March 5 - 12, 2023 - Time Ranges From: 11:30am, 1:15pm, 1:30pm, and 3:30pm
These two days are our national children’s film festival, premiering amazing kids and family friendly films which includes:
SHORT FILMS ONE: Ages 5-10: Level up! Shorts in this program are for Tots graduates—and everyone else.
TITINA: “More or less based on true events.” So begins the mostly true-to-life story of Titina, an intrepid fox terrier, and her companions on their aerial expedition to the North Pole. When Italian engineer Umberto Nobile is invited to build and airship for Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, he knows he’s embarking on the adventure of a lifetime.
ONE SUMMER STORY: Between competitive swim team practice and cramming for classes the anime Buffalo Kotek is Minami’s only respit from her hectic life. So it feels a lot like kismet when she discovers that her classmate Shohei, and aspiring manga artist, shares her obsession—and that his brother is an amateur detective. It seems as though Minami’s finally formed the perfect team to help her unravel a big mystery of her own, following a recent trail of clues that just might lead to her long lost father.
Short Films Program: GIRLS’ POV: Ages 10+: Not just for girls! These shorts feature stories of girls breaking the mold.
DOUNIA & THE PRINCESS OF ALEPPO: Bold of spirit and wild of hair, six-year-old Dounia lives joyfully with her family in Aleppo, where she spends her time traversing the bustling souks, or marketplaces, teeming with delicious ingredients just right for her grandmother’s amazing dishes. Life is filled with kind neighbors, shared stories, and music until a gradually intensifying conflict brings a growing troop of soldiers to town. When the family is forced to pack up and join the global ranks searching for a safer place to call home, Dounia’s grandmother stuffs rosewater sweets and other fresh-baked, homestyle delights into her bulging suitcase. But all Dounia takes with her is a handful of nigella seeds, known in Syrian lore to have magical properties.
LITTLE NICHOLAS – HAPPY AS CAN BE: Simultaneously mixing the story of a mischievous cartoon boy and his friends with the true tale of his creators, LITTLE NICHOLAS is a visual delight with wit to match. When illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempé first drew little imp Nicholas, he knew he had to get his good friend René Goscinny (of Asterix fame) to write the story. As the two artists bring the boy to life, Nicholas himself escapes the page to ask them about their own childhoods. Through these conversations, the friends share stories of early artistic ambition, immigrating to the United States, and family lost to World War II.