The New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF) 2024 screens Oscar-qualifying children’s films for a variety of ages.
Many of these films are simply entertaining, but there is more going on at the NYICFF. Growing up seems harder today than it used to be, because children are exposed to so much, so fast now, especially in New York City. Our culture makes unhealthy choices seem exciting, so it can be difficult for young people to make good choices.
Seeing that others have the same challenges and are overcoming them, provides a good foundation for healthy age-appropriate conversations between parent and child. We can’t make our children’s decisions, but we can talk to them about life before they have to deal with it. The New York International Children’s Film Festival is a great platform for this.
27th New York International Children’s Film Festival 2024
The 27th New York International Children’s Film Festival 2024 (NYICFF) screens thirteen international, U.S., and New York premieres and lots more for children of all ages; Fridays-Sundays, March 2-17, 2024. From $17. All Access Pass $475. 🇫🇷 🇨🇦 🇪🇸 🇺🇸
A Real New York Story, A Real New York Life Lesson
“Robot Dreams” (2023), by Spanish filmmaker Pablo Berger, is a hand-drawn dialogue-free animation about a lonely dog in the 1980s East Village who orders a robot companion from a television ad. The new best friends explore familiar New York City sights together until Coney Island seawater rusts Robot’s legs so he can’t walk. Their lives diverge, but they always keep the memories of those great times together.
What a great story about friendship in New York City. Many people come to New York to work. We make good friends and then life changes and people move away. All we have left are memories of good times. The synopsis says sentimental types may want to bring tissues. I need a tissue right now thinking about close New York friends who moved away, and now even I moved away. This is a very real part of the New York City experience.
“Robot Dreams” (Ages 8+) screens at SVA Theatre in Chelsea, Manhattan; on Saturday, March 2, 2024 at 3pm; and at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Downtown, Brooklyn; on Sunday, March 10, 2024 at 1:20pm. From $17.
You Can’t Alway Get What You Want, But…
“Chicken for Linda!” (Linda veut du poulet!, 2023) by Sébastian Laudenbach and Chiara Malta, is the centerpiece spotlight. Young Linda wants to make up with her mom by making her favorite meal ~ her late father’s famous chicken. But the town is on strike (so French) and there are no chickens. Mother and daughter go on a mad adventure looking for chicken for Linda, and learn something valuable along the way.
That Certain Summer
“Frybread Face and Me” (2023) by Billy Luther is an Indigenous Diné film in English and Navajo with subtitles. Benny is a city kid sent to spend summer with his grandmother on the Navajo reservation. Benny is dying to go home until his country cousin Dawn (Frybread Face) shows up. The city and country kids are not are not sure about each other at first, but when Benny goes home at the end of summer, he goes having discovered something invaluable ~ his own Indigenous heritage.
Venues in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Westchester
- Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Downtown, Brooklyn.
- DCTV filmmaking community center in Manhattan Chinatown.
- Film Forum in Hudson Square, Manhattan.
- IFC Center in the West Village, Manhattan.
- Jacob Burns Film Center in Westchester, New York
- Sag Harbor Cinema in Sag Harbor, Staten Island.
- Scandinavia House in Murray Hill, Manhattan.
- SVA Theatre in Chelsea, Manhattan.
Get full listings and tickets at nyicff.org
Don’t delay, many films sell out.