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The Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth is hosting its first free outdoor screening featuring Kahlil Gibran’s The Prophet to celebrate the festival's 20th anniversary.
"The Prophet was an opening night film at the festival two years ago. It was a real hit with festival goers and we wanted to bring it back. There was a lot of interest," says festival director Venay Felton.
The animated film is based on a book of poetry by the same name and is co-produced by Vancouver's Bardel Entertainment. The Prophet was written and directed by Roger Allers (The Lion King) and is set in a Mediterranean seaside village.
The film follows Kamila (Salma Hayek), a mother who cleans house for exiled poet Mustafa (Liam Neeson). Kamila and her daughter Almitra (Quvenzhané Wallis) embark on a journey with Mustafa to take him home but must evade the authorities that fear his words will incite rebellion.
Gibran's poetry is interspersed with animation sequences by award-winning filmmakers including Tomm Moore (The Secret of Kells) and Nina Paley (Sita Sings the Blues).
"Some of the subject matter covered may be a little over the head of children but the animation is so accessible that all ages will enjoy it. The adults will like it too," says Felton.
The film will start at sundown, at about 9:15 p.m. on July 13 at Ron Basford Park on Granville Island.
Families are invited to attend a free animation workshop with VR productions from the National Film Board (NFB) before the screening inside Performance Works from 5 to 9 p.m.
The VR film titles are Cardboard Crash, Tidal Traces and Blind Vaysha.
The 2019 Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth runs from April 7 to 13.
