Age Range: 7

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Moominvalley

Moominfriends! Tove Jansson’s delightful universe is back, premiering exclusively at NYICFF with all the Moominventures you could ever wish for in three all new episodes. First, when Moomintroll and Sniff volunteer to walk Toffle home through the woods, Toffle tells tall tales to prolong their journey, which gets them into trouble when Groke arrives in Toffle’s Tall Tales. Mrs. Fillyjonk gets the feeling she’s “not long for this world,” so Moominpappa decides to throw her a party will never forget in Mrs. Fillyjonk’s Last Hurrah. Finally, a mystery in Snufkin and the Fairground: When Snufkin advises silence-loving Hemulen to leave his noisy job at the fairground, he’s left to run the rides on his own.
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The Goose

It’s a football tale as old as time: boy vs. goose…?
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Papirola

As he prepares for a life-changing voyage, Nico can’t help but pack up everything he loves in his house.
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More than Hair

Sitting for the first time in a barbershop, a young black boy discovers power of black hair. 
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Hoop Dreams

All that glitters is mama’s magic, and Savannah just needs to grab a little of that to get past her fears and soar through hoops in poetic style.
programs

Moominvalley

Moominfriends! Tove Jansson’s delightful universe is back, premiering exclusively at NYICFF with all the Moominventures you could ever wish for in three all new episodes. First, when Moomintroll and Sniff volunteer to walk Toffle home through the woods, Toffle tells tall tales to prolong their journey, which gets them into trouble when Groke arrives in Toffle’s Tall Tales. Mrs. Fillyjonk gets the feeling she’s “not long for this world,” so Moominpappa decides to throw her a party will never forget in Mrs. Fillyjonk’s Last Hurrah. Finally, a mystery in Snufkin and the Fairground: When Snufkin advises silence-loving Hemulen to leave his noisy job at the fairground, he’s left to run the rides on his own.
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Charlie and the Hunt

Charlie is a CODA (Child of Deaf Adult) with a wonderful mom and an adorable dog. When her mom’s bracelet goes missing, she sets off into the wild with her homemade map, where she uncovers breathtaking landscapes and priceless treasure.
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Canary

1922. Young Sonny works in a coal mine, dreaming of the warmth of the sunlight above the surface. When a clever prank goes awry, he’ll learn the hard way not to be the boy who cries canary.
programs

Celebrating Black Stories

Celebrating Black Stories spotlights shorts from throughout the Festival and around the world that embrace the joy, resilience, and complexity of being young and Black.
programs

Short Films One

Level up! Shorts in this program are for Tots graduates—and everyone else.
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Little Nicholas – Happy as Can Be

Simultaneously mixing the story of a mischievous cartoon boy and his friends with the true tale of his creators, Little Nicholas is a visual delight with wit to match. When illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempé first drew little imp Nicholas, he knew he had to get his good friend René Goscinny (of Asterix fame) to write the story. As the two artists bring the boy to life, Nicholas himself escapes the page to ask them about their own childhoods. Through these conversations, the friends share stories of early artistic ambition, immigrating to the United States, and family lost to World War II. More solemn moments are balanced expertly with Nicholas’s own adventures with his best friend Alceste (who simply loves toast!) in splashy watercolor, to deliver moments of utter joy. The first feature-length Little Nicholas film to maintain the essence of the text’s original artwork, this story of the creators and their created will delight fans of the books (who might know him better as Le Petit Nicolas) and send newcomers to their local libraries to discover what they’ve been missing.
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Ernest & Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia

At long last, they’re back! Ernest and Celestine, the wacky and warm, beloved if mismatched pair of travelers who made their US debut at NYICFF 2013 return for another instant classic, again for the first time in the United States. This time around, the once-forbidden friends are on the trail to Ernest’s home, Gibberitia. Grumpy Ernest is not too pleased to be headed back, but it’s the only place where he can get is prized violin repaired after it’s broken (in a major oops!) by Celestine. The silver lining? Gibberitia is home to some of the world’s greatest musicians who fill their time together playing the joyful sounds that fill the streets. But disappointment looms when our ursine/rodent duo arrive to silent streets and the master luthier nowhere to be found. They soon learn that this unthinkable existence is a result of a citywide ban on all music. Together with their friends and a mysterious masked outlaw, they will use strategy, hijinks, and even some hard concessions to learn that being true to yourself might just be the sweetest music of all. Another duo returning to NYICFF? Co-directors Julien Chheng and Jean-Christophe Roger, who have worked on Fest favorites Mune (NYICFF 2015) and The Storytelling Show (NYICFF 2011), respectively.
programs

NYICFF in Your Neighborhood

Get your Festival on, right in your community! Join our partners on February 24-26, 2023 to check out a NYICFF short film program and all of the great cultural activities your neighborhood has to offer. Admission is free and open to all.
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Special Preview: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio

Free preview screening and Q&A with legendary director Guillermo del Toro! Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio reimagines the classic tale of the fabled wooden boy who, looking for a place in this world during turbulent times, finds himself on an enchanted adventure transcending worlds and discovering the life-giving power of love and the precious nature of human existence.
programs

Special Preview: Matilda the Musical

With an intro by Emma Thompson (Miss Trunchbull) and Matilda herself, Alisha Weir! Followed by Q&A with director Matthew Warchus, screenwriter Dennis Kelly, and Tim Minchin, who wrote the original music and lyrics! Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical is an inspirational musical tale of an extraordinary girl who discovers her superpower and summons the remarkable courage, against all odds, to help others change their stories, whilst also taking charge of her own destiny. Standing up for what’s right, she’s met with miraculous results.
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Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical

Matilda Wormwood (Alisha Weir) is a little girl with big curiosity, a sharp mind and a vivid imagination — and the worst parents in the world. While her parents (Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough) content themselves with trashy TV and dodgy money-making schemes, she loves to lose herself in the pages of her beloved books. Where they are loud, selfish and unkind she is a quiet observer, thinking up small and cheeky acts of rebellion and revenge. On meeting her inspirational teacher, Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch), Matilda is encouraged and begins conjuring her own fantastical tales. Excited to attend Crunchem Hall, Matilda is surprised to find the school is an ominous and oppressive place led by the huge and villainous Miss Trunchbull (Emma Thompson). As well as kind Miss Honey, the bright lights among the meanness are story-loving librarian, Mrs. Phelps (Sindhu Vee), and Matilda’s newfound school friends. Filled with an overwhelming sense of justice, Matilda dares to take a stand for what is right and teach Trunchbull a lesson she won’t forget.
programs

Special Preview Screening: My Father’s Dragon

From five-time Academy Award®-nominated animation studio Cartoon Saloon (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers) and Academy Award®-nominated director (and NYICFF Juror!) Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner), comes an exquisite film inspired by the Newbery-honored children’s book from author Ruth Stiles Gannett. Struggling to cope after a move to the city with his mother, Elmer runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon who waits to be rescued. Elmer’s adventures introduce him to ferocious beasts, a mysterious island, and the friendship of a lifetime.
films

My Father’s Dragon

From five-time Academy Award®-nominated animation studio Cartoon Saloon (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, Wolfwalkers) and Academy Award®-nominated director (and NYICFF Juror!) Nora Twomey (The Breadwinner), comes an exquisite film inspired by the Newbery-honored children’s book from author Ruth Stiles Gannett. Struggling to cope after a move to the city with his mother, Elmer runs away in search of Wild Island and a young dragon who waits to be rescued. Elmer’s adventures introduce him to ferocious beasts, a mysterious island, and the friendship of a lifetime.
programs

Kid Flicks One

Let your imagination take the wheel with Kid Flicks One. Whether dreaming up the fantastical, like a cat the size of a house, or the practical, like finding a beloved teacher a summer romance, these shorts are sure to surprise and delight.
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Moominvalley: The Lonely Mountain

Online Exclusive! Sometimes even the best of friends need a little space to themselves, so when Snufkin sets out on a mountain trip solo, both he and Moomintroll must learn to balance the fine art of togetherness and time to grow on your own.
programs

Moominvalley: The Lonely Mountain

Sometimes even the best of friends need a little space to themselves, so when Snufkin sets out on a mountain trip solo, both he and Moomintroll must learn to balance the fine art of togetherness and time to grow on your own.
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Dumplings

A father shows his love by cooking delicious meals, but can magic in the kitchen be the glue that makes his daughter stick?
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Wolf and Cub

A father and son cross a world of imagination in order to return their mother’s forgotten lunch.
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The Cat in the Art Park

Even small cats are known for causing chaos, so imagine the hijinks that ensue when this art- park-dwelling cat suddenly grows to the size of a house.
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META

Interconnection, form, function, flow: all these big ideas about change and growth sprout in playful ways when creatures shape shift and dance to the rhythm of discovery.
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Star Bound

When six-year-old Jerry gets together with his uncle Joey, a Mission Operations Engineer at NASA, they have so much—a galaxy’s amount—to talk about.
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Poum Poum!

Poum Poum! is a musical film that celebrates the simple joy of hitting drums, scribbling on paper, splashing paint, or making cymbals screech.
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Frank & Emmet

Frank and Emmet are two life-long friends and show-business partners who, after weeks of drifting apart, sit together to address head-on the one thing they’ve never talked about: one of them is a puppet.
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DisneyNature’s Polar Bear

Narrated by two-time Academy Award® nominee Catherine Keener (Capote, Being John Malkovich), Disneynature’s Polar Bear tells the story of a new mother whose memories of her own youth prepare her to navigate motherhood in the increasingly challenging world that polar bears face today.
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Poupelle of Chimney Town

Our wide-eyed, top-hatted, scruffily charming young protagonist Lubbichi—such a big name for a little boy—has a very big job to do: serving as a busy chimney sweep in his enormous and gritty post-industrial town. With all the factory soot in the air, Lubbichi and the townspeople haven’t seen the sky in years, but that won’t stop this plucky boy from dreaming of the stars. His dreams get even closer to reach when he befriends Poupelle, a gentle giant robot made of trash whose heart beats as true as any human one. Based on the beloved Japanese manga and filled with amazingly detailed CG worlds of complex, inventive devices and fantastical landscapes, this ragtag buddy movie brushes, clanks, and sweeps its way through the debris to dazzle eyes, hearts and minds. Chim, chim, cher-ee, indeed.
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