland.
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 the 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. Connected through the power of sport, the characters all
listen to the same professional soccer game which plays in the background. Viewers
will be 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.”
The objective of Ana’s Playground is to raise awareness
about how war and violence affect children by communicating with the largest
audience possible. There’s also an opportunity to provide
information about organizations working to improve the lives of children living in violent
conditions.
“Ana’s Playground
powerfully communicates the effects of armed conflict on children trying to
play” said Johann Koss, president and CEO of Right to Play. “The
film’s conclusion will resonate with viewers leaving behind a powerful
message audiences will be unable to forget.”
Raven Bellefleur, an eleven year-old actress plays Ana, leading an
all-Minnesotan cast, and producers Marsha Trainer
and Jillian Nodland worked hard to
pull together and organize resources to shoot the film in one cold November
week 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, but also 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. Short films have simply never
had the same kind of exposure. So we’ll continue to get the word
out and let more people in on the secret.”
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:
Ana’s Playground won “Best International Short Film”
at the 2009 Foyle Film Festival (a 2010 Oscars-qualifying film festival),
“Best Short Drama” at the 2009 New Hampshire Film Festival,
“Best Short Film” and “Best of Fest” at the 2009
Norwich International Film Festival (Norwich, England)
and ‘Best Short Film” at the Cenflo Film Fest. Ana’s Playground is based on
a script that also won the best screenplay award at the 2006 Los Angeles
International Short Film Festival.
BIFF is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing the local community and
international visitors with a diverse presentation of films from around the world. For more information on BIFF please visit our website at www.bintlfilmfest.com or call 242-356-5939