Ana’s Playground to Show at Augsburg College This Saturday, March 6
A story about a film documentary called “Ana’s Playground” was one of the first posts I published at IMS. At the time, the movie had just finished filming and was in the post production stage. The film has a very Minnesota connection because the screenplay was written by Mounds View native, director, and writer Eric Howell and it was filmed in the Cedar Riverside area.
The film “Ana’s Playground” opens on a rag-tag group of children in an unidentified, war-torn country who are playing soccer while listening to a professional match. When their ball flies out of reach, our hero Ana is unexpectedly forced into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a sniper. As the contest on the radio heats up, Ana, her friends and the sniper all listen intently to the broadcast. In a fleeting moment, Ana forges a connection with her enemy – a mutual respect born of the recognition of worthy and sporting adversaries. However, the shared moment passes and the no man’s land swallows them up once again, with soccer, and sport in general, representing what’s left of their receding youth.
“Ana’s Playground” avoids political or regional stereotypes. Its focus is on the effects of war on children, rather than on the political or racial differences in a particular conflict.
Since my last article published in late November 2008 the movie has won many awards including:
Audience Choice Award – Sedona Film Festival
Int’l Spirit Award – Sedona Film Festival
Best Live Action Short Film – Santa Barbara Film Festival (Academy Qualifying 2010)
Best Int’l Short Film – Foyle Film Festival (Academy Qualifying 2010)
Best Screenplay – Los Angeles Int’l Short Film Festival
Best Short Film – Norwich Int’l Film Festival
Best of the Fest – Norwich Int’l Film Festival
Best Dramatic Short Film – New Hampshire Film Festival
Best Short FIlm – Cenflo Film Festival
This Saturday, as part of Augsburg College’s Nobel Peace Prize Forum, Ana’s Playground will be shown at 3:30 PM CT at Melby Hall with a Q&A directly following it. The Screening is OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. Cost is $10.00
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Go see this. It is fantastic.
Is there going to be another showing?
Next local screening is this Sunday at the Walker Art Center: Sunday, March 14, 2010 – 1:00 pm Cinema$8 ($6 Walker and… http://fb.me/6aOWnGT