Ana's Playground (2009)

An allegory about the moment when a child is forced to choose between ideology and humanity while living and playing in a dangerous war environment.

Director:

Eric D. Howell

Writer:

Eric D. Howell

Stars:

Noah Kol Balfour, Raven Bellefleur, Immonuel Grace

2 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Noah Kol Balfour	...	Sniper
Raven Bellefleur	...	Ana
Immonuel Grace	...	Boy #2
Reike Hall	...	Boy #1
Alaina Lucy Rivera	...	Young Girl

Storyline

Ana's Playground depicts just another day for children surrounded by armed conflict. When Ana is forced into a sniper zone to retrieve a soccer ball, she finds herself in a game of cat-and-mouse with a mysterious shooter. As their interaction comes to a head, she and her friends make the ultimate decision, showing that a moment of humanity can quickly be lost in an environment of war and violence.

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Plot Keywords:

playground | children | play | human rights | educational

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Taglines:

Living in war changes the hearts of men and the souls of children.

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Genres:

Short | Drama | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 April 2010 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

18 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Art direction has won AIGA award for environmental and graphic design. Ana's Playground won the Best Screenplay award at the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival.

User Reviews

Children in an urban war zone respond to a life-threatening crisis

Ana's Playground was screened earlier tonight at the Minneapolis Film Festival with an array of wonderful short films. Ana's Playground stunned the sold out auditorium. Writer/Director Eric D. Howell has created and crafted a riveting story about children and war. Ana's Playground looks right, sounds right and plays shockingly right in its urban war zone setting - one of those pockets of rubble, shredded flesh and monochromatic color that exist in Gaza, Baghdad, Rwanda, Bosnia, Dresden and Detroit in the mid-1960's. Only 16 minutes long, the film succeeds at the highest levels of the short story form by making its point dramatically, believably and quickly. It does so while generating untempered tension. I rank it with "Grave of the Fireflies" (Japan), "The Road" (U.S.) and "Turtles Can Fly" (Iran/Iraq) in its honest portrayal of a child's point of view regarding the terrible worlds that grown-ups have had no-business foisting on them.