Square Eyes - Film Foundation Benefit Screenings

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday 24 November 2009

Square Eyes - New Zealand Children's Film Foundation Benefit Screenings

Exclusive WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE Opening Night Screening
6.00pm, Thursday 3 December 2009 at the Embassy Theatre, Wellington

Exclusive FANTASTIC MR. FOX Preview Screening
1.00pm, Saturday 12 December 2009 at the Embassy Theatre, Wellington

Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for children; available at the Embassy Theatre box office from Wednesday 25 November.
Cash only please.

See two of the most anticipated films to hit the big screen this season, with proceeds to support the aims, objectives and initiatives of Square Eyes - New Zealand Children’s Film Foundation, a non-profit charitable trust dedicated to presenting quality and diverse film to a young New Zealand audience.

On Thursday 3 December 2009 Square Eyes in partnership with the Embassy Theatre, will hold an opening night benefit screening of WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, the Spike Jonze directed Warner Bros. live-action adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s Caldecott-winning picture book of the same name. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE is a classic story about childhood and the places we go to figure out the world we live in.

On Saturday, 12 December 2009, Square Eyes in partnership with the Embassy Theatre, will host an exclusive preview screening of FANTASTIC MR. FOX, the Wes Anderson directed Twentieth Century Fox stop-motion adaptation of Roald Dahl’s best selling children’s book. FANTASTIC MR. FOX is a touching and funny, magically absurd - and at the same time pointedly real story about how all of us are pretty fantastic, given our individual skills and talents.

Proceeds from these two screenings will assist Square Eyes - New Zealand Children's Film Foundation as they work to enrich, educate, engage, enlighten, and entertain young audiences through film.

Please come and support Square Eyes in their efforts to introduce young New Zealand audiences to unique film experiences with your attendance.

ABOUT SQUARE EYES
www.square-eyes.co.nz

SQUARE EYES New Zealand Children's Film Foundation enthusiastically promotes the importance and impact of quality filmmaking, film availability and media literacy.

A not-for-profit organisation with charitable status dedicated to providing quality and diverse film experiences for young New Zealand audiences, Square Eyes was formally launched at the 2005 New Zealand International Film Festival, and has continued this partnership with inclusion in the Festivals programming over the last four years. In 2006 and 2007 Square Eyes ran a monthly Sunday film programme entitled Around the World Passport which is scheduled for return in 2011. In March 2010 Square Eyes has a full day of film programmed within the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts.

As the only organisation of its kind in the country, Square Eyes introduces young New Zealand audiences to a selection of imaginative, original and consistent film, helping to define a more compelling and thought provoking national children’s film culture.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
www.wherethewildthingsare.com

United States, Spike Jonze, 2009, 94mins
Rated PG for thematic elements, some adventure action and brief profanity, Square Eyes recommends WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE for ages 9 to adult. Please see www.square-eyes.co.nz or further detail of age recommendation.

"Everything we’ve ever seen, everything we’ve ever done, and everything we’ve ever loved.”

Innovative director Spike Jonze collaborates with celebrated author Maurice Sendak to bring one of the most beloved books of all time to the big screen in WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE tells the story of Max, a rambunctious and sensitive boy who feels misunderstood at home and escapes to where the Wild Things are. Max lands on an island where he meets mysterious and strange creatures whose emotions are as wild and unpredictable as their actions. The Wild Things desperately long for a leader to guide them, just as Max longs for a kingdom to rule. When Max is crowned king, he promises to create a place where everyone will be happy. But Max soon finds that ruling his kingdom is not so easy, and his relationships there prove to be more complicated than he originally thought.

Profoundly beautiful, unique and affecting, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE is whimsical movie magic at its heartfelt best - examining themes of loss, isolation, insecurity, power and of course, growing up.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Legendary Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures, a Playtone/Wild Things Production of a Spike Jonze film: WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, starring Catherine Keener, Max Records and Mark Ruffalo, Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper, James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara and Forest Whitaker.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE is directed by Spike Jonze from a screenplay by Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers, based on the book by Maurice Sendak. Produced by Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, Maurice Sendak, John Carls and Vincent Landay, with Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and Bruce Berman serving as executive producers. The creative team includes director of photography Lance Acord, production designer K.K. Barrett and editor Eric Zumbrunnen. Music is by Karen O and Carter Burwell. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures. Soundtrack Album is available on DGC/Interscope Records.

FANTASTIC MR. FOX
www.fantasticmrfoxmovie.com

United Kingdom, Wes Anderson, 2009, 87mins
Rated PG for thematic elements, smoking and suggested profanity, Square Eyes recommends FANTASTIC MR. FOX for ages 7 to adult. Please see www.square-eyes.co.nz for further detail of age recommendation.

“Fantastic by name. Fantastic by nature.”

FANTASTIC MR. FOX is visionary director Wes Anderson’s first animated film, utilising classic handmade stop motion techniques to tell the story of the best selling children’s book by Roald Dahl.

Mr. and Mrs. Fox live an idyllic home life with their son Ash and visiting young nephew Kristofferson. But, after 12 years, the bucolic existence proves too much for Mr. Fox's wild animal instincts. Soon he slips back into his old ways as a sneaky chicken thief, and in doing so endangers not only his own beloved family, but the whole animal community. Trapped underground with not enough food to go round, the animals band together to fight against the evil farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean, who are determined to capture the audacious, fantastic Mr. Fox at any cost.

Hip with heart, and bursting with sly wit and energy, FANTASTIC MR. FOX is bound to leave everyone feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.

Twentieth Century Fox presents, in association with Indian Paintbrush and Regency Enterprises, an American Empirical pictures production of a Wes Anderson film: FANTASTIC MR FOX, featuring the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Wally Wolodarsky, Eric Anderson, Michael Gambon, Adrien Brody, Jarvis Cocker and Owen Wilson.

FANTASTIC MR. FOX is directed by Wes Anderson from a screenplay by Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach, based on the book by Roald Dahl. Produced by Allison Abbate, Scott Rudin, Wes Anderson and Jeremy Dawson, with Steven Rales and Arnon Milchan serving as executive producers. The creative team includes animation director Mark Gustafson, director of photography Tristan Oliver, production designer Nelson Lowry and supervising editor Andrew Weisblum. Music compositon is by Alexandre Desplat, music supervision is by Randall Poster. FANTASTIC MR. FOX will be distributed worldwide by Twentieth Century Fox. Soundtrack Album is available on ABKCO Records.

The Embassy Theatre is located at 10 Kent Terrace, Wellington.

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