CFFS 2023 – Folklore for a Future (Ages 8+) [Hybrid]
Watch online: Feb. 3–12, 2023
Ticketing, concessions, cinemas, restrooms, and our public edit lab are located on Northwest Film Forum’s ground floor, which is wheelchair accessible. All doors in Northwest Film Forum are non-motorized, and may require staff assistance to open. Our upstairs workshop room is not wheelchair accessible.
We have a limited number of assistive listening devices available for programs hosted in our larger theater, Cinema 1. These devices are maintained by the Technical Director, and can be requested at the ticketing and concessions counter. Also available at the front desk is a Sensory Kit you can borrow, which includes a Communication Card, noise-reducing headphones, and fidget toys.
The Forum does NOT have assistive devices for the visually impaired, and is not (yet) a scent-free venue. Our commitment to increasing access for our audiences is ongoing, and we welcome all public input on the subject!
If you have additional specific questions about accessibility at our venue, please contact our Patron Services Manager at maria@nwfilmforum.org. Our phone number (206-329-2629) is voicemail-only, but we check it often.
Made possible due to a grant from Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, in partnership with Sensory Access, our Sensory Access document presents a visual and descriptive walk-through of the NWFF space. View it in advance of attending an in-person event at bit.ly/nwffsocialnarrativepdf, in order to prepare yourself for the experience.
A number of seats will be held at each show for members of the community for whom ticket cost is an obstacle. If you’d like to attend free of charge, please email María and Paul (maria@nwfilmforum.org, paul@nwfilmforum.org) to let them know which program and showtime you’re interested in!
NWFF patrons will be required to wear masks that cover both nose and mouth while in the building. Disposable masks are available at the door for those who need them. We are not currently checking vaccination cards. Recent variants of COVID-19 readily infect and spread between individuals regardless of vaccination status.
Read more about NWFF’s policies regarding cleaning, masks, and capacity limitations here.
About
This block highlights folklore from cultures around the world, and centers storytelling to emphasize how shared creation stories, heritage, and tradition carry through into the lives we live today and bring us into community.
Header photo credit: Luisa and the Feathered Snake (Louise et la legende du Serpent à plumes), dir. Hefang Wei
BUY TICKETS HERE
- Purchase your ticket through Northwest Film Forum’s Eventive virtual cinema. A free Eventive login is required.
- From the Eventive virtual catalog page, purchased tickets will appear under “My Content Library” under your user menu (upper-right). From the Eventive festival landing page, they will appear under “My Tickets” on the site’s menu bar (at top).
- Your confirmation email will also route you back to these pages to watch. (Can’t find it? Check spam!)
- If all else fails, please contact paul@nwfilmforum.org
- Purchase your ticket through Brown Paper Tickets; come to the show!
- You can also purchase a ticket on the day of the screening at Northwest Film Forum’s box office (1515 12th Ave, Seattle).
- If you have purchased a Hybrid or In-Person-Only Festival Pass, we’ll be able to look you up at Will Call by the name you purchased under.
Films in this program:
IDODO
CW: Mild/traditional nudity
IDODO, the story of how reef fish got their beautiful colors, tells of a time long ago when the fish came onto the land as humans to celebrate and dance. Once the sun set, they hurried back into the sea, leaving behind a big mess. Wondering what uninvited guests had been partying in their village in their absence, the villagers investigated, and were astonished at their discovery!
(Ursula Ulmi, Switzerland, 2022, 10 min, in an Indigenous language of Papua New Guinea with English subtitles)
*This film is only available for the in-person screening, it will not be available virtually.*
Arctic Song
PNW premiere! CW: Implied death
Arctic Song is a short film of Inuit creation stories expressed through song and animation, based on the original artwork of Inuit artist, storyteller and co-director Germaine Arnattaujuq (Arnaktauyok).
(Germaine Arnattaujuq, Neil Christopher, Louise Flaherty, Canada, 2021, 6 min, in Inuktitut with English subtitles)
Vojarinka
West Coast premiere!
With no instrumental accompaniment, traditional dances and games of renewal are led by a “vojarinka,” a female soloist, in the Slovenian town of Metlika. Today this is known as “Metliško obredje.”
(Jelena Dragutinović, Lene Lekše, Duška Vlašič, Slovenia, 2021, 2 min, in Slovenian purposely without English subtitles)
Birth of Form (Kuumba Umbo)
West Coast premiere! CW: Mild nudity, weaponry, mild blood, implied animal death
One African mask speaks volumes about its own transformational origins, and the culture and heritage that produced it.
(Ekaterina Ogorodnikova, Belgium, US, 2022, 7 min, nonverbal)
The Guardian Lion and Budaixi
Seattle premiere! CW: Some cartoon violence
For the longest time, the Guardian Lions and the gate gods of Fushun Temple have taken turns standing guard at the temple gates. Every year during the Lantern Festival, there is a lot of excitement in front of the temple—a fierce battle is enacted by the Guardian Lions in a Budaixi puppet show, but on this particular night, not a single person is watching.
(Hsieh-Cheng Tsai, You-Cheng Lai, Shih-Peng Chang, Shao-Xuan Weng, Min-Xiang Zhang, You-Xun Lai, Taiwan, 2022, 10 min, in Chinese – Min Nan with English subtitles)
Luisa and the Feathered Snake (Louise et la legende du Serpent à plumes)
US premiere! CW: Some cartoon violence
Luisa, 9 years old, has just moved to Mexico City. When Keza, her beloved lizard, escapes in the streets of the city, Louise goes looking for him and meets Arturo. Together with the wrestler Diego, the two children will pursue Keza and allow him to be reincarnated as the Mexican god, Quetzalcoatl.
(Hefang Wei, France, 2021, 27 min, in French & Italian with English subtitles)
Our Lady Lupe
West Coasts premiere!
When 10-year-old Chico’s grandmother uses Lotería to teach him a lesson about tradition and family, he embarks on an adventure to find a way to make up for his selfish behavior. Along the way he meets a mechanic named Lupe, who may or may not be Our Lady of Guadalupe.
(Dominique Nieves, 2022, US, 15 min, in English)
Festival Directory
⚠️ Please note: NWFF patrons will be required to wear masks that cover both nose and mouth while in the building. We are not currently checking vaccination cards.
Step into a world of fantasy and fairytale at the 2023 Children’s Film Festival Seattle! Expect fantastical films, wondrous workshops, and spectacular special events. Since 2005, CFFS has provided a joyous and dynamic setting to celebrate the best and brightest in international film programs for children and families through films, workshops, field trips, and filmmaker discussions.
- FEATURE FILMS
- SHORT FILM PROGRAMS
- WORKSHOPS & PANELS
- SPECIAL EVENTS
- FULL CALENDAR (in newsletter format)