TOYS
TOYS is an exploration of how a family’s peculiar love –and obsession -
for toys helps children overcome the effects of violence generated by fighting drug cartels in Mexico.
collection of antique toys assembled by the hand of its quixotic guardians: the Shimizu family. Roberto, a Mexican Japanese architect and his son, believe that toys are charged with a huge positive emotional content. They’ve collected more than one million TOYS in their underground Toy Museum in Mexico City. This peaceful oasis of fantasy is altered the day they embark in a challenging quest: to move part of their toy collection to Northern Mexico to hold a creative toy workshop with children victim of the violence generated by fighting drug cartels. The Shimizus use their Toys as an empowering tool to work with children who live in a highly violent environment. When six year old children play, they imitate the adults. Especially the ones they admire most. But the adults these children are surrounded by play with guns and kill one another. Combining stop motion animation and verité scenes, the real and the fantasy finally blend. This way, TOYS looks at Mexican society through the lens of its most innocent observers: the children. In doing so, TOYS delves into the liberating power of imagination to overcome the harsh, violent realities of life. In a country that is facing one of the most violent times in its history, there’s one family concerned about the tiniest treasures of our childhood to ensure that we don’t lose innocence and sense of wonder.
synopsis
TOYS dives into one of Mexico’s best-hidden treasures, a huge labyrinth
audience TOYS is a project that will captivate audiences from all backgrounds and all nationalities but we believe the Latino community both in the US and in Latin America will be especially inspired by it. TOYS is also a film for documentary lovers who want to understand what is happening around the world. Finally, it is also a family feature that parents and children will enjoy.
transmedia TOYS is not only a feature documentary. It is also an interactive web documentary. It is a series of Workshops that can be reproduced in other areas in Mexico and that is suitable for any other country in the world where violence is an issue. It is a series of Exhibitions & Events that remind us that we, children and adults need to play.
look & feel TOYS combines carefully composed cinematic style with the dynamic handheld approach of cinema vérité. Adding to the truth of the documentary narrative, we will use stop-motion animation to portray the world through the experience of the children. The toy fantasy scenes will have an organic artisan look. To achieve that, we’ll use traditional stop-motion techniques so that Mexico’s toy heritage is presented as an engaging and moving narrative element.
director Alba Mora Roca is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and a recent graduate from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. In 2008 she was awarded with the “La Caixa” Fellowship to study in the U.S. She worked four years as a freelance producer in Barcelona and directed two documentaries in India and Cameroon that aired in Spanish TV, screened and won awards at film festivals across Europe. In 2009, she was an intern at Mediastorm.org in New York City and she has
producers Susana Casares has directed and produced documentaries and fiction short films that have aired in TV and screened in festivals and exhibitions around the world. Before moving to the US, she was the Head of Production of the DocsBarcelona Pitching Forum. Arturo Diaz was a marketing and research analyst for Antena 3 Spain. In 2009 Arturo won a Fulbright Scholarship and was admitted at the prestigious Peter Stark Producing Program at USC's School of Cinematic Arts. While at school interned at Universal Pictures, Reveille and mun2, the NBCU network where he is currently a development executive. Dieu Pham has been producing numerous documentary television shows on networks such as National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and History. Recent projects include "Blood Dolphins," and three new animal conservation episodes of "Tiger Man of Africa."
creative director Meryl O´Connor received a BA in fine arts at NYU. She has had her work shown in multiple galleries and has studied in scholarship programs at Yale, The Art Institute of Chicago and Cal Arts. She has worked as a graphic designer in the music industry for many years and more recently has served as an Art Director at Warner Music.
TOYS TRT 9 minutes www.albamora.com contact@albamora.com
www.albamora.com contact@albamora.com
with the support of