Baltic premiere
Kensuke's Kingdom
A young boy and his family set off on a sailing trip of a lifetime. Excitement turns to terror when a violent storm erupts and Michael and his dog, Stella, are swept overboard. They are washed up onto a remote island, terrified and struggling to survive. One day, Michael discovers he is not alone when he is confronted by a mysterious Japanese man who has lived there secretly since World War Two. As dangerous invaders threaten their fragile island paradise, Michael and the old man, Kensuke, join forces to save their secret world.
Age recommendation: 9+
Kirk Hendry wrote and directed the multi-award-winning short "Junk", which has been selected at over 150 film festivals worldwide. He has directed commercials for The World Wildlife Fund, Ardbeg whiskey, The Guardian newspaper and won Gold Promax awards for his popular ITV "Dancing On Ice" polar bear promos.
Filmography:
Junk (2011), Kensuke's Kingdom (2023)
Neil Boyle is a director and animator with credits that include "Love, Death + Robots", "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald", "Tom and Jerry", "The Simpsons", "Ethel & Ernest", "Who Framed Roger Rabbit", and "Space Jam".
Neil was lead animator on the hugely successful 24-minute short film "The Snowman and the Snowdog", which was screened on Channel 4 during Christmas to 11 million viewers.
Neil directed and co-wrote the short film "The Last Belle", which premiered at the London Film Festival. It was also nominated for Best British Short Film at the Edinburgh Film Festival and won Best Animation at the Rhode Island International Film Festival.
Filmography:
The Last Belle (2011), Made Up (2016), Kensuke's Kingdom (2023)
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