ABOUT THE PROJECT
LOGLINE
Trapped in a horrid, animated asylum, a disabled orphan discovers a beautiful, real world outside the gate that he wasn’t meant to see.
SYNOPSIS
IZIDOR is a short film based on an awakening event in Izidor Ruckel’s childhood. Izidor lived in a hidden asylum for eight years where “defective” children were banished and abused in Communist Romania, never setting foot outside. That is, until the day a kind nanny took him home for the night.
For twenty-four years, Romania’s dictator Nicolae Ceausescu pressured families to have at least five children in order to build his army. When the Iron Curtain fell in 1989, Western press found tens of thousands of maltreated children in secret government “hospitals.”
IZIDOR gives viewers a glimpse into the life and psyche of an institutionalized child. The stakes are high because Izidor isn’t just a fictional character, but a real boy trying to determine what it means to be human. He represents not just Romania’s abandoned children, but all orphans, everywhere.
The short film utilizes both animation and live action to accentuate the disparity between how institutionalized children experience life compared to children in families. When Izidor spends a day with a family and experiences the love and connection they have, he discovers that belonging is what makes you feel alive.
Izidor’s need to belong will resonate with audiences worldwide, moving viewers to address the human rights issues still confronting orphans today.
FOLLOW-ON PROJECT:
The short film is just one story pulled from many in a limited series (miniseries) based on the life of Izidor Ruckel. The IZIDOR limited series reveals what happens to Izidor and examines the themes of belonging, family, forgiveness, and love.
While the short film is a wake-up call, the limited series reveals the true nature of orphanage life, the real-life complexity of adoption, and how ordinary people can change the future for these at-risk children.
PROJECT TYPE Animated Short - Narrative
DIRECTOR Dave Kabbe
SCREENWRITER Sarah Padbury
PRODUCER Dave Kabbe, Sarah Padbury
WEBSITE izidorstory.com
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