San Francisco International Film Festival: Up, Up and Away April 29, 2007

Everyone has dreamed at least once of rising into the atmosphere and soaring through the clouds. For some it is a fantasy, for others a way to escape the harsh realities of everyday life. For a special few, flying is their destiny. This diverse collection of short films from around the globe will carry away viewers young and old. No plane tickets or passports necessary.

First Flight
A meticulously organized businessman's daily commute is thrown for a loop when he unwittingly becomes a flying instructor for a newborn bird, and in turn learns an important life-changing lesson of his own. (Cameron Hood, Kyle Jefferson, USA 2006, 8 min.)

Dorme
In this magical voyage into the world of dreams, a young boy is lulled to sleep by an enchanting melody that leads him on a nighttime adventure. (Sylvia Binsfield, USA 2006, 7 min.) In GGA competition.

Knuffle Bunny
Mo Willems’ 2005 Caldecott Award-winning book is brought to life in this charming tale of a father-daughter trip to the laundromat that goes terribly wrong. (Maciek Albrecht, USA 2006, 10 min.) In GGA competition.

Ricochet
The politics of life are played out on the playground in a game of marbles, and a young girl learns the important difference between right and wrong. (V. Sarah Gurevick, France 2006, 6 min.) In GGA competition.

The Fan and the Flower
Paul Giamatti lends his voice to this enchanted tale of star-crossed lovers whose only barrier is the precious space between the ceiling and the floor. (Bill Plympton, USA 2006, 8 min.) In GGA competition.

I Want to Be a Pilot
Deep in the Kiberia slums of East Africa, young orphan Omondi dreams of life as a pilot and the journeys that will take him far away from his life of poverty. (Diego Quemada-Diez, USA 2006, 11 min.)

Peter Pan Has Grown Up and John Lennon Is Dead
Peter Pan has become an old man, but he and his trusted companion Tinker Bell still have a little pixie dust to deliver to some children whose hopes and dreams need rekindling. (Alexandre Charlet, France 2006, 11 min.)

Ride of the Mergansers
Every spring, just 24 hours after hatching, the mama hooded merganser leads her young hatchlings to make the perilous leap from their nest high in the trees to the world far below. (Steve Furman, USA 2006, 11 min.) In GGA competition.

—Keith Zwölfer

Total running time 72 min. Recommended for ages seven and up.

Official Website: http://fest07.sffs.org/films/film_details.php?id=113