AGES 7+
“How do you do and welcome to the zoo! My name’s Akiko let me share my point of view.” Young Akiko is tired of zookeepers making a monkey out of him, even though he is, zoologically speaking, a monkey. He also has a hunch that there’s “more to life than lunch.” With the strong support of his simian family, he plans an escape to the wild forest, embarking on an adventurous and joyful journey out of the cage and over the walls. Along the way, there’s some unexpected assistance from an eagle, a raccoon, a ferret, and a chameleon. Together, they will help him achieve his goal: to reunite with his family and help free all of the city’s animals. Veit Helmer (Baikonur, MVFF35)’s delightfully funny and musical mix of real live animals, silly humans, and playful puppetry is anchored by a deeper theme: dignity and freedom for all creatures. —K.D. Davis
THE HOOPLA!
SUNDAY, OCT. 5 | 1:00 - 3:00
MARIN COUNTRY MART • LARKSPUR
Kick off your Sunday with the adventurous Akiko the Flying Monkey (director Veit Helmer in person!) at the Smith Rafael Film Center, then hop over to the MVFF48 HOOPLA! for pony rides, a petting zoo, balloon sculptures, face painting, and treats from Shake Shack—all included with your morning ticket!
Veit Helmer
Veit Helmer began making films at 14 and went on to study film directing at HFF Munich. He made his feature directorial debut with Tuvalu(1999), the winner of a special jury award and the Audience Jury Award at Fantasporto. Among his other features are Absurdistan (2008), winner of the International Fantasy Film Award at Fantasporto; Baikonur(2011); Fiddlesticks (2014); The Bra (2018), winner of Best Feature at Cinequest; and Gondola(2023).