Childish
In a world ruled by adults, can children find autonomy?
How does the child through time resist oppression, violence and control?
In this poetic film combining archive, music and voice, the childish imagination breaks out in flights of fantasy, both brief and absorbing. Energy is directed and contained.
"I'm live as a battery. Who am I to you?"
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Emily MunroDirectorLiving Proof: A Climate Story (2021)
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Michael MafteanMusic
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Project Type:Documentary, Experimental, Short, Other
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Runtime:15 minutes
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Completion Date:January 31, 2024
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Country of Origin:United Kingdom
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Language:English
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Aspect Ratio:4:3
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Film Color:Black & White and Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Digital Cinema Package:Unavailable
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Honorable mention - Experimental Forum
United Kingdom -
Glasgow Short Film Festival - In CompetitionGlasgow
United Kingdom
March 23, 2024
World Premiere
Official Selection - in competition -
Female Eye Film FestivalToronto
Canada
North American Premiere -
ResCinemaNaples
Italy
December 21, 2025
Emily Munro is a filmmaker and writer.
Her film work explores contemporary themes using archive footage in poetic and subtle ways. Her feature-length archival documentary, 'Living Proof: A Climate Story' (2021), was nominated for a FOCAL International Award. 'Childish' (2024), a short experimental documentary on the choreography of childhood, is Emily's first collaboration with Chicago-born composer Michael Maftean.
Childish is a poetic exploration of childhood choreography through the lens of a national film archive. Drawing upon imagery from nearly 100 years of footage (c1899 - 1996) the film shows how children on film have been directed and monitored by adults in a range of settings, while also exploring the possibility of childish escape and liberation, through the imaginative act of play.
