MIFF: GREETINGS FROM MARS (MIFF SCHOOLS)

Is there life on Mars? One young lad with autism wants to find out … if he can only conquer four weeks at his grandparents’ place in the country first.

Tom, a 10-year-old living with his widowed mum and two teenage siblings, dreams of becoming an astronaut and steering a rocket to Mars. He has the mathematical wit to make it work, but he’s also afraid of disruptions to his routine – and particularly the colour red, which could be a drawback on the rust-hued Martian landscape. So when he’s packed off to his grandparents’ house with his elder sister and brother while his mum takes a month-long business trip to China, Tom’s world is turned upside down. To help him cope with the change, his mum suggests that he treat his stay as a space-faring adventure – a mission he embraces wholeheartedly.

Adapted by Sebastian Grusnick and Thomas Möller from their children’s book of the same name, Sarah Winkenstette’s cute and touching coming-of-age comedy was awarded Best International Feature at the 2024 Kristiansand International Children’s Film Festival. Depicting the world from Tom’s perspective through animated interludes and shifts in focus, Greetings From Mars approaches neurodivergence and grief with sensitivity and heart.

“A heartwarming adventure for the whole family … Winkenstette uses various audiovisual techniques to bring her 10-year-old protagonist’s perceptions to life.” – Filmstarts