Supa Modo
83 MIN
Director: Crestwood Elementary 4th Graders
Screenwriter: Crestwood Elementary 4th Graders
Editor: Luke Bassuener
Music: Shawn Weber McMahon, Crestwood Elementary 5th Graders
A Valkyrie's Tale
animation • English • 2018 • USA • 9 MIN
The fourth and fifth graders from Crestwood Elementary are back at it with this stop-motion, spectacular retelling of a Norse myth, using block-printed characters on hand-drawn construction paper backgrounds. (ZZ)
section: Wisconsin's Own
Director: Likarion Wainaina
Screenwriter: Wanjeri Gakuru, Gathoni Kamau
Producer: Sarika Hemi Lekhani, Marie Steinmann-Tykwer
Editor: Christian Kramer, Charity Kuria
Cast: Stycie Waweru, Marrianne Nungo, Nyawara Ndambia
Cinematographer: Enos Olik, Volker Tittel
Music: Sean Peevers
Supa Modo
live action • Swahili, Kikuyu, English with English subtitles • 2018 • DCP • Germany, Kenya • 74 MIN
Obsessed with Jackie Chan and action films, Jo, a brave and witty nine-year old, terminally ill girl, finds comfort in her dreams of being a superhero. When her mother takes her back to her rural village to live out the rest of her short life, her teenage sister Mwix motivates the entire village of Maweni to make Jo's dream come true. Stunning newcomer Stycie Waweru as Jo makes us believe that superheroes really do come in all ages, shapes and sizes in this tremendously moving drama. This honest and inspiring story about the strength of young people in the face of adversity is brought to us by first time feature filmmaker Likarion Wainaina (with the help of co-producer Tom Tykwer). Supa Modo won more than 20 prizes at international film festivals including the 2019 European Children's Film Association award. Content advisory: This uplifting film deals with difficult issues, including the impending death of a child. Age recommendation 11+ (KK)
Presented with support from SSM Health, the Goethe-Insitut, and UW-Madison African Studies Program
section: Big Screens Little Folks