New York Int'l Children's Film Festival Announces Short Film Lineup

Oscar-qualifying New York Int'l Children's Film Festival announced the complete short film lineup for its 2019 event, which runs February 22-March 17 at theaters throughout New York: IFC Center, Scandinavia House, Quad Cinemas, SVA Theatre, Cinépolis Chelsea, Alamo Drafthouse and the Museum of the Moving Image. Established in 1997, the acclaimed Festival is the nation's largest for children and teens and will present new animated, live action, documentary and experimental shorts and features from 37 countries. Tickets are on sale at www.nyicff.org.

Now in its 22nd year, the 2019 Festival offers four exciting weeks of artistically distinctive, thought-provoking, and lively new feature and short film programs curated for a new generation of filmgoers ages 3 to 18. The Festival's signature short film programs are carefully selected from around the globe and culled from thousands of submissions. The Festival's shorts programs are its most popular, with sold-out screenings of the eclectic collections representing the range of the year's finest shorts: Shorts for Tots for ages 3-6, Short Films One for ages 5-10, Short Films Two for ages 8-14, and Short Films Three for ages 12 to adult. In addition to these general interest programs, the Festival presents thematically organized shorts programs, among them Girls' POV, presented with support from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Sony USA Foundation, in which viewpoints from girls and women around the world are front and center, and Boys BEYOND Boundaries, now in its second edition of short films redefining how boys can feel, think, and be, and offering expanded perspectives on gender.

The Festival continues to represent a strong showing of female filmmakers, with 46 female shorts and features directors in the slate this year, and approximately 50% of the Festival films overall directed by women. Further, a number of these filmmakers have crafted films that address timely issues by offering a broad array of short films that provide relatable, age-appropriate, thought-provoking ways to challenge gender stereotypes and expand the conversation and possibilities for kids.

These include various Girls' POV titles, including the wryly feminist superhero tale The Shadow of Cairo, A Field Guide to Being a Twelve-Year-Old Girl, the documentary portrait of a fledgling young competitor Jessezilla, as well as the documentary Beauty, which follows six gender-creative kids. The latter film is showcased in NYICFF's Boys BEYOND Boundaries program, now in its second year. Programming Director Maria-Christina Villaseñor stated, "NYICFF has a longstanding, excellent Girls' POV shorts program, but we also wanted to make a strong statement that the onus and dialogue should not appear to be directed exclusively to girls and women to change the cultural imbalance. We decided that we could bring innovative films into the mix to expand how boys are typically portrayed in media as well as challenge and expand the possibilities for gender representation and interaction across the board. Since introducing the program, parents and kids have shared how excited they are to have other models to explore and filmmakers have expressed how pleased they are to screen their films for young audiences and offer broader portrayals that the filmmakers themselves lacked growing up."

Additionally, the Festival's strong history as an Oscar-qualifying festival, with films selected by NYICFF regularly appearing as Academy Award nominations, is reflected this year in NYICFF's showcasing the Academy-nominated best short animated film Weekends by Trevor Jimenez, a former Pixar animator who has crafted a distinctively independent, hand-drawn style and story in this acclaimed short. Special international animation premieres include ZOG, the latest film from Magic Light Studios (award-winning producers of Revolting Rhymes and The Highway Rat), and the brilliant CG animation of 1 Meter/Hour with choreography by Philippe Decouflé. Additionally, NYICFF is proud to offer the North American premiere of the newest animation in the series A Town Called Panic, together with classics from previous years that offer a special NYICFF "Fast Forward/Flashback."

This year the Festival returns with its third edition of the shorts program, Friends and Neighbors, which annually highlights country and international festival partners. This year's program showcases the Netherlands; CineKid, the Netherland's premiere children's film festival; and EYE Film Institute, with a special program celebrating the best films from the Netherlands. The Netherlands has long been a leader in artistic film production for children, and NYICFF is excited to share the artistry of Dutch filmmakers as well as challenge assumptions of what Dutch film might be. Artfully exploring the range of diverse communities in the Netherlands, the brilliantly filmed and wittily scripted A KISS parallels the filmmaker's experiences as a young refugee in Holland, with a cast of refugee boys who fumblingly come of age in the temporary asylum shelter while they wait to see if their families will be among those fortunate to receive permanent asylum status. Friends and Neighbors also highlights the artistry of Dutch animation with a range of selections and spotlight on award-winning animators Marlies van der Wel and Job, Joris and Marieke, among others. Friends & Neighbors: Netherlands is part of Never Grow Up!, a yearlong initiative bringing an abundance of Dutch film, literature, and performing arts for young people to the United States. For more information, visit dutchcultureusa.com/nevergrowup.

The Festival culminates with the Closing Night Celebration, which will include the announcement of the 2019 award winners and a special program of the Best of the Fest short films.

The Festival is an Oscar-qualifying festival, and winners of its Jury Awards qualify for consideration for the 2020 Academy Awards in the Live Action and Animated Short Film categories.This year's esteemed jury includes Sofia Coppola, Zoe Saldana, Geena Davis, Taika Waititi, Kyle MacLachlan, Matthew Modine, Jorge Gutierrez, Uma Thurman, Nora Twomey, Jeffrey Wright, Melissa Cobb, Mark Osborne, Ira Sachs, Evelyn McVeigh, Elizabeth Ito, Hope Davis, John Canemaker, and Madeline Di Nonno.

2019 SHORT FILM PROGRAMS

The Festival's wildly popular short film programs showcase the best short films from around the world, selected from over 1,500 entries. Jury-selected winners will be eligible for Oscar® consideration in the Best Animated and Best Live Action short film categories.

· Shorts For Tots (Ages 3 to 6)

· Short Films One (Ages 5 to 10)

· Short Films Two (Ages 8 to 14)

· Short Films Three (Ages 12 to adult)

· Heebie Jeebies (Ages 10 to adult)

· Girls' POV (Ages 10 to adult) - Each film in the Girls' POV program features a strong female lead, or reflects on issues faced by girls with stories from around the world. Presented with support from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences®.

· Boys Beyond Boundaries (Ages 10 to adult) - Boys is back in town for the second edition of short films redefining how boys can feel, think, and be, and offering expanded perspectives on gender.

· Friends and Neighbors: Netherlands - We are crossing the Atlantic to pair up with far-flung Friends & Neighbors this year. Cinekid, the premiere Dutch film festival for children and the EYE Film Institute come ashore to co-present with NYICFF a selection of the Netherlands' best short films. Featuring a range of different cultures and themes-from Old Amsterdam to New York-and fresh stories that keep history alive.

Shorts For Tots

For Ages 3-6

Flipped

United Kingdom - US Premiere

Animation, Hend Esmat & Lamiaa Diab, 2018, 5 min

No dialogue
Little ones are in charge and grown-ups get to play when the hilarious Flipped reworks the script.

Zog

United Kingdom - East Coast Premiere

Animation, Max Lang & Daniel Sneddon, 2018, 27 min

English
Meet the fabulous, freethinking Zog in this brand new film from Magic Light Pictures (creators of NYICFF 2018's The Highway Rat and 2016's Revolting Rhymes).

The Pig on the Hill

USA - New York Premiere

Animation, Jamy Wheless, John Helms, 2017, 6 min

English
Pig may be up high, but his nimble new neighbor, Duck, shows how the most important spot of all is one next to friends.

Preschool Poets: Poem About All Different Things

USA

Animation, Nancy Kangas, Josh Kun, 2018, 2 min

English

Samuel serves up some poetic proclamations about life, as definitively drawn from the three-foot perspective.

Peas

Israel - World Premiere

Animation, Oury Atlan, 2018, 2 min

"P" is for persistence, and powering through, and peas in this well-balanced meal time tale.

Belly Flop

South Africa - New York Premiere

Animation, Jeremy Collins, Kelly Dillon, 2018, 5 min

No dialogue

One girl is determined to make a very big splash, but will she have the buoyant courage to pull it off?

Fox and Hare

Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg - US Premiere

Animation, Mascha Halberstad, 2018, 11 min

Fox dreams of giving Hare the most exquisite birthday ever, but will a few pesky neighbors spoil his plans?

Mi Abuelita

Guatemala

Animation, Giselle Perez, 2018, 2 min

No dialogue

Like everything Abuelita does, her tamales are filled with love, especially when her granddaughter gets to help out in the kitchen.

Slurp

France - North America Premiere

Live Action, Florent Hill, 2018, 4 min

French with English subtitles

Grandma's table manners drive one boy bananas until he devises a clever fix.

Short Films One

For Ages 5-10

The Pen Licence

Australia - World Premiere

Documentary, Olivia Peniston-Bird, 2018, 9 min

English

Brushing up on penmanship is the name of the game if you want to graduate from pencils.

Brooklyn Breeze

Colombia, USA

Animation, Alex Budovsky, 2017, 4 min

No dialogue
NYC's biggest borough gets the Busby Berkeley treatment in this charmingly upbeat ode to industrial Brooklyn that will have you tapping your steel-capped toes!

The Man with Birds

France - New York Premiere

Animation, Quentin Marcault, 2017, 4 min

No dialogue
Seasons turn and spring is sprung when a boy flies the coop but lands the flock.

Small Spark

France - World Premiere

Animation, Nicolas Bianco-Levrin, 2019, 4 min

You've heard of night owls and bookworms? Well both perfectly describe this mouse, who must find a way to continue his exciting bedtime reading when it's lights out.

1 Meter/Hour

France - US Premiere

Animation, Nicolas Deveaux, 2018, 9 min

French snails get all due respect, especially this troupe and their sublime, slow grooves as overseen by renowned choreographer Philippe Decouflé.

Monsters Don't Exist

Italy

Animation, Ilaria Angelini, Luca Barberis Organista, Nicola Bernardi, 2017, 4 min

A pair of frenemies hit the books during after-school detention, but things get wilder than they ever expected.

Saturday's Apartment

South Korea - US Premiere

Animation, Jeon Seungbae, 2018, 8 min

Banging, jumping, wailing, pounding-noisy neighbor mayhem rules the day until this ultimately loveable bunch of apartment dwellers find a way to hammer it out together.

KUAP

Switzerland - US Premiere

Animation, Nils Hedinger, 2018, 8 min

If you've ever been the youngest of the group, you'll sympathize with the little tadpole who always falls a tad behind in the charming Kuap.

The Basket

India

Animation, Suresh Eriyat, 2017, 14 min

A devoted daughter works hard to earn enough to repair her father's watch in this busy city short on quick fixes.

Humus

Italy - North American Premiere

Animation, Simone Cirillo, Simone Di Rocco, Dario Livietti, Alice Tagliapietra, 2016, 7 min

No dialogue

In a magical laboratory in the woods, a gardener tries to school his young and wayward apprentice about the power of nature.

Preschool Poets: Mr. Grumpy, Mr. Crumpy, and Mr. Bumpy

USA

Animation, Nancy Kangas, Josh Kun, 2017, 1 min

Young writer Alexa poetically describes feelings and how they can grow so strong, particularly when it comes to family.

Workout

UK

Animation, Joe Wood, 2 min

A successful gym session is all about maintaining a good rhythm.

Raccoon and the Light

US

Animation, Hannah Kim, 4 min

Nighttime is a breeze for a nocturnal creature, but a spotlight shines in more ways than one in this Student Academy Award-Winner.

Short Films Two

For Ages 8-14

Hors Piste

France - New York Premiere

Animation, Léo Brunel, Loris Cavalier, Camille Jalabert, Oscar Malet, 2018, 6 min

Crevasse-kicking laughs are in store when an alpine ski rescue goes way, way off track.

Home Sweet Home

France, Switzerland - North American Premiere

Animation, Chaitane Conversat, 2018, 13 min

French with English subtitles
A collage of stories binds granddaughter and grandmother despite time and distance.

Fish

Spain - New York Premiere

Live Action, Javier Quintas, 2017, 10 min

Spanish with English subtitles
The choices we make at mealtime sometimes have a very big impact on a seemingly picky eater with a lot more on his mind.

Mogu & Perol

Japan

Animation, Tsuneo Goda, 2018, 9 min

Japanese with English subtitles

Whether their tastes lean umami or sweet, the duo here finds there is simply nothing more delish than a warm friendship.

Best Laid Plans

US - East Coast Premiere
Animation, John Morena, 2018, 1 min

Follow twists, turns, lifts, and drops as a Rube Goldberg contraption takes viewers on a glorious ride to a circuitous conclusion.

6:1

Russia - East Coast Premiere

Animation, Sergei Ryabov, 2018, 3 min

Russian with English subtitles

Checkers may seem a game of child's play, but can a losing cat nab a comeback?

Spelliasmous

Cuba/UK - East Coast Premiere

Ben Garfield, Documentary, 2018, 3 min

Spanish with English subtitles

The universal language of wizards bridges cultures in this imaginative doc.

Horse's Stone

Mexico - East Coast Premiere

Cynthia Fernández Trejo, Live Action, 2017, 20 min

Spanish with English subtitles

Can a fabled stone offer another path for Matilde's life on her Mexican rancho?

Short Films Three

For Ages 12+

Yover

Colombia - New York Premiere

Live Action, Edison Sánchez, 2018, 15 min

Spanish with English subtitles

Switchbacks and other creative hacks are always handy, as hardworking Yover demonstrates what it takes to push through adversity.

Mega Trick

Germany - East Coast Premiere

Animation, Anne Isensee, 2017, 2 min

German with English subtitles
Still can't draw a straight line to save your life? Well, you won't need to go directly from point A to point B if you follow this one MegaTrick.

Catmos

Russia

Animation, Katya Miloslavskaya, 2017, 5 min

The (cat) power of the cosmos can fuel you once you connect your charger to the energy and yin-yang fusion of Catmos.

Power

USA - New York Premiere

Animation, Dana Sink, 2017, 2 min

No dialogue

The crazy machines that fuel the moving image get cleverly de- and re-constructed in this animated homage to Eadweard Muybridge.

Lost & Found

Australia

Animation, Andrew Goldsmith, Bradley Slabe, 2018, 8 min

One softie might have to toughen up and risk coming completely unraveled to maintain a tight-knit friendship in this Oscar-longlisted short.

Ride

Portugal - New York Premiere

Animation, Paul Bush, 2018, 6 min

Get into gear for hundreds of bikes getting ready to go in this frame by frame motorized fantasia.

Room for Change

USA - New York Premiere

Documentary, Kelly Ramundo & Dan Fipphen, 2018, 7 min

A moving, inspiring documentary account of generations uniting for change as part of 2018's March for Our Lives.

Superheroes

Germany - New York Premiere

Live Action, Volker Petters, 2017, 16 min

German with English subtitles

Three teens who tend to fly solo find that together they have the power to soar.

Weekends

USA

Animation, Trevor Jimenez, 2017, 15 min

Nominated for an Oscar and evocatively hand-illustrated, Jimenez's film artfully relays the story a young boy shuttling between dreams as well as his challenging new two-household reality.

Preschool Poets: Bullets

USA

Animation, Nancy Kangas, Josh Kun, 2017, 1 min

Brayden offers poetic yet to-the-point advice for laying down arms and anger.

Boys Beyond Boundaries

For Ages 10+

Building a Prosthetic Arm With Legos

Andorra

Live Action, Austin Brown, 2018, 3 min

A young man's self-determination and clever engineering shine in this inspiring doc.

Xavier

Brazil

Live Action, Ricky Mastro, 2016, 13 min

Portuguese with English subtitles
A father is told his son isn't like the others, but he knows his fledgling drummer boy will find his own beat.

Juni

Curaçao - New York Premiere

Live Action, Sharelly Emanuelson, 2018, 8 min

Papiamento with English subtitles

Life in Curaçao may seem idyllic, but teens who feed themselves a diet of tough posturing and iguana stew make life challenging for a boy and his younger friend.

Granbad

United Kingdom - New York Premiere

Live Action, Annabel Vine, 2018, 10 min
After he's pressured to graffiti a wall, a boy reveals his feelings-and his dyslexia.

Stardust

Mexico - East Coast Premiere

Live Action, Aldo Sotelo Lázaro, 2017, 14 min

Spanish with English subtitles

One young man realizes that no matter how humble his surroundings, he can still find a path to reach for the stars.

Slow Dance

Sweden

Live Action, Christian Zetterberg, 2018, 6 min

Swedish with English subtitles
A middle school dance floor is the ultimate field of courage for our protagonist.

Beauty

Canada

Documentary, Christina Willings, 2018, 24 min

English and French with English subtitles

Five gender-creative kids are each uniquely engaged in shaping their idea of what it means to be fully human.

Heebie Jeebies

For Ages 10+

And The Moon Stands Still

Belarus, Germany

Animation, Yulia Ruditskaya, 2017, 11 min

A night creature tries to steal off with a village's glimmer of hope. Fortunately, its steadfast moon is not one to wane.

Floreana

Denmark - US Premiere

Animation, Lou Morton, 2018, 4 min

Take your mind for a ride with Floreana's illustrated flights of fancy through unimagined possibilities.

Hybrids

France

Animation, Florian Brauch, Matthieu Pujol, Kim Tailhades, Yohan Thireau, Romain Thirion, 2017, 6 min

Epic creature clashes depict a landscape we'll inherit if we're not mindful.

Running Lights

Lithuania, India, Finland

Animation, Gediminas Siaulys, 2017, 11 min

A magical transfer of glowing energy and life is set into motion when one creature departs its earthly form.

Cerulia

Mexico - New York Premiere

Animation, Sofía Carrillo, 2017, 13 min

Spanish with English subtitles

In this meticulously crafted stop-motion menagerie, Cerulia may seem like delicate porcelain, but as the creepiness mounts, it's the audience who just might crack first!

Bless You!

Poland - US Premiere

Animation, Paulina Ziolkowska, 2018, 5 min

You might consider existence one giant cosmic sneeze once you are exposed to this vibrantly infectious animation.

Toy House

Russian Federation - New York Premiere

Animation, Natasha Danilevskaya, 2017, 7 min

How is it that the ones you love so dear can also be so eerie?

Pig: The Dam Keeper Poems

US

Animation, Erick Oh, 2018, 15 min

Exquisitely hand drawn and based on the NYICFF and Academy-Award winning short, abstract and surreal visuals suggest eco-dangers tempered by Pig and a cast of hopeful characters.

Girls' POV

For Ages 10+

A Field Guide to Being a 12-Year-Old Girl

Australia - East Coast Premiere

Live Action, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, 2017, 20 min
Who doesn't need A Field Guide to Being a 12-Year-Old Girl-whether you are, have been, or ever wanted to be one-in this wry comedy.

The Shadow of Cairo

Egypt, United Kingdom - North American Premiere

Live Action, Tara Shehata, 2018, 15 min

Arabic with English subtitles

The Shadow of Cairo must take on a different mission and guise in the face of harassment during her first superhero outing on the streets of Egypt.

My Body

France

Animation, Nicolas Nivesse, Sandralee Zinzen, 2018, 2 min
Sometimes you talk to the mirror, and sometimes it tries to talk back. But your body is your business-and yours alone-and one young woman has had enough.

Jesszilla

USA

Documentary, Emily Sheskin, 2017, 7 min

English

A pugilist-in-training, Jess has big boxing aspirations, while her father worries and supports her in one-two alternations of his own.

Hvalagapet

Norway - New York Premiere

Live Action, Liss-Anett Steinskog, 2017, 12 min

At 12, Rikke is starting to test out some very big feelings to see just how real they are firsthand.

Stories Floating on the Wind

Japan

Live Action, Nao Yoshigai, 2018, 9 min

One young woman's freewheeling ride down the Japanese coast winds along a breezy path through vivid encounters with senses, sensations, and pulsating colors.

7 Planets

United Kingdom - East Coast Premiere

Live Action, Milda Baginskaite, 2018, 6 min

A space-obsessed girl realizes that in cosmic matters, it's all about the long game.

Preschool Poets: Supergirl

USA

Animation, Nancy Kangas, Josh Kun, 2017, 1 min

Poet Penny sums it up best when she says "I would like to kick! 'Cause that's what a supergirl does."

Friends & Neighbors: NL

We're crossing the Atlantic to pair up with far-flung Friends & Neighbors this year. Cinekid, The premiere Dutch film festival for children and the EYE Film Institute come ashore to co-present with NYICFF a selection of the Netherlands' best short films. Featuring a range of different cultures and themes-from Old Amsterdam to New York-and fresh stories that keep history alive.

Friends & Neighbors Netherlands: Program 1

For Ages 7+

Passing By
Netherlands - North America Premiere

Animation, Job, Joris & Marieke, 2018, 1 min.

100 years of Amsterdam go by in street-style flash and dash in this memorably animated view of history.

Jonas and the Sea
Netherlands

Animation, Marlies van der Wel, 2015, 12 min

At the seaside, Jonas dreams of a life among the fish and constructs bizarre aquatic contraptions to realize the impossible.

Mr. Paper Goes Out for A Walk
Netherlands - East Coast Premiere

Animation, Ben Tesseur, Steven De Beul, 2018, 8 min

In Dutch with English subtitles
With trusty scissors in hand, Mister Paper makes choice cuts to craft his ideal world.

Polska Warrior

Netherlands

Animation, Camiel Schouwenaar, 2017, 25 min

In Dutch & Polish with English subtitles

Eric Kaminsky feels a little like a fish out of water. Will the pool finally be the place where he can feel just right?

Heads Together

Netherlands

Animation, Job, Joris & Marieke, 2016, 20 min.

In Dutch with English Subtitles

Three very different kids, all friends, find out what it truly means to walk a day in each other's shoes,...and legs, and torsos in this hilarious International Emmy and 2017 NYICFF Grand Prize- winning film.

Friends & Neighbors: NL
Friends & Neighbors Netherlands: Program 2

For Ages 10+

Passing By
Netherlands - North America Premiere

Comments