Festival of German Films 3

The Festival of German Films closes tomorrow. I saw Hui Buh yesterday, can't fit anything in today and am hoping to see the 'surprise film', Bluthochzeit, tomorrow.

Hui Buh – das Schlossgespenst (Hui Buh - The Goofy Ghost, Sebastian Niemann, 2006)
It may come as no surprise that Hui Buh - The Goofy Ghost is aimed at children. I think it's generous of the Festival of German Films to have applied for an OFLC classification - it costs money, I believe - making the film accessible to children. It has a G (General Audiences) classification, and is very much like a Disney film, suitable for pre-schoolers and primary school-age children.

It consists of actors who interact with various computer-generated characters, mostly ghosts of a fairly cartoonish type. The look of the film was great, the cinematography, sets, lighting and costumes used both lush colours and a darkness that would depict a faux scariness without freaking out the little 'uns.

While Hui Buh is not a stand-out film in any way, it is very enjoyable for children but perhaps a bit stereotypical for adults. For me the fun came from watching the effect on my six year old son who laughed aloud regularly, as did other children in the audience. He wanted to see it again. To the credit of the festival, they've made world cinema available to children on the big screen, which we don't often see from film festivals.

Previous posts: Festival of German Films 1 & 2. List of films screened.