CFFS 2023 – Hopeful Harmonies (Ages 8+) [Hybrid]
Watch online: Feb. 3–12, 2023
Visiting Artist
**Playground Director Marie-Pierre Bonniol & Robots Don’t Tell Jokes Director Kelli Caldwell will be in attendance at Feb 5 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
From helpful robots to violin-playing beetles, this collection of shorts will take you on a musical journey that will leave your foot tapping and heart full.
Header photo credit: Who Is It: Who Is Singing? (到底是誰－唱歌的人是誰), dir. Hsing-Fang Lin
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:
Peter the Beetle
West Coast premiere!
This is a bittersweet story about a small bug called Peter, who dreams of performing in front of a big crowd at the zoo. He leaves home, set on making that dream come true, but unfortunately his size makes it difficult to get noticed.
(Meelis Arulepp, Estonia, 2022, 9 min, in Estonian with English subtitles)
Who Is It: Who Is Singing? (到底是誰－唱歌的人是誰)
Seattle premiere!
Two musical lions embark on a journey to find the source of a beautiful singing voice.
(Hsing-Fang Lin, Taiwan, 2021, 3 min, nonverbal)
Up and At 'Em
World premiere!
Take a tour of a bustling ecosystem of animal friends as the sun rises on another busy day in Up and At ‘Em. Featuring music by Seattle songwriter Eamon Ra.
(Clyde Petersen, US, 2022, 2 min, in English)
Robots Don't Tell Jokes
Robot has a wonderful joke that he keeps trying to tell his friends, but none of the other robots ever laugh. They tell him “robots don’t tell jokes…” Will Robot give up on his awesome joke, or will he find his audience?
(Kelli Caldwell, US, 2022, 3 min, in English)
The Ant March (Муравьиный марш)
West Coast premiere!
Our six-legged protagonist breaks free from the monotonous rhythm of his fellow workers and embarks on a personal journey to discover new sounds in a familiar space.
(Fedor Yudin, Russia, 2022, 5 min, nonverbal)
Playground
PNW premiere!
How does one make electronic music at the playground? On a sunny Sunday, a mother and son produce a handmade music handbook on the fly, assembling images into collections of bizarre rhythms.
(Walter Duncan & Marie-Pierre Bonniol, Germany, 2022, 2 min, nonverbal)
With a Wool Ball (Con un ovillo de lana)
West Coast premiere!
An Argentinian girl spends the winter in her hut. She invites her animal friends in to drink mate together, tell stories and sing songs.
(Belén Ricardes, Argentina, 2022, 5 min, in Spanish with English subtitles)
Wall Piano (بيانو الجدار)
PNW premiere!
Part music video, part magical realism, Wall Piano shows a wall as something more than just a barrier for a group of children living near the Qalandia checkpoint in Ramallah, Palestine, a frontline of the West Bank conflict.
(Asma Ghanem, Christopher Marianetti &Alexia Webster, Palestine, 2020, 3 min, nonverbal)
Don't Be Scared
PNW premiere!
A family of birds looks for safety in a storm.
(Richard O’Connor, US, 2021, 2 min, nonverbal)
Soon May the Musifants Come
World premiere!
Charlie and Grandpa Gunter receive a postcard from a little green cactus in New Zealand. Together with Fox and Captain McCowan, they set sail. On the way, they fish the little wild boar Svenja out of the sea, dance, and sing the Musifants’ Shanty.
(Meike Fehre, Germany, 2022, 4 min, in German with English subtitles)
Sockz Theatre: I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly
World premiere!
Using newspaper, fabric, and lights, Sockz Theatre puts their own spin on the classic story of one lady’s remarkable digestive system.
(Christian Perry & Eric Tsuchiyama, US, 4 min, in English)
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)
Hannah's Dream
West Coast premiere! CW: Parental depression. The backdrop to Hannah’s Dream is a father dealing with depression, but the film ends on a hopeful note
To rejuvenate her father’s spirits after the COVID-19 pandemic puts a damper on his career as a composer, Hannah photocopies his sheet music and distributes it in their neighborhood. One day, her father hears his music being played from balconies, rooftops, and courtyards, and it brings him out of his depression and back to Hannah.
(Emily Reekers, Eugene Arts, Netherlands, 2021, 14 min, nonverbal)
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)