TORONTO -- Body image, cultural identity and the effects of political conflict on children are some of the topics in the 33 films from 15 countries in the school program line-up for the sixth Sprockets Toronto Intl. Film Festival for Children (April 25 to May 4).
Among them are U.S. film "Mai's America," from Marlo Poras, about a Vietnamese girl whose Hollywood dreams are shattered when she ends up in rural Mississippi on a school exchange. The documentary won the Golden Gate Certificate at the San Francisco Intl. Film Festival and the top doc award at Indie Memphis.
Directed by Richard Ciupka, "The Mysterious Miss C.," is a Canadian film based on the French novel, "La Mysterieuse Bibliothecaire" by Dominique Demers, about a teacher who disappears into the books she reads and must be rescued by her students.
Also on the slate are "Elina," from Klaus Haro of Sweden, and "What Do You Believe?" a doc exploring teens and spirituality made pre-9-11 by Sarah Feinbloom of the U.S.
Some 8,000 tix were sold for the school program last year, double that of the previous year.
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