Sumo Lake is a rapid, animated re-telling of the story of the ballet “Swan Lake” using sumo wrestlers and a giant lizard in a leotard. It uses only the traditional tools of paper, pencils and coffee. The short offers a combination of bulk and grace, fury and tenderness. Sumo Lake has been making the film festival rounds all over the world. Watch this twist on a classic ballet.
Also check out Junko’s Shamisen for a modern spin on a Japanese tale.
Sumo Lake
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This animated short tells the story of Kwan Ming, a man who left China to live and work in the New World. Once at destination, Kwan Ming and three traveling companions look for work but find nothing. When opportunities finally arise, Kwan Ming lets his friends have the best jobs and takes a lowly position (tailor, shoemaker and baker) as helper to a mean storeowner. His cruel boss makes three impossible demands: that Kwan Ming find him a woolen suit that never tears, boots that never wear out and bread that won’t go stale. Kwan Ming’s generosity of spirit pays off when his friends come to his aid.
The 7 minute short film directed by Christine Amber Tang is based on the story by Paul Yee in the book “Tales from Gold Mountain: Stories of the Chinese in the New World”. See more short films geared towards kids: Asthma Tech, The Chinese Violin and Jaime Lo, small and shy.
The Friends of Kwan Ming : short film
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Here’s an old short film that made the round in 2002. Stand–up comic Rex Navarrete produced the Maritess vs. The Superfriends based on his live comedy routine. Here’s a synopsis:
Did you ever wonder why whenever you’d watch “The Superfriends” on a Saturday morning way back in the day, that the Hall of Justice was kept so nice and clean? Well, it was because of their Filipina maid (Maritess) who you never saw. We’ve all heard about the plight of all the Overseas Foreign Workers leaving the Philippines in the thousands just to find jobs good enough to send money back to their families in the islands. Many of them still suffer disgraceful working and living conditions beyond our comprehension, oftentimes silently.
Even our own Superfriends can treat these domestic laborers very much in the same manner and this one of their stories…
The audio and visuals have been re-rendered in HD. To get more out of this short, it helps to have an understanding of the Superfriends. You can also download the track on 
.
Maritess vs The Superfriends
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Filmmaker Jonathan Ng turns the notion of otherness on its head in his semi-autobiographical animated short about young, whimsical, asthmatic Winston. His asthma prevents him from participating in everyday activities such as gym and recess with the rest of his classmates. To cope, he spends most of his time indoors drawing and discovers a fantasy world where his medical burdens become his method of flight. Then one rainy day, Winston and all his classmates become trapped inside. Winston charms and dazzles his peers and lets them all in on his special talent. He learns that his imagination has the power to bridge gaps, transform and empower.
The 7 minute short is directed by Jonathan Ng.
See more short films geared towards kids: The Chinese Violin and Jaime Lo, small and shy.
Asthma Tech : short film
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Jaime Lo, a shy Chinese-Canadian girl, observes the world around her through her drawings. When her father is sent to Hong Kong for a year-long work assignment, Jaime Lo must use her creativity to cope with his absence. This story offers us a lighthearted glimpse into a common dilemma that many immigrant families face, where one parent must work overseas in order to provide for the rest of the family back home.
“Jaime Lo, small and shy” is geared toward children age 5 to 9 with vibrant animation brings a cultural tale alive. The film was directed by Lillian Chan.
See more short films geared towards kids: The Chinese Violin
Jaime Lo, small and shy : short film
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In the animated short “The Chinese Violin”, a young girl Lin Lin and her father move from China to Canada, bringing with them one of their most treasured possessions, a traditional Chinese violin, along for the journey. As they face the challenge of starting fresh in a new place, the music of the violin connects them to the life they left behind and guides the girl towards a musical future. From the beauty of their new country to the uneasiness of not fitting in, this violin sees them through all their experiences, good and bad. One day, however, a terrible misfortune occurs when the Chinese violin is broken.
The story is told from the child’s perspective and based on the children’s book “The Chinese Violin” by Madeleine Thien. Joe Chang illustrated the book as well as directed the short film.
The Chinese Violin : short film
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