Something short for winter solstice.

“He's growing! Look! See how he's growing! I have seen the Lord! The Lord! The Lord!”

– Schugger-Leo

On the eve of World War 2, little Oskar – just three years old – decides he doesn't want to grow anymore.

A festive child for Las Posadas

“Shadow boxes become poetic theaters or settings wherein are metamorphosed the element of a childhood pastime.”

– Joseph Cornell

Children of all ages are entertained by a menagerie of dancers, acrobats, talented fauna and bobbing apples in this exhilarating found-footage party. Part of The Children's Trilogy, together with Cotillion (c. 1938/1969) and The Midnight Party (c. 1938/1969).

A planet with rings for Saturnalia

 

Two lovely newlyweds and their robot chauffeur take a trip to Saturn for their honeymoon, followed by a jolly ride under the sea. A remake of Booth's own The '?' Motorist from 1906.

Set on a river*

Jean: Are you bored? Juliette: Oh, no. Jean: Don't worry. There'll be places to see. Juliette: Riverbanks.

* the Bales 2025 Film Challenge for December has a few dateless themes. This is one of them.

Having tea*

“A geisha’s lie is not a real lie. It’s a cornerstone of our profession.”

– Miyoharu

 

* the Bales 2025 Film Challenge for December has a few dateless themes. This is one of them.

Perumthitta Tharavad: based on a folk tale.

“I regard [Govindan] Aravindan as one of the most poetic filmmakers in the world. He is a poet who writes in the language of cinema and silence. Watching his films is like a meditative experience.”

– Shivendra Singh Dungarpur, Film Heritage Foundation (source)

Set during the Hindu rice harvest festival Onam, Kummatty tells the story of the seasons through the eyes of a mischievous boy. After teasing the temple guard – possibly Thamma – she warns the boy and his friends about the arrival of Kummatti (here unfortunately translated as the bogeyman but actually the name of a performer of a mask dance called Kummatti Kali). As faith wants it, Kummatti does arrive and accompanies the children in song and dance while the seasons change, rice is ready for harvest, and characters shift. To a certain extent, there's an interesting parallel with Frank Perry's Ladybug Ladybug (1963).

Saint Lucy's Day: wearing a garland. Today's and yesterday's theme are virtually interchangeable.

“Kneel before her son. I've had a dream. She's the incarnation of the Goddess, Kali.”

– Kalikinkar Roy

Doyamoyee's father-in-law, and worshipper of Kali, has a dream. The young woman is the goddess' avatar. Locals come to visit the house, and Doyamoyee too starts believing in her divinity.

Candles for Diwali*. Today's and tomorrow's theme are virtually interchangeable.

 

When an old crone gives birth to a beautiful baby, a young virgin claims the child as hers. With the Immaculately Conceived wonder put on display – to the child's contemporaries, the court of Cosimo de' Medici attending a reenactment of the events, and us film viewers – He protects the false Virgin from losing her chastity and blurs the walls between staging and gospel.

 

* “Diwali, one of the major religious festivals in Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism, lasting for five days from the 13th day of the dark half of the lunar month Ashvina to the second day of the light half of the lunar month Karttika. The corresponding dates in the Gregorian calendar usually fall in late October and November.” (source).

Set in the mountains for International Mountain Day

 

1943. With the family preparing for Christmas, old man Temnikar hears the sound of a trumpet. The patriarch sees it as his calling to follow – and kill – the White Guardists who visited his mountain farm looking for wounded Partisans.

Celebrating human rights on Human Rights Day: the right to work

“Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.”

– Universal Declaration of Human Rights, United Nations General Assembly

A Mauritanian immigrant (Robert Liensol) too starts anew in Paris. But first, he'll need a job.