The Cedar-Riverside skyline is turned into a war-ravaged neighborhood in “Ana’s Playground,” a 20-minute film about the impact of war and violence on children that is receiving its premiere public screening Saturday at the close of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum at Augsburg College.
The film, which features five young actors from the Twin Cities, was financed entirely with charitable donations, and its purpose is to raise support for organizations that aid or advocate for children impacted by war or violence. Those who see the film after this weekend’s debut are likely to be attending some kind of fund-raising event.
It may be a short and threadbare-financed film, but there’s nothing small-potatoes about it. For instance, Skywalker Sounds, the mammoth production company run by “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, provided all the post-production sound engineering. And when the film was shot more than a year ago during a cold November in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, the crew for Oscar winners Joel and Ethan Coen took time out from the local filming of “A Serious Man” to help out.
The trailer for ‘Ana’s Playground.’
Receiving accolades at film festivals
Most significantly, “Ana’s Playground” has been getting accolades at international film festivals since it was released last September. Just last week it won the “Audience Choice Award” and the “International Spirit Award” at the highly regarded Sedona Film Festival in Arizona. And awards received at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in California, where it was named “Best Live Action Short Film,” and the 2009 Foyle Film Festival in Northern Ireland (“Best International Short Film”) mean that “Ana’s Playground” qualifies as a potential nominee for the 2011 Academy Awards.
The film is an allegorical tale about children living in some unspecified place where they are surrounded by armed conflict. Ana, played by 11-year-old Raven Bellefleur, becomes the target of a sniper when she runs into a killing zone to retrieve a soccer ball. The “game” that ensues is without dialogue — as is the entire film.
Director and writer Eric Howell says he has been working on “Ana’s Playground” for most of the past decade and still isn’t entirely finished with it. “It’s part of a larger feature-length script that is an anthology of stories,” Howell said Monday during a telephone interview while he was waiting for a flight home from the film festival in Arizona.
Began making movies as a teen
Howell is the product of Minnesota’s fecund, yet struggling, film industry. As a teenager, he tried making movies with an 8-millimeter camera. He later worked on crews for films like “The Mighty Ducks,” “Iron Will,” “Fargo” and “North Country,” and he eventually wound up in California.
“But I never studied film in school,” he said. “Everything I learned was on the set. I was directing television in Los Angeles and I realized that I needed to learn how to write. So I came back (to the Twin Cities) and went through the program at Minneapolis Community and Technical College, which is great.”
The early version of the script for “Ana’s Playground” grew out of a writing exercise and it cooked for years before Howell and producers Jillian Nodland and Marsha Trainer assembled the means to film it. Meanwhile, Howell claimed some notoriety when he decided to use the Internet as the debut screening room for another of his short films, “The Interview.”
Cedar-Riverside can be recognized
Those familiar with the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood in Minneapolis will recognize buildings from time to time while watching “Ana’s Playground,” though much of the setting will probably seem unfamiliar, along with a prominent sculpture that was created by art students at Augsburg College.
By avoiding any explanation for the violence taking place in Ana’s world, the film makes a powerful argument about the irrational nature of armed conflicts. Its main focus, however, is on the children who are growing up — if they survive — in that place.
“Ana’s Playground” will be screened at 3:15 p.m. Saturday in Augburg’s Melby Hall gymnasium, followed by a discussion with Howell and the production team. It’s part of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum, though $10 tickets can be purchased for the screening. Go here for details. You can also go here to watch an online interview with Howell.
