Special Event: Kensuke's Kingdom (Autism Friendly Screening) + Youth-made Short Films

Event details

This screening will be preceded by Anna and the Ninja and Superhero School, two youth-made short films created by young people from Castle Tower School Ballymena and Park School Belfast as part of Into Film's Every Child a Filmmaker initiative, generously supported by Amazon MGM Studios, and the The Wiggin Charitable Foundation. Our Every Child a Filmmaker initiative provides groups of young people with the opportunity to work with professional filmmakers and bring their stories to life through film.

These short films will be followed by Kensuke's Kingdom. 11-year-old Michael is sailing around the Pacific Ocean with his family: mum, dad, and his sister Becky. Unbeknownst to them, he has also smuggles the family dog, Stella, on board. Michael is so preoccupied about the dog's wellbeing that he forgets to think about his own, and during a violent storm they are thrown overboard and separated from the rest of the family. They wake on the beach of a remote island, shipwrecked and stranded. However Michael and Stella soon discover that they're not alone after encountering Kensuke, a Japanese man who has been living there for many years in the aftermath of World War II. Kensuke looks after them, helping them to survive, and also introduces Michael to his own delicate eco-system which is being threatened by outsiders. Kensuke's Kingdom is based on the beloved children's novel from Michael Morpurgo, featuring themes around the natural world and friendship.