CFFS 2023 – With a Little Help From My Friends (Ages 6+) [Hybrid]
Watch online: Feb. 3–12, 2023
Visiting Artist
** Winter in a Day Director Liddy Salter will be in attendance at Feb 4th screening!*
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
**Presented by Like You – A Mindfulness Podcast for Kids**
These shorts celebrate friendship in all its forms, spanning ages, species, and circumstances. Friends help you find wonder, overcome challenges, and show you that you’re not alone in the world.
Header photo credit: Theo the Water Tower (Théo le château d’eau), dir. Jaimeen Desai
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:
Winter in a Day
West Coast premiere!
This animated short follows two best friends, Bear and Fox, and the adventures they have on the last day before Bear’s hibernation. Bear dreams of one day experiencing winter and is sad to be missing it once again. With the help of some friends, Fox creates winter in a day for Bear.
(Liddy Salter, US, 2022, 7 min, nonverbal)
Laika & Nemo
WA state premiere!
CW: Bullying, mild peril. Laika & Nemo features several scenes in which characters are bullied for being different, though it ultimately carries a message of empathy and understanding. There is a brief moment of peril in which a character appears to be in danger of drowning, which is quickly resolved
Nemo looks different. No one else wears a diving suit and a helmet that big. But then he meets Laika, an astronaut. With her help, Nemo becomes more self-confident and learns how old wounds can be overcome with the help of new friendships.
(Jan Gadermann, Germany, 2022, 15 min, nonverbal)
Who Feels Alone in the World?
PNW premiere!
A boy’s frog hops to a girl across the street. Is this the end of his friendship with his frog, or can he overcome his shyness and make another friend?
(Tori Wolfer, US, 2022, 6 min, in English)
The Carousel (La Calesita)
West Coast premiere!
A heartfelt story of the beloved Argentinian merry-go-round operators who have dedicated their lives to providing fun and happiness to children and their neighborhoods. This is a story of perseverance and community above the individual.
(Augusto Schillaci, Argentina, 2022, 10 min, nonverbal)
Cupids
What is the most important thing on the last day of school before summer break? Well, if you’re Mia, Natalie and Jabari you frantically search for a date for Ms. Cheryl, the most beloved bus driver of all time! As they race against time before their stop, these eight year-olds burst into action to try to match her up with the people that have made the biggest impact in their lives.
(Zoey Martinson, US, 2021, 10 min, in English)
Wonderment (Émerveillement)
West Coast premiere!
A bear is awakened in the middle of hibernation by a thieving rabbit.
(Martin Clerget, France, 2022, 3 min, in French with English subtitles [but the visuals in Wonderment make it easy to follow even for non-readers!])
Slipping Away
West Coast premiere!
CW: Injury, old age, death. We see an old man’s scar and bandages; a bird with a broken wing is nursed back to health. A visual metaphor could be interpreted as a character’s death, but it is handled subtly, with a sensitive and heartwarming touch
In a sanatorium by the sea, an old man finds his life transfigured by the arrival of a seagull, that he delicately tames. When the seagull gets wounded, the man takes care of her, and for a brief moment, he returns to boyhood again.
(Gabriel Hénot Lefèvre, France, 2022, 14 min, nonverbal)
Theo the Water Tower (Théo le château d’eau)
West Coast premiere!
CW: Bullying, peril. A character is bullied for not fitting in, but help from a friend leads to self-discovery and self-love. A scene in which a fire threatens to burn down buildings may be scary for sensitive viewers
Theo the water tower cries and disturbs the village’s peace. After attempts to cheer him up, he escapes the village and ends up in the city.
(Jaimeen Desai, France, 2021, 9 min, in English & French with English subtitles)
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)