Rachel
Animator Rachel Reid exudes joy as she talks about being an animator, encouraging others to follow in her footsteps.
Age Range: 9
Joyce’s Neighborhood
Mr Roger’s Neighborhood’s got nothing on Joyce’s house, a castle to all the local kids that’s nothing but sweetness and light.
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.
The Goose
It’s a football tale as old as time: boy vs. goose…?
Papirola
As he prepares for a life-changing voyage, Nico can’t help but pack up everything he loves in his house.
La Calesita
A beloved Argentinian merry-go-round operator brings joy to the neighborhood families in this warm and vivid story of what comes around, goes around…
More than Hair
Sitting for the first time in a barbershop, a young black boy discovers power of black hair.
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.
El Moño
After her favorite sock goes missing, Andrea learns some family magic that helps her find lost objects in the most unexpected ways. She’ll soon discover that toys and coins aren’t the only things that can get lost.
Eid Mubarak
It’s a beautiful candy-colored world, but nothing could be further from Pakistani girl’s mind as she embarks on a crafty mission to save her beloved pet goat from being eaten on the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Azha.
Desert Lights
In the drought-plagued Atacama desert, friends Antay, Inti, and Ayelén hustle to build a soccer dream team as the ranks dwindle in their struggling town.
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.
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.
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.
Balcony Cacophony
Topiary tensions run high in this all too familiar battle between neighbors over who gets to control the most precious part of a shared living space: the sound.
Architect A
Architect A constructs every house to resemble a person’s life, using their memories to build a thriving, living, and breathing structure beyond all imagination.
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.
Short Films Two
Dig a little deeper, and explore a littler further, with Short Films Two.
Short Films One
Level up! Shorts in this program are for Tots graduates—and everyone else.
Totem
Eleven-year-old Ama loves the water, and not only because she’s surrounded by the Rotterdam waterfront. She’s also a passionate swimmer, spending every spare minute in the pool training for the upcoming championships with her best friend, Thijs. Though she’s the daughter of Senegalese asylum-seekers, Ama feels Dutch, through and through. So it’s all the more unthinkable when her family members are unexpectedly detained, leaving Ama to find a solution. Harnessing the focus she learned in swim training and armed with the wisdom of her mother’s tales of their homeland, she must forge a path of her own. Fortunately, a gigantic spirit animal rooted in Senegalese tradition might just be of service.
Titina
“More or less based on true events.” So begins the mostly true-to-life story of Titina, an intrepid fox terrier, and her companions on their aerial expedition to the North Pole. When Italian engineer Umberto Nobile is invited to build and airship for Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, he knows he’s embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. And who better to accompany him on his dirigible to the top of the world than the trusty street pup he rescued in Rome? Just as their airship, the Norge, is poised to reach a milestone as the first to make the Polar flyover, a petty power struggle turns the journey sour. With colorful animation mixed with live action documentary footage, Titina captures all of the real, high-altitude antics that made history—all from the vantage point of one lucky dog.
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.
Goodbye Don Glees!
Start with Stand by Me, add a bit of Goonies, top with a dash of Stranger Things, mix well with visually dazzling sylvan and celestial animation, and you’ve got Goodbye Don Glees! Deliciously umami, this year’s must-see, Oscar-shortlisted story is about being a teen and the mundanity and hilarity that comes with it. Teen trio Roma, Tot, and Drop collectively go by “Don Glees,” a sly take on their glum (not gleeful) but adventurous outlook. When they are caught literally playing with fire, the group is called into question and they must set off on a quest through the forest to prove their innocence. Along the way, individual motivations, like Toto’s singular focus on studying medicine and Drops’ sweet belief in the power of friendship in the face of challenge, are put to the test. The result is cosmic, gutting, goofy—and yes, even gleeful—in this tough yet tender anime answer to Boyhood.
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.
Dounia & The Princess of Aleppo
Bold of spirit and wild of hair, six-year-old Dounia lives joyfully with her family in Aleppo, where she spends her time traversing the bustling souks, or marketplaces, teeming with delicious ingredients just right for her grandmother’s amazing dishes. Life is filled with kind neighbors, shared stories, and music until a gradually intensifying conflict brings a growing troop of soldiers to town. When the family is forced to pack up and join the global ranks searching for a safer place to call home, Dounia’s grandmother stuffs rosewater sweets and other fresh-baked, homestyle delights into her bulging suitcase. But all Dounia takes with her is a handful of nigella seeds, known in Syrian lore to have magical properties. Her handful of hope just might bear rewards in the form of the legendary princess of Aleppo and her guidance as the group journeys across Syria, the dangerous sea, the daunting borders of Europe, and more. Though navigating serious themes, this charming, funny, and visually dazzling tale offers an all-ages point of entry to explore timely issues and the timeless value of respect for all citizens of the world.
Blue Thermal
Tamaki is ready to create an exciting social life for herself at university when she, quite literally, bumps into the members of the aeronautics club, knocking over their glider plane. With the pricey damage done, she begins working in the club to compensate. The grace that Tamaki lacks on the ground she quickly finds in the sky, but in order to fly high, she has to catch a thermal—no easy feat for a team that relies on reading the sky rather than high tech devices. Then there’s her older sister, Yano, who holds a grudge and will use sneaky means to win the contest for herself and her teammate, the too-cool-for-school Hatori. But Tamaki plays fair and square, even to her own disadvantage, as she’d rather have a stiff rival than win by the competition’s careless mistakes. She wants nothing more than to repay club captain Kuramochi, not only for the damaged glider but for taking her under his wing and helping her discover her power and passion. But when he disappears, will she find a runway back that feels like a win?
Belle & Sebastian: Next Generation
City kid Sebastian, 10, is less than thrilled to spend school break with his grandmother and aunt in the countryside instead of filling his days with parkour around Paris with his friends. Though the family farm is in the stunning French Pyrenees mountains, Seb finds herding sheep utterly boring. That is, until he meets Belle, a beautifully humongous canine with a heart as gold as her voluminous locks. When Seb learns that Belle is being mistreated by her owner, he’s ready to draw on his city pluck and do what it takes to protect his new friend. In the process, he just might find a way to save the family farm from greedy developers and looming climate change. Filled with gorgeous mountain scenery and modern themes, this contemporary version of Belle and Sebastian delivers on its next gen title. If, like us, you’re already a member of the fervent Belle and Sebastian fanbase, you know that the real screen starlet is Belle. If not, prepare for some puppy love at first sight.
My Robot Brother
The future is now in this hilarious vision of a slightly absurd high-tech world not far off from our own. There, robots serves as kids’ personal assistants, leaving adults to a life of leisure hanging (quite literally) around the house in body suits and VR headsets. It’s not a perfect world, especially for 12-year-old Alberte, whose sweet but super embarrassing android Robbi is the oldest model there is, lightyears behind the 15.0 version of all her classmates. So when she gets the perfect birthday present—Konrad, the newest humanoid that’s not even on the market—her popularity spikes and things start to look up. Konrad’s AI makes him slick and amazingly human-like, and loyal but bumbling Robbi gets shoved to the side. But can the connection between Alberte and Konrad hold up to a real friendship? This film is presented with support from Science on Screen®. Science on Screen® is an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
My Robot Brother
The future is now in this hilarious vision of a slightly absurd high-tech world not far off from our own. There, robots serves as kids’ personal assistants, leaving adults to a life of leisure hanging (quite literally) around the house in body suits and VR headsets. It’s not a perfect world, especially for 12-year-old Alberte, whose sweet but super embarrassing android Robbi is the oldest model there is, lightyears behind the 15.0 version of all her classmates. So when she gets the perfect birthday present—Konrad, the newest humanoid that’s not even on the market—her popularity spikes and things start to look up. Konrad’s AI makes him slick and amazingly human-like, and loyal but bumbling Robbi gets shoved to the side. But can the connection between Alberte and Konrad hold up to a real friendship?