Village of Idiots

Infobox Film
name = Village of Idiots


image_size = 150px
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director = Eugene Fedorenko and Rose Newlove
producer =
writer = John Lazarus
narrator = Nicholas Rice
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music =
cinematography =
editing =
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released = 1999
runtime = 13 min.
country = Canada
language = English
budget =
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website =
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imdb_id = http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211106/

"Village of Idiots" is a short animated comedy based on the classic Jewish folk tales of Helm made by Oscar winning animator/directors. The film was praised by the International Film Critics for, “expressing the eternal and metaphysical questions of the human condition in a subtle, humorous and concise way.”

ummary

“Outsiders call Helm the village of idiots,” Shmendrick explains, “but our rabbi said we were a city of natural geniuses, with out own way of figuring things out.”

With muted, mesmerizing illustrations and heavy accordion-based music, the film follows Shmendrick as he sets out on a journey away from home for the first time. But along his journey from Helm to Warsaw, he comes upon a city that is eerily similar to the one he left behind. The rest of us might think Shmendrik just took a wrong turn and ended up back home, but for Shmendrik, this discovery sheds light on holy teachings: “The Talmud tells us that the world everywhere is the same,” he recalls.

Awards

"Village of Idiots" won awards at eight film festivals from around the world:
*Best Animated Sort film at the Genie Awards
*two directing awards at the Montreal World Film Festival
*won animation at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival
*Centaur Award at the St. Petersburg Message to Man Film Festival
*Best Animated Film at the Vancouver International Film Festival
*won an award from the Writers Guild of Canada
*second prize at the Zagreb World Festival of Animated Films

References

* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0211106/ IMDb page]

ee also

Other Jewish children's films:
*"The Witch from Melchet Street"
*"A Story about a Bad Dream"
*"Alan and Naomi"

External links

* [http://www.tjctv.com The Jewish Channel]