Country: United States

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Story and Pictures By

One of our earliest introductions to storytelling comes in the form of picture books, the art of pairing stories and illustrations so seemingly simple but deeply resonant. This joyful doc turns our eyes to three emerging authors and how they are changing the game by expanding the kinds of stories they tell and the very idea of who gets to tell them. Follow Christian Robinson (Last Stop on Market Street), Yuyi Morales (Viva Frida), and Mac Barnett (Sam & Dave Dig a Hole) as they push boundaries to lead the new golden age of kid lit. Charming animation and rare archival footage revisit timeless classics like Where the Wild Things Are and Goodnight Moon and shine a new light on the history of this enchanting art form, all while providing a look ahead into its boundless future.
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Frybread Face and Me

It’s the summer of 1990 and Benny has been unceremoniously shipped from San Diego to his grandma’s on the Navajo Nation. Instead of seeing Fleetwood Mac with his mom, he’s thrust into the dusty daily life of sheep herding. Between insults from his uncle and unintelligible conversations with Grandma (she only speaks Navajo), he charts his escape back home. That’s until Frybread Face, his bossy cousin Dawn, is similarly ditched on the rez. Unlike Benny, Fry’s familiar with the ways of Diné, and what starts out as leeriness toward her city cousin soon gives way to genuine affection. And when it’s time for Benny to head back home, he’s bringing with him a proud connection to his cousin and his culture. This hilarious and touching slice-of-life story, executive produced by NYICFF alum Taika Waititi, is a warm portrait of cultural awakening and the adolescent summers that stay with us not because of what happened, but because of what they made us feel.
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Migration

The Mallard family is in a bit of rut. While dad Mack is content to keep his family safe paddling around their New England pond forever, mom Pam is eager to shake things up and show their kids—teen son Dax and duckling daughter Gwen—the whole wide world. After a migrating duck family alights on their pond with thrilling tales of far-flung places, Pam persuades Mack to embark on a family trip, via New York City, to tropical Jamaica.  As the Mallards make their way South for the winter, their well-laid plans quickly go awry. The experience will inspire them to expand their horizons, open themselves up to new friends and accomplish more than they ever thought possible, while teaching them more about each other—and themselves—than they ever imagined. 
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Trolls Band Together

Get ready for an action-packed, all-star, rainbow-colored family reunion like no other! Now back from their world tour, Poppy discovers that Branch has a secret past. He was once part of her favorite boyband phenomenon, BroZone, with his four brothers: Floyd, John Dory, Spruce, and Clay. BroZone and the family disbanded when Branch was still a baby, he hasn’t seen his brothers since. But when Branch’s bro Floyd is kidnapped for his musical talents by a pair of nefarious pop-star villains Velvet and Veneer, Branch and Poppy embark on a harrowing and emotional journey to reunite the other brothers and rescue Floyd from a fate even worse than pop-culture obscurity.
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Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget

The long-awaited sequel is finally here—see it before it hits Netflix on December 15! Having pulled off a death-defying escape from Tweedy’s farm, Ginger has finally found her dream—a peaceful island sanctuary for the whole flock, far from the dangers of the human world. When she and Rocky hatch a little girl called Molly, Ginger’s happy ending seems complete. But back on the mainland the whole of chicken-kind faces a new and terrible threat. For Ginger and her team, even if it means putting their own hard-won freedom at risk — this time, they’re breaking in!
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The Monkey King

The Monkey King is an action-packed family comedy that follows a rebellious and charismatic Monkey and his magical fighting Stick on an epic quest for victory over 100 demons, an eccentric Dragon King, and Monkey’s greatest foe of all —his own ego! Along the way, a young village girl challenges his self-centered attitude and shows him that even the smallest pebble can have a big effect on the world. — Netflix
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Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

Sweet, awkward 16-year-old Ruby Gillman is desperate to fit in at Oceanside High, but she mostly just feels invisible. She’s math-tutoring her skater-boy crush, who only seems to admire her for her fractals, and she’s prevented from hanging out with the cool kids at the beach because her over-protective supermom has forbade Ruby from ever getting in the water. But when she breaks her mom’s #1 rule, Ruby will discover that she is a direct descendant of the warrior kraken queen and is destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother, the Warrior Queen of the Seven Seas. Featuring the voices of Lana Condor, Jaboukie Young-White, Toni Collette, and Jane Fonda!

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Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret

Judy Blume’s timeless, coming-of-age story has transcended decades and spoken to generations. At 11, Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) is moving to a new town and beginning to contemplate everything about life, friendship, and adolescence. She relies on her mother (Rachel McAdams), who offers loving support but is herself finding her own footing in a new place, and her grandmother Sylvia (Kathy Bates), who is coming to terms with finding happiness in the next phase of her life. For all three, questions of identity, one’s place in the world, and what brings meaning to a life will draw them closer together than ever before. From writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig (The Edge of Seventeen) and Gracie Films’ Academy Award®-winning producer James L. Brooks.
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Mamá

A mother-son road trip in the swampy Florida Everglades veers off course, locking the passengers out of their car. They’ll have to figure out another way forward, on the road and in their relationship, to get back on solid ground.
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I Scream, You Scream

An ice cream man sets out to create a banger of a beat the world has ever seen in an attempt to rekindle a dream and reconnect with his son.
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A Whisper in the Island of the Heart

Love communicates across the Tibetan mountains, against a warm coat of fur, and through sound waves and vibrations, proving silence can speak volumes.
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The Wood Thrush

An elusive bird’s song draws a girl into the forest, where an epiphany inspires her to seek a life at odds with her father’s own plans for her future. This film is supported by Science on Screen®. Science on Screen® is an initiative of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, with major support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
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The Originals

New York-bred Matty “Square” Ruggiero and his childhood friends think back on what it was like to grow up playing in the streets of South Brooklyn, with all its joys and hardships, in the 1970s.
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Tank Fairy

Ten-year-old Jojo, cast out by classmates and misunderstood by his stern, single mom, is inspired to live out loud by his fierce, propane-toting fairy godmother.
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My Duduś

A mother’s love gets a little squirrely when her son leaves home and she finds a furry replacement in this true-to-life, believe-it-or-not doc.
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Kissy And The Shark

Kissy has enough on her mind worrying about her mother and grandmother, but her caring instinct takes hold when she finds and tries to rescue a small stranded shark washed up on a littered LA beach.
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The Old Young Crow

A magical sketchbook toggles between time and place in this fantastical tale of an Iranian boy, a big black crow, a long-lost son, and a loving mother who cross spiritual paths at a Tokyo grave.
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Rachel

Animator Rachel Reid exudes joy as she talks about being an animator, encouraging others to follow in her footsteps.
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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. 
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Mall Stories: Attila the Grilla

Any way you slice and dice this charming animated mockumentary, the girl-grill-boss and endearing staff of the food court eatery Atilla the Grilla will win your hearts—and stomachs.
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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.
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First Down

America’s first all-girls tackle football league brings together a band of misfits and outcasts who compete for the title while tackling struggles on and off the field.
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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.
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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.
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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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Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio

Academy Award®-winning director Guillermo del Toro 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.
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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.
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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.
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