Prepare to be fascinated and inspired. With a mixture of both carefully drawn images and stop-motion critters, these animated films present various ideas about our world as characters explore their own worlds. Watch as these colorful stories unfold in front of you, and open up your eyes and heart to beautiful stories about aspects of love and adventure both light and dark.

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Mijndert
(Janneke Swinkels and Tim Frijsinger, Netherlands, animated, 2015, 5:08 min, no dialogue) Seattle premiere! Mijndert is a young man from the South of the Netherlands who is about to begin his first working day in the mines. Watch the trailer>

First Snow
(Lenka Ivančíková, Czech Republic, animated, 2015, 13:34 min, no dialogue) West coast premiere! First Snow is a fairy tale about the curious little Hedgehog who gets lost in snowy woods, and must head out for a dangerous adventure to find his home. Watch the trailer>

Of Shadows and Wings…
(Elice Meng and Eleonora Marinoni, France/Switzerland, animated, 2015, 12:55 min, in French with English subtitles) Seattle premiere!In the midst of a group of birds, the Moann feels her body changing. Friend and nihilist, Ciobeck tries to protect her, but how can one survive in a barren land, populated by imprisoned-minded people? Watch the trailer>

Chika, the Dog in the Ghetto
(Sandra Schießl, Germany, animated, 2016, 16:20 min, in German with English subtitles) West coast premiere! Chika the dog and a five-year-old boy Mikasch are the heroes of this story which is set in a Jewish ghetto of an unnamed Polish city.

Indigo
(Amanda Spotted Fawn Strong, Michif/Canada, animated, 2014, 9 min, no dialogue) An Indigo child and her companion, a mechanical spider, struggle between worlds — the here and now, and the afterlife. What’s real and what’s imagined?

Notes from a Small Japanese Town
(Magnus Fredriksson, Sweden, animated, 2015, 4 min, no dialogue) Seattle premiere! Come along and experience a hot summer day in the small Japanese town Misato, north of Tokyo. Watch the trailer>

The Story of the Fox Who Lost His Mind
(Christian Asmussen and Matthias Bruhn, Germany, animated, 2015, 11:10 min, in German with English subtitles) West coast premiere! A poetic animated film about growing old and the communal life of generations.

Tea Time
(Guillaume Blanchet, France, animated, 2015, 4:02 min, in French with no subtitles) US premiere! Millions leave from many places, fleeing danger and conflict. Most of the time, they risk their lives. Their dreams are often shattered, but they keep on trying. We are all made of hope.

Blind Vaysha
(Theodore Ushev, Canada, animated, 2015, 8 min, in English) Seattle premiere! Nominated for the 2017 Academy Award® for Best Animated Short Film! Little Vaysha has a left eye that sees the past and a right eye that sees the future, preventing her from living in the present. Watch the trailer>

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Notes to parents: Some of the themes explored in this program might be uncomfortable or difficult for some children. These themes include dementia in “The Story of the Fox that Lost His Mind” and anti-semitism in “Chika, the Dog in the Ghetto” (Nazis, guns). It should also be noted that “First Snow” includes a scene where an eagle kills a fox. “Indigo” has scary moments.