An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It
2023 Academy Award Nominee for Best Animated Short Film! Stop motion animation is turned on its head when a young telemarketer starts to realize his world is not what it seems…
Age: 10+
One Summer Story
Okthanksbye
Heebie Jeebies Shorts
Spooky, freaky, and bizarre…
Girls’ POV Shorts
Not just for girls! These shorts feature stories of girls breaking the mold.
One Summer Story
Between competitive swim team practice and cramming for classes the anime Buffalo Kotek is Minami’s only respit from her hectic life. So it feels a lot like kismet when she discovers that her classmate Shohei, and aspiring manga artist, shares her obsession—and that his brother is an amateur detective. It seems as though Minami’s finally formed the perfect team to help her unravel a big mystery of her own, following a recent trail of clues that just might lead to her long lost father. The timing couldn’t be better when an out-of-town swim competition presents itself as the perfect alibi, and she sneaks off to the Japanese coast to discover a whole new side of herself in this bold and charming story of anime, friendship, family, and the life aquatic.
Okthanksbye
Jamie is only just starting to get settled at her new boarding school for the deaf when she learns that her dear grandmother, the only other non-hearing member of her family, has landed in the hospital. When her family tells her there’s not enough time to pick her up in the Netherlands before heading to the hospital in Paris, Jamie is left feeling helpless. Imane, Jamie’s very new friend and classmate, sees her upset and suggests they secretly make the journey on their own. Together they face a scary clown, an abandoned mansion, a gibberish band, and much more on their trek from school through the French countryside. This charming film gracefully explores the way the two girls—one with a cochlear implant and one without—navigate friendship, the deaf community, and the hearing world. Joining the ranks of films like CODA and Sound of Metal, Okthanksbye takes care to represent the deaf community with graciousness and accuracy. But unlike those films, Okthanksbye is an unabashedly fun coming-of-age road movie. Co-produced by BNNVARA.
Celebrating Black Stories
Celebrating Black Stories spotlights shorts from throughout the Festival and around the world that embrace the joy, resilience, and complexity of the lives of Black youth. Start your journey in the Southern Hemisphere with My Name Is Maluum, the story of a little girl with a big name who shares her history with her classmates. Then connect across continents and comic books with the father-son story of Comic Escape. Cross the Atlantic to see how you can still make joyful noise in the film Silence, a British tale of finding your true self solo and in pairs.
¡Hola NYICFF!
You’ve asked if we could screen more Spanish-language films. Our answer? ¡Sí, claro! Our annual program delivers the best Latinx stories from around the world, and not just in Spanish, but also English, and even Portuguese, celebrating the many Latinx cultures, histories, identities and languages. From the playfully mystical storytelling in Our Lady Lupe, where an icon in mechanic’s coveralls has the power to change a young boy’s fate, to the moving drama of Alma y Paz, in which two young sisters must leave their countryside home behind, to the beautiful stop motion of My Grandma Matilde, which celebrates everyday hard work and the art it happens alongside, these expansive stories are lasting conversation-starters in any language.
Silence
A young teen in London looks for inspiration in the midst of dull lockdown and finds it in the unlikeliest place.
Room Rodeo
Grounded and with a last-minute school project due, Jamil takes matters into his own hands in order to prove he is the great grandson of a legendary Black cowboy.
The Night I Left America
While anxiously awaiting the results of his mothers visa renewal request, a teenage boy living Texas conjures memories of his life in Uganda.
Burros
In southern Arizona, on the Tohono O’odham Nation, a young Indigenous girl meets a girl her age from across the border who has been separated from her dad.
My Name is Maluum
Maalum comes from a home surrounded by love and Afro-centered references. When her classmates tease her about her name, Maluum discovers the lovely legacy of her name and ancestry.
Alma y Paz
Sisters Alma and Paz have to consider parting with their childhood home. While the decision seems clearer for city-dwelling Paz, for younger Alma, their place in the Mexican countryside is full of memories hard to leave behind.
An Invisible Apprentice
Twelve-year-old Inés keeps her challenges in check as she roller skates her way to equilibrium in this thoughtful 80s-inspired snapshot of time, family, and place.
Our Lady Lupe
Chico’s luck might be a Lady Lupe in mechanic’s coveralls when he looks for a way to help out his mom, in this magical realist short about the power of family and the magic of Lotería.
My Grandma Matilde
With a keen eye for art and a soft-spot for all creatures, Maria’s easily distracted in the eyes of her more practical grandmother. But their relationship shifts when Maria’s grandmother remembers a secret from her own childhood.
Ghastly Fowl
A beautifully animated short story that offers both a stark countdown and the possibility of a new beginning.
Love is Just a Death Away
Life, love and death coexist in surprising ways in a landfill rife with quirky inhabitants.
The Devil Will Run
An anxious seven-year-old is convinced the Devil lives in a hole in his back yard.
Danse Macabre
A tribute to the classic Disney short Skeleton Dance, Danse Macabre sees skeletons rise from the grave and frolic under the full moon.
The Fall
Leafie is a plucky little maple leaf who loves to groove. But when their latest performance takes an unexpected turn, the harsh realities of the season come crashing down.
Generation Impact: The Coder
Jay Jay Patton was only 13 when she designed and built an app to help kids connect with their incarcerated parents, inspired by her own experience. Now she is creating a coding academy to help other kids do the same.
Horizon
To realize her dream of launching into uncharted space, a determined astronaut must choose to leave her humanity behind.
6 Paws Under
A cemetary-dwelling cat is haunted by the ghost of its last mouse victim.
The Last Glaciers
Free event! IMAX presents The Last Glaciers, a global adventure following filmmaker Craig Leeson and United Nations Mountain Hero & Entrepreneur, Malcolm Wood as they push the limits of extreme sports using para-alpinism to explore the causes and effects of climate change. From Antarctica to the Himalaya, the Alps, and the Andes, IMAX immerses you in an extraordinary journey to the top of Earth’s glaciers as Leeson and Wood risk their lives to show how rapidly the glaciers are disappearing. Hear from leading scientists and impacted communities about the imminent dangers we face if we fail to protect what’s left of these critical natural water reservoirs. A compelling story of caution and hope, the documentary captures the fragility of the natural world, and the impact humans have on the planet’s life support systems. The film brings forward a call to action from the next generation determined to reverse our climate crisis for their own future. Featuring original music composed by Grammy®-nominated Above & Beyond.
The Last Glaciers is part of our Science on Screen® programming. Science on Screen® is an initiative of the Coolidge Theatre with generous support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
The Last Glaciers
IMAX Presents The Last Glaciers, a global adventure following filmmaker Craig Leeson and United Nations Mountain Hero & Entrepreneur, Malcolm Wood as they push the limits of extreme sports using para-alpinism to explore the causes and effects of climate change. From Antarctica to the Himalaya, the Alps, and the Andes, IMAX immerses you in an extraordinary journey to the top of Earth’s glaciers as Leeson and Wood risk their lives to show how rapidly the glaciers are disappearing. Hear from leading scientists and impacted communities about the imminent dangers we face if we fail to protect what’s left of these critical natural water reservoirs. A compelling story of caution and hope, the documentary captures the fragility of the natural world, and the impact humans have on the planet’s life support systems. The film brings forward a call to action from the next generation determined to reverse our climate crisis for their own future. Featuring original music composed by Grammy®-nominated Above & Beyond.
It’s a Summer Film!
Infatuated with sword-slinging samurai films, Barefoot and her two best friends, Blue Hawaii and Kickboard, study every scene, honing their directorial chops like another martial art. When Barefoot gets the chance to produce her own screenplay for a high school project, it’s both a dream come true and an enormous challenge—especially with all of the support and attention going to a competing student’s cheesy, soft-focus romcom. So Barefoot mobilizes a crew to shoot the film in one summer, guerilla-style. But just as production hits its stride, the sudden appearance of a mysterious, equally samurai-obsessed student brings dismal news of the future of movies. It’s a Summer Film is a love letter to cinema of all stripes, with an exhilarating mix of time travel, swordplay, and girls-behind-the-camera action that will keep you cheering from “Action!” to “Roll credits!”
Kids Cup
The Norway Cup is the world’s biggest soccer tournament for kids, and tough teams overcome enormous challenges—on and off the pitch—to play in it. Tenacious Afnan worries about the fighting back home in Palestine, while introspective American Khalidi navigates showing respect for his Tanzanian father, even when they don’t see eye to eye. Yu from China misses her father, and Fred from Brazil dreams of getting off of the bench. Their goal is the same: to win, of course. But along with the distinct challenges they bring from abroad, they also meet new ones: unfair referees, bland cafeteria food (and lots of fish!), homesickness, and the sting of a missed penalty shot. But there are wonders, too: for some, it’s teen flirtation, for others, it’s the marvels of the bounty at the candy shop, and for some, it’s even the running water in the locker room. Above all, Kids Cup is about teamwork, friendship, and discovering that today’s goal is a new generation’s to define.
Note: film contains mild language and sexual references