The 2019 ICFF Youth program will feature 12 films, burgeoning from an Italian film festival to a marvellous multicultural celebration of film, which includes 2 Canadian-made movies: La Légende de Sarila (The Legend of Sarila) and Nelly et Simon: Mission Yéti (Nelly and Simon: Mission Yeti).

The International Contemporary Film Festival Youth returns with another fantastic program from April 8th to the 13^th. Presented by IC Savings, ICFF Youth continues to grow, now featuring more international films than ever. Screenings will take place at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto, Cineplex Yorkdale, Cineplex Cinemas in Vaughan and SilverCity Richmond Hill.

The 2019 line-up features movies in Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin and Cantonese with English subtitles.

La Légende de Sarila (French)(The Legend of Sarila) is a Canadian animated movie based on Inuit culture and tradition. Set in northern Canada in 1910, it tells the story of three young Inuits, who head for the legendary land of Sarila in search of food for their clan.

Leo Da Vinci: Missione Monna Lisa (Italian) (Leo Da Vinci: Mission Mona Lisa) is a North American premiere and a co-production between Italy and Poland. It tells the tale of a brilliant inventor who finds himself on an adventure to find a hidden treasure to help his friend Lisa, who has lost everything.

L’Odyssée (French) (The Odyssey) is another North American premiere that showcases thirty years in the life of Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau. This film highlights the renowned researcher, scientist, inventor and filmmaker in his endeavours to discover a new world below the seas, and in his achievement to raise environmental awareness.

Lorax (Portuguese) (The Lorax) is a Dr. Seuss classic. An animated film with a star-studded cast, including Danny DeVito, Taylor Swift, Zac Efron, Ed Helms, and Betty White, The Lorax sees 12-year-old Ted wanting to impress the girl of his dreams. But to do so, he needs the help an unknown forest creature. Standing in his way is a greedy developer that is threatening the natural habitat of this mysterious being. Ted must somehow help this creature and still try to impress his crush.

Nelly et Simon: Mission Yéti (French)(Nelly and Simon: Mission Yeti) follows a detective, Nelly, who accidentally crosses the path of an ambitious anthropology research assistant, Simon, when she stumbles into his research lab. Upon their acquaintance, Nelly learns that Simon is searching for evidence that a creature famous in urban legends, truly exists. Nelly uses her detective skills to help Simon and together they are determined to prove that the Abominable Snowman does indeed exist.

Otzi e il Mistero del Tempo (Italian)(Otzi and the Mystery of Time) tells the tale of Kip, a young boy passionate about anthropology, who discovers that Otzi, the Ice Man really exists. One evening when Kip is at a museum, something extraordinary happens… the glacier mummy comes to life. With the help of his friends, Kip has to keep Otzi a secret from the rest of the world, but quickly learns, that is the least of his worries.

Pipì, Pupù e Rosmarina: il Mistero delle Note Rapite (Italian)(Pipì, Pupù and Rosemary: The Mystery of the Stolen Notes) is a comedic, heartfelt and educational animated film. This children’s movie introduces classic operatic works to its young audience, including L’italiana in Algeri by Rossini, Don Quichotte by Massenet and Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. The story follows three protagonists, a bear, a bunny, and a bird, who are tasked with finding the thief who stole the musical notes for the “Great Concert of Midsummer”, without which the opera cannot take place.

Il Ragazzo Invisibile: Seconda Generazione (Italian)(The Invisible Boy: Second Generation) is an enticing sequel to Il Ragazzo Invisible, and continues the coming of age story about Michele, who is sorting through his transition from a child to a teenager. In Seconda Generazione, Michele must deal with the overwhelming knowledge of having a long-lost twin sister, and decide whether or not he can trust his biological mother. Just like in the first edition, the sound track is truly something special, adding suspense to every scene!

Belle et Sébastien (French)(Belle and Sebastien) is a wonderful story about friendship. Sébastien, an orphan boy, living with his grandfather César and his aunt Angélina in a small village in the beautiful landscapes of the French Alps in 1943, adopts a stray dog and names her Belle. Unfortunately, the inhabitants of the village think that Belle is a beast and want to get rid of her. But Sébastien is determined to save his new best friend.

兔侠之青黎传说 (Mandarin)(Legend of a Rabbit: The Martial of Fire) is another story of the great adventures of Fu. Now regarded as the protector of the village, Fu has to sharpen his kung fu skills, inherited from the grand master, to keep his community safe.

魯濱遜漂流記 (Cantonese)(The Wildlife) is the tale of an outgoing parrot named Tuesday who lives with his quirky animal friends in paradise. Tuesday can’t stop dreaming about discovering the world. After a violent storm, he and his friends wake up to find a strange creature on the beach named Robinson Crusoe. Many wild adventures ensue!

El Libro De La Vida (Spanish)(The Book of Life)is a harrowing tale of the great lengths one will go to be with the one he loves. Manolo, a compassionate bullfighter, goes on an unimaginable journey through three magical, mythical and wondrous worlds to be reunited with the love of his life, Maria. Little does he know that a bet has been placed on the outcome of his journey. What will Manolo encounter through the book of his life?

The ICFF Youth program is aimed at students aged 8-18, and works in close collaboration with the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) and York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB), inviting 4000 students from over 40 schools to see unique, challenging, and educational local and foreign-language films not usually available to young students.

TCDSB principal and ICFF Youth Director Joseph Cafiso states, “ We are constantly finding ways to draw attention to foreign films directed at youth, creating a learning environment that’s engaging and challenging, while promoting cultural exploration,” when speaking passionately about the upcoming program lineup.

Cristiano de Florentiis, Artistic Director of the ICFF Festival said, “We are thrilled about the expansion of our youth program in six short years, enabling us to create a broader festival reach among cultural communities. We seek to offer a variety of youth films in multiple languages, celebrating a way to learn about different cultures through film while enjoying and engaging in lively discussions.”

For movie and ticket information, visit http://www.icff.ca/youth