Playlist: ‘Junior Schools’ for Umina Library
The following films have been granted ‘unrestricted’ access under our Festival license - meaning the content in them would likely get a ‘G’ classification rating for a cinema film or a C rating for a television program. They’re suitable for all ages, and we’re grouping them together for primary school teachers and children’s clubs (like Scout groups) to program National Science Week screening or discussions around. Read about them individually below, and check out the curated playlists we’ve developed for them. The themes our filmmakers have explored this year include Geology, Archaeology, Biodiversity, Astronomy & How the World Works. Note that there will be other films across our playlists that you might also find appropriate for your programs, but these will have been given a higher classification (equivalent to PG or above).
Play them as one playlist or individually. Make ‘Full Screen’ for optimal viewing. Use the right-hand-side menu to jump film tracks. See synopses below.
Playlist: ‘Junior Schools’
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This short documentary explores whether insects have feelings, and how we humans feel about them.
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Inspired by the documentary Kedi, but with a twist of comedy and perspective. Cats describe their daily lives amongst humans in the big city of Istanbul. In Turkish language with English subtitles
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On her city balcony, Audrey delights in the chattering of tiny birds, their chirps sound like cheerful hellos, inspiring her to invent a bird-language translator that unlocks their secret conversations.
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A visual abstract journey from a single electron to a collective quantum state. Winner of Best Experimental Film for 2026 SCINEMA.
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On an ice floe at the bottom of a fjord, scientists take measurements and place instruments, before launching an icebreaker at full speed to break everything up... just to see what happens.
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Spanning nearly four billion years, this sweeping cinematic journey traces Greenland’s transformation from a fiery, volcanic fragment of early Earth to a frozen giant at the centre of today’s climate crisis.
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A lone seed in a world that has turned its back faces isolation, doubt, and the constant threat of being forgotten.
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A group of ants goes on a field trip into deep underground to explore ancient fossils.
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Mixing animation and Sci-Fi, this musical film explores Taiwan’s traditional tribal groups, indigenous culture, the concept of sustainable development, and exploring popular STEAM.
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A high school student documents her experience viewing the 2024 total solar eclipse, and the extraordinary ways it affected her.
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An experimental film about the convergent evolution of trilobites, pill bugs, and a woman living on the site of their ancient seabed.
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Inspired by Indigenous mythology and endangered animals from Taiwan, the film is a dialogue-free animated fable about friendship, identity, and the quiet ways we protect one another. Through minimalist character design, flowing colors, and sensory storytelling, it invites children and adults alike into a gentle world where being truly seen by another can transform everything.
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Bruna and Ivor are Polish school students, tasked to make a film only about the solar system, but they discovered only some of the wonders of the universe, with many more to be discovered.
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As the wind sweeps across the swaying grass and clouds drift low, The Year in the Wind captures the diverse rhythms of human existence within the relentless flow of time.
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This simple animated story highlights the harmful effects of sugar and processed food, helps people understand the risks of diabetes, and shows those at risk the lifestyle changes that can lead to better health.
Explore our other playlists