Tales From the Magic Garden

Tom, Suzanne and Derek spend the night at their grandfather’s house for the first time since the loss of their grandmother. But nothing is the same as it used to be for the three children: their grandfather seems to have no time for stories anymore and is withdrawn. Their grandmother was the family storyteller, and even little Tom realises how great a loss this is for the family. His sister Suzanne decides to tell a story of her own, hoping to bring the family back together, just as their grandmother did with her stories. Relying on the power of storytelling to help them cope with their loss, the children find light in one of the darkest moments of their lives through their stories.  

“Tales from the Magic Garden” is a stop-motion animation in which three stories are woven together within the overarching narrative: a story about a big-eyed cat named Fearless, one about a monster with big teeth, and a third about a flying man. Inspired by a collection of short stories by Czech author Arnošt Goldflam, the film is a collaboration between four different storytellers: David Súkup, Jean-Claude Rozec, Patrik Pašš and Leon Vidmar. As an ode to the power of imagination, “Tales from the Magic Garden” shows that it is possible to (re)discover the joy of life through the collective power of storytelling. (Sara Sabatelli)