Submitted by: Pickford Film Center
The Pickford Film Center presents the Bellingham Children’s Film Festival, taking place March 6th – 8th. The festival will include a weekend full of activities, short films, and features for all ages and young film sophisticates. New this year, the festival will feature a section of all-Spanish language shorts with subtitles as well as delectable short film programs and feature films from around the world that are made just for children and can be seen exclusively at the Pickford.
Saturday and Sunday feature shorts packages programmed by Liz Shepard, Director of Children’s Film Festival Seattle including, The Cat’s Meow, a selection of shorts centered around felines and cuddly cats with glorious stop-motion, painted, hand-drawn and CG animated cat films from eight countries. Appropriate for cat lovers of all ages. Icing on the Cake, gentle, colorfully animated films filled with curious animals and adventurous kids, all about singing, growing up, flying high and celebrating the magic of life, appropriate for ages two and up.
Valiente y Verdadero, an all-Spanish language program filled with children who are brave and true, lighting up the lives of everyone they meet. This program is a mix of live action and animation appropriate for ages six and up. Earthwise, a collection of films meant to inspire children to protect the planet and take good care of all the fabulous creatures who inhabit the earth. This year’s Indigenous Showcase will include films by Indigenous filmmakers, including local filmmakers, who share powerful lessons from elders and insights from young people about their boundless, love for their cultures and deep reverence for the earth. The Indigenous Showcase may also be appropriate for the Since Time Immemorial curriculum.
My Neighbor Totoro (1988) is this year’s Opening Night Film, Binti (2019), and Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal (1982) are among the selected feature films playing over the weekend. In addition to all the wonderful film selections throughout the festival, there will also be art activities happening in the lobby, including an Opening Night Ice Cream Social provided by Trader Joes, interactive activities with PLAYLAB, Stop Motion Animation Workshops with Christian Smith, and puppets from the Whatcom Puppet Organization on hand(s) to celebrate The Dark Crystal.
Most tickets are just $5 thanks to our generous sponsors, HealthyPet, Okocat, Opus Performing Arts School, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Field trips are also available for school groups during the week.
For more information on BCFF, or to book a field trip with your class, contact mikayla@pickfordfilmcenter.org Check out the full schedule on the Pickford Film Center website.
Bellingham Children’s Film Festival
March 6-8
Pickford Film Center
1318 Bay Street
360-738-0735
