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Father and Daughter

Michaël Dudok de Wit, 2000

A young girl bids farewell to her father at the shore. The seasons echo the passing years of her life as she returns to look out over the water, hoping for his return. She ages and has children of her own and still she visits. Finally, as an old woman, she returns once more to find the water has gone, and she walks out to finally in the hopes of meeting him.

This moving meditation on loss and memory won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 2000.

Clip Details

Genre: Drama

Country of Origin: UK, Netherlands

Medium/Content: Colour, Sound, Fiction, 2D Animation

Clip Length: 08:31

Age Group: S1-S3

Classroom Activities

  • At the beginning, why does the father run back to the girl and lift her up?
  • As he rows away, how does the daughter feel? How do we know?
  • What is the significance of the wind? How does the mood of the film change when the daughter is blown along by the wind? Why?
  • When she returns with friends, it is the first time she is not alone. What is the effect of that? What is the effect of the close-up on the bike wheel and the shadows?
  • Can you tell what season it is when she returns with her family? What is the effect of this?
  • Where has the water gone at the end? Why?
  • Using Sound On/Vision Off, screen the film with audio only. Tell your pupils that this is a film about a journey and ask them to imagine what film images would fit the soundtrack. Consider what stages the music seems to suggest.
  • Discuss what else is noticeable about the soundtrack (e.g. lack of dialogue).
  • Ask pupils to use the pause button on the media player to identify and make a note of each of significant stage in the girl’s life. Note how colour and the weather are used to identify where we are in the girl's life.
  • Use a 'Tell Me' Grid Analysis to look for patterns and puzzles in the story.
  • Focus on camera: discuss the different shots used in the film. Why is the story presented in mostly long shots and medium shots? What effect does this have on the viewer? How does camera distance affect how the audience feels about characters and events in a story?
  • Look for repeating imagery in the film and discuss whether these are symbolic of anything. Discuss the use and meaning of metaphor. Does this give any clues as to what the film might mean?
  • Create two columns: one titled “things that happen in the story” and the other titled “what the film is about”. Ask pupils to suggest items for each column and then see if they can make any connections between the two.
  • Create a class list of keywords that are suggested by the story and the film. Discuss how many of them appear in the film and how many are only suggested by the film.
  • Have a class discussion about the subject of loss.
  • Plan an animated short film, with a script or storyboard based around a journey.
  • Use the film/part of the film or a re-edited version of the film as an advert for a charity. Include a voiceover.

Clip Details

Genre: Drama

Country of Origin: UK, Netherlands

Medium/Content: Colour, Sound, Fiction, 2D Animation

Clip Length: 08:31

Education Level: Third & Fourth Level