Tag: france

Opening Night: The Cat’s Meow (Ages 6+ Short Film Program)

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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 27
7PM Film Program
5:30PM Happy Hour

SATURDAY, MARCH 7 – 11AM

Ages 6–8, and cat lovers of all ages

** Presented in partnership with NEKO Cat Cafe **

This feline-focused (and allergy-free!) animation program is filled with cuddly cats and their adorable antics. Kitties truly make the world go ‘round in this celebration of glorious stop-motion, painted, hand-drawn and CG animation from ten cat-loving countries.

67 min.

Content advisory: “The Quintet of the Sunset,” a stop-motion film made with great humor and skill, tackles the subject of mortality in a tenderhearted way.

** Filmmaker María Teresa Salcedo Montero in attendance (Wild Lea)! Her presence is made possible by Proimagenes Colombia and Universidad Manuela Beltrán.**

5:30 Happy Hour:

Kids and families are invited to mingle and munch in the lobby leading up to the screening; we’ll be crafting our own cat puppets to play with and snacking on treats from our neighbors at Rhein Haus Restaurant.

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Icing on the Cake (Ages 2+ Short Film Program)

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Saturday, February 29 – 11:00
On-Site at Northwest Film Forum
(1515 12th Ave., Seattle, WA 98122)

Sunday, March 8 – 3:00pm
Off-Site at Rainier Arts Center
(3515 S Alaska St., Seattle, WA 98118)

Ages 2+

These gentle, colorful animated films — filled with curious animals and adventurous kids — are all about singing, growing up, flying high and celebrating the magic of life, in all its lovely rainbow colors.

74 min.

** On Sunday, March 8, join Children’s Film Festival Seattle off-site at Rainier Arts Center (3515 S. Alaska St.) for a full day of colorful Closing Day festivities! **

** The March 8th screening will be sliding scale: $5-$15. Those who can afford to pay at higher price point are encouraged to do so, to create more accessibility for those who might not. **

Celebrating the festival’s globally-minded programs in one of Seattle’s most diverse neighborhoods, the morning will kick off with your choice of “Om Nom Nom” or “Lift-off” – two programs that combine breakfast and a film screening – and then continue throughout the day with films for all ages, intergenerational hands-on workshops, and an awards ceremony!

Finally, the entire festival closes out with a live performance by youth from the School of Spectrum Dance Theater, who will choreograph a routine exclusively in response to the evening’s feature film, Moving Stories! Moving Stories follows youth from around the world to showcase the transformative power and universal language of dance.


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Petits Trésors (Ages 6+ French Language Short Film Program)

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Saturday, February 29 – 1:30pm

Ages 6+

Co-presented with Alliance Française de Seattle!

This all-French-language program is filled with vibrant jewels — stories of good friends, big bad wolves that aren’t so bad, brave bats, loving grannies and impossible journeys.

Ce programme, entièrement en français, est plein de joyaux vibrants – les contes de bons amis, les grands méchants loups qui ne sont pas trop méchant, les chauves-souris courageuses, les grand-mères affectueuses, et les voyages impossibles.

73 min.

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Adventure Straight Ahead (Shorts Program)

Sunday, January 27 – 11:30am
Sunday, February 3 – 11:30am

Ages 9+

Hold on tight during this program of animated and live-action adventure films that will take you to outer space and back. Meet a plant that must be saved, a pizza delivery girl who is jolted out of the boredom with her job, an astronaut adrift on a faraway planet, kids who patch up monsters, and a mother who will do anything to please her son on her birthday — even if she hates the present he has requested!

57 min.

Content advisory: In Earthy Encounters, kids give the middle finger to the film’s villains. The Good Mother is a humorous film about a Mexican family with strong negative opinions about the current US President.

 

Short Films in this Program:

Early Summer Impression

(Wang Chuhe, China, animation, 2018, 2 min, English) World premiere!

A young woman journeys to find a Rembrandt exhibition she is desperate to see. Can she find her way?

Post No Bills

(Robin Hays & Andy Poon, Canada, animation, 2017, 5 min, English)

Noodle Boy must face his fears in order to rescue Miss Fortune from the city’s clean up crew.

Trailer >

Galaxy Girl

(Richard Grover, US, animation, 2017, 4 min, nonverbal) Made in Seattle!

A pizza delivery girl is stuck in a dead-end job, but one day, she runs into a customer that will change her fate forever.

Trailer >

Jelly Fish

(Marcin Gizycki, US & Poland, live action, 2018, 6 min, English) World premiere!

A school trip turns wild when a giant cephalopod takes an unexpected star turn!

Burn Out

(Cécile Carre, France, animation, 2017, 4 min, English) Seattle premiere!

Stella, a space mechanician, is stranded on a deserted planet, but a little girl appears out of nowhere to show her the way to her next adventure.

Doctor of Monster

(Gustavo Teixeira, Brazil, live action, 2017, 11 min, Portuguese with English subtitles) Washington premiere!

A boy who has already chosen his future profession, will now have to face his fears to become a doctor of monsters.

Trailer >

Earthy Encounters

(Sam Johnson, UK, live-action, 2017, 25 minutes, English) Seattle premiere!

A teenager believes he can save his sick older brother with a plant he’s found at the back of a garden center, but a shadowy agency is out to destroy it first.

Trailer >

The Good Mother

(Sarah Clift, Mexico & UK, live action, 2016, 6 min, Spanish with English subtitles)

A Mexican mother embarks upon an epic, cross-country journey and gets her political beliefs thoroughly tested when her son requests a Donald Trump piñata for his birthday.

Trailer >

Don’t want to miss a single thing? Can’t blame you! Consider a Festival Pass —

Dance for Life (Shorts Program)

Saturday, January 26 – 5:00pm
Sunday, January 27 – 7:00pm

Ages 8+

Enjoy these short films that celebrate the magic of movement around the world! See how birds swarm in a beautiful symphony in the sky, marvel at a dancing Yeti that storms Paris, and join a blind man as he grooves to the deep vibrations of music. The program also spotlights two young people who turn the streets and playgrounds of Los Angeles into their dance floor, and gives an in-depth peek into the lives of two young dancers who are rising stars in the school of the Royal Danish Ballet.

We are excited to welcome Ulrik Birkkjaer, principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet, former Royal Danish Ballet, to introduce Dance For Life at 7 pm on Sunday, Jan. 27. Ulrik will tell us more about When I Dance, the film that anchors this program — the story of pre-teens Ella and Sylvester, two of the Royal Danish Ballet School’s rising stars. Join us for a soaring program!

72 min.

Content advisory: 199 Little Heroes: Nevo, Israel includes a very brief scene where two friends are discussing dead terrorists through the lens of their cultural biases.

 

Short Films in this Program:

Just Breathe

(Julie Bayer Salzman, US, live action, 2014, 4 min, English) Washington State premiere!

Kids and parents alike can learn from these elementary school students, who talk about anger, the brain, and how they use mindful breathing techniques to calm down.

Am I Paris?

(Yohann Ancele, France, live-action, 2 min, nonverbal) Seattle premiere!

A Yeti-like creature takes the City of Light by storm.

Step by Step

(Charline Arnoux, Mylène Gapp, Léa Rubinstayn, Florian Heilig & Mélissa Roux, France, animation, 2016, 5 min, nonverbal) North American premiere!

A young blind man dances through color fields that represent sound and brain waves.

Trailer >

Pooling

(Dawn Westlake, Spain & US, animation & live action, 2018, 4 min, nonverbal) World premiere!

A breakdancer breaks, thanks to movie magic, and then puts himself back together to swim and soar in midair.

Trailer >

#88

(Lilian Manansala, US, live action, 2017, 4 min, nonverbal) Seattle premiere!

Two friends with distinct personalities approach life differently; one is the calm, patient lake to the other’s swirling storm. Dance is the medium that brings them balance.

The Art of Flying

(Jan van Ijken, The Netherlands, live action, 2015, 2 min, nonverbal) Seattle premiere!

Witness magical “murmurations”: the mysterious and spectacular flights of the common starling.

Trailer >

199 Little Heroes: Nevo, Israel

(Sigrid Klausmann-Sittler, Germany, live action documentary, 2018, 15 min, Hebrew with English subtitles) North American premiere!

A boy in Israel loves ballet and finds friends and family who support him.

When I Dance

(Signe Roderik, Denmark, live action, 2018, 35 min, Danish with English subtitles) West Coast premiere!

Through the eyes of pre-teens Ella and Sylvester, two of the Royal Danish Ballet School’s rising stars, we get an inside look at the world of ballet from a child’s perspective.

Trailer >

Don’t want to miss a single thing? Can’t blame you! Consider a Festival Pass —

Small but Mighty (Shorts Program)

Sunday, January 27 – 11:00am

Ages 2+

It’s around the world adventure time with vibrant characters who are out to laugh, sing, solve puzzles, eat tasty food and spread their wings and fly. Parents: feel free to whisper subtitles to your little ones during this storybook collection, or just sit back and enjoy the enjoy the music of other languages. The colorful stories here are simple to follow!

59 min.

 

 

Short Films in this Program:

Big Block Singsong: Duck

 
 

(Warren Brown, Canada, animation, 2017, 2 min, English)

Stand back — it’s a quack attack!

Lemon & Elderflower

 
 

(Ilenia Cotardo, UK, animation, 2017, 3 min, nonverbal) Seattle premiere!

Two little hummingbird siblings have tiny wings, but they still find a way to fly!

Trailer >

Goldie

(Emily Brundige, US, animation, 2019, 5 min, English) World premiere!

Goldie is a very big girl, but she discovers that her size has its wonderful advantages.

Spring Bear Song

 
 

(Csaba Gellár, Hungary, animation, 2017, 2 min, Hungarian with English subtitles) North American premiere!

In the springtime, a sleepy bear wakes up to the sunshine of springtime.

Trailer >

Flamingo

 
 

(Julia Ocker, Germany, animation, 2018, 4 min, nonverbal) US premiere!

A feisty little piggy decides to join two beautiful flamingos for a fancy tea party.

Trunky

 
 

(Ekaterina Filippova, Russia, animation, 2017, 7 min, Russian with English subtitles) US premiere!

An little elephant discovers his very long trunk is beautiful and helpful!

Trailer >

The Papernauts

 
 

(Alvaro Ceppi, Chile, animation, 2017, 5 min, nonverbal) US premiere!

Three magical beings keep all the stories in the library inside the books!

The Hungry Little Wolf

 
 

(Arnaud Demuynck, France & Belgium, animation, 2017, 9 min, French with English subtitles) West Coast premiere!

A little wolf learns that he need help from his dad when he goes looking for a meal!

Fluffy Hour: PuiPui & MuuMuu “Always Together”

 
 

(Hiroyuki Mizoguchi, Japan, animation, 2018, 5 min, nonverbal) North American premiere!

Two fluffy fairies live in the fluffy woods. What will they do today?

Pingu in the City, Episode 5

 
 

(Naomi Iwata, Japan, animation, 2017, 7 min, nonverbal) West Coast premiere!

Little Pingu, a famous penguin, has moved to the city in this new Japanese series.

The Bird Wedding

 
 

(Jana Geisler, Germany, animation, 2017, 7 min, German with English subtitles) West Coast premiere!

A famous German folk song comes to life in this animated film about a wedding.

Trailer >

Sloth

 
 

(Julia Ocker, Germany, animation, 2018, 4 min, nonverbal) Seattle premiere!

A sloth wants an ice cream cone, but first, he needs a nap.

 

 

Don’t want to miss a single thing? Can’t blame you! Consider a Festival Pass —

Feathery and Furry Fun (Shorts Program)

Saturday, January 26 – 11:00am
Wednesday, January 30 – 10:30am

Ages 2+

Meet a menagerie full of new friends in this all-animated program, filled with creatures great and small. This program is filled with roly-poly adventures, vibrant colors, yummy treats and happy endings!

50 min.

 

Short Films in this Program:

Sheep

(Julia Ocker, Germany, animation, 2018, 4 min, nonverbal) North American premiere!

A little lamb hops from one adventure to the next. The flock would never take those chances!

Like an Elephant in a China Shop

(Louise Chevrier, Luka Fischer, Rodolphe Groshens, Marie Guillon, Estelle Martinez, Benoit Paillard & Lisa Rasasombat, France, animation, 2017, 5 min, nonverbal) Seattle premiere!

A shopkeeper becomes extremely nervous when an elephant shows up at his door.

The Box

(Eliott Belrose, Carole Favier, Loïcia Lagillier, Aloïs Mathé, Juliette Perrey & Joran Rivet, France, animation, 2017, 7 min, nonverbal) Seattle premiere!

An old man winds up taming a mouse, instead of trapping it.

Mogu and Perol

(Tsuneo Goda, Japan, animation, 2018, 9 min, Japanese with English subtitles)

Two forest creatures love to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner together. When they have a disagreement, it’s food that brings them back together again!

Funny Fish

(Krishna Chandran A. Nair, France & Switzerland, animation, 2017, 6 min, English) Seattle premiere!

In the middle of the ocean, a school of fish comes to the rescue of a funny red fish floating on the surface of the water.

Kippkopp in the Grass

(Szilvia Fabók & Tama Mikori, Hungary, animation, 2017, 7 min, Hungarian with English subtitles) North American premiere!

Kippkopp, a chestnut child, is walking in the meadow, looking for a playmate. Can he convince a ladybug to be his friend?

Trailer >

Coco’s Day

(Tatiana Moshkova, Russia, animation, 2017, 4 min, Russian with English subtitles) Seattle premiere!

Meet Coco, a little crocodile who hides from blizzards, explores underwater worlds and even turns into Godzilla – and all inside her own house!

Blueberry Hunt

(Alexandra Hetmerová Májová & Kateřina Karhánková, Czech Republic, animation, 2017, 6 min, English with French subtitles) US premiere!

Two hungry bears who set out to pick berries in the forest after they get a craving for blueberry dumplings.

Fly

(Julia Ocker, Germany, animation, 2018, 4 min, nonverbal) North American premiere!

Three frogs are fighting over a tasty fly. But there is something the fly can teach them.

Don’t want to miss a single thing? Can’t blame you! Consider a Festival Pass —

Trésors Cachés (CFFS 2018)

Saturday, Feb 10, 2018  @ 3 PM

All-Ages. 60 min.

Co-presented with Agence consulaire de France à Seattle and Alliance Française de Seattle!

Indulge your love of the French language and vibrant animation in this jewel box filled with animation. These films from France, Belgium and Switzerland are filled with tall tales, vibrant colors, magnificent animals, and words that will sound like music to your ears.

 

 

Short Films in this Program:

The Penguin
Seattle premiere! A penguin thinks his home is too icy, so he takes off for the tropics. Watch the trailer >

(Pascale Hecquet, France/Belgium, animation, 2016, 5:19 min, French, with English subtitles)

A Bit Lost
US premiere! Little Owl has fallen from his nest, but with the help of a furry friend, he can still find his Mummy!

(Helene Ducrocq, France, animation, 2017, 5 min, French, with English subtitles)

The Roundy Belly Wolf
US premiere! A round-bellied wolf is always hungry, until he finds a smart new way to finally fill his stomach.

(Marion Jamault, Belgium, animation, 2016, 3:46 min, French, with English subtitles)

The Unicorn
West Coast premiere! One day, a little king was walking in the forest of his little kingdom and spied an extraordinary creature, white as snow and fast as the wind… Watch the trailer >

(Remi Durin, France/Belgium, animation, 2016, 13 min, French, with English subtitles)

The Wind in the Reeds
West Coast premiere!  Eliette, lives in a country where music has been banned by the king, makes friends with a minstrel who has had his instruments confiscated. Together they lead a rebellion against tyranny. Watch the trailer >

(Nicolas Liguori and Arnaud Demuynck, France/Belgium/Switzerland, animation, 2016, 26 min, French, with English subtitles)

The Aviator
Seattle Premiere! Jacqueline Auriol, a famed French pilot, remembers one of the most exhilarating days of her long life. Watch the trailer >

(Perrine Renard, Laura Viver Canal, Gaël Chauvet, Jacques Leyreloup and Victor Tolila, France, animation, 2016, 7 min, French, with English subtitles)

Content advisory: the English subtitles of “The Roundy Belly Wolf”  contain one mildly coarse word. “The Aviator” contains a short dream sequence of a plane falling which might be too intense for some sensitive viewers. It is purposefully put last in the program so that those who wish to leave after the film, “The Wind in the Reeds,” may do so.