Children's Film Fest
The 5th Annual New Orleans International Children’s Film Festival is presented by the New Orleans Film Society, the Los Angeles International Children’s Film Festival (LAICFF) and the Contemporary Arts Center.
The festival will take place Saturday, August 11, and Sunday, August 12. All film screenings take place at the Contemporary Arts Center (900 Camp Street).
Thanks to the Residence Inn by Marriott in Downtown New Orleans for helping to make this event FREE to the public.
A = Animated / L = Live Action / D = Documentary
Saturday, Aug. 11
Program #1: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. — Short films for all ages
“Animation Showcase!” A reel of short animation from around the world, some of the best and most creative all-ages animation on the planet, including films from Croatia, Germany, Canada, UK, Hungary, Czech Republic and more! (A)
“Mr. Raindrop” (Harriet Spizziri/Dani Bowman): A raindrop dreams of becoming a cloud. Then one day… (A) (USA)
Program #2: 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. — Short films for all ages
“Wepo” (Jackie Marion): Wepo the alien runs out of gas in the middle of outer space. A plan emerges. (A) (USA)
“Elmer’s Nest” (Jackie Marion): A baby bird builds a nest that is far from conventional. (A) (USA)
“The Box” (Kartika Mediani): Budi will do anything to protect his precious box, but how far will he go? (A) (USA)
“The Offering” (Natalie Xavier): Two birds argue over an offering to the Tiki gods, with surprising results. (A) (USA)
“Fish Tank Fantasy” (Alison Chin): Frustrated by the boundaries of life, a fish has an epiphany that could bring him happiness. (A) (USA)
“The Secret Life of Shirts” (Eric Leppo): A man, a chicken and the shirt they share. (A) (USA)
“Yarn, Paper Scissors” (Rebecca Olson): A stop-motion animated short about a yarn critter that must save his paper friend from a malevolent pair of scissors. (A) (USA)
“Terror in a Three-Piece Suit” (Ariel Goldberg): A clerk with an overactive mind imagines monstrous happenings behind the door to the boss’s office. (A) (USA)
Program #3: 1 p.m. – 2 p.m. — Short films for all ages
“Jostle” (Shaun Peterson): A small penguin is interrupted on his way to a delicious meal. (A) (USA)
“Adelita” (Ari Carillo): A little Pinata discovers that finding her true purpose in life requires a thick skin. (A) (USA)
“Prince Rat” (Albert Radl): The princess is abducted by a presumed dragon. Heroism looms. (A) (Germany)
“Closed” (Albert Radl): A locked door. A stubborn person. Who wins? (A) (Germany)
“Sheep” (Albert Radl): A sheep eats and eats. Something must give. (A) (Germany)
“Inner City” (Alain Fournier): In a city hung between two endless walls, a boy with only pigeons for company tries to entertain his remote neighbor with wacky inventions. (A) (Canada)
“Home” (Joseph Barker/Ben Rivet): A bird goes on a journey to build a home for his family. (A) (USA)
Plus other shorts!
Program #4: 2:15 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. — Short films for ages 7 and older
“Luminaris” (Juan Pablo Zaramella): In a world controlled and timed by light, an ordinary man has a plan that could change the natural order of things. (A) (Spain)
“Little Moon Lost” (Jennifer Treuting): A boy finds an unusual orb in a country field. How can he make it feel better? Cheese, maybe? (L) (USA)
“Missing” (Tariq Rimawi): A window opens for a child in his war torn area, where he longs for his past peaceful life. (A) (Jordan/UK)
“Pl.nk!” (Anne Kristin Berge): A minimalist painter works in silent concentration on a series of hopeless squares. Suddenly, help arrives. (A) (Denmark)
“Kahanikar” (Nandita Jain): 7-year-old Nirmala grapples with her granddad’s dementia when he starts to forget the details of her favorite story. A prize-winning film. (A) (UK)
“Swimming Pool” (Alexandra Hetmerova): Two outsiders meet in a closed swimming pool in the middle of a big city. (A) (Czech Republic)
“The Maker” (Christopher Kezelos): A strange creature races against time to make the most important and beautiful creation of his life. (A) (USA)
Program #5: 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. — Short films for ages 10 and older
“Older Kids Collection” (Misc.): Some of our best live-action and animated shorts for ages 10 and older. (L/A) (Various)
Sunday, Aug. 12
Program #7: 10:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. — Short films for all ages
“Head Dwellers” (Eszter Szoboszlay): A peek into the inside of a head, where we find… the head dwellers. (A) (Hungary)
“The Poor Man and the Dog” (Maria Horvath): A poor family meets an odd man with a puppy. Good luck follows. (A) (Hungary)
“Pretty Kitty’s Flower” (Maria Horvath): Pretty Kitty must learn to take care of her flower after she neglects to water it. (A) (Hungary)
“Shop Tales” (Eszter Szoboszlay): The shops in an imaginary town each have a story to tell. (A) (Hungary)
“The Plant” (Jennifer Oxley): A girl devises a creative solution to get her kite from the branches of a tall tree. (A) (USA)
Program #8: 11:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. — Short films for all ages
“Abridged” (Arjun Rihan): A romantic comedy set on the Golden Gate Bridge. (A) (USA)
“Dorme” (Sylvia Binsfeld): A magical journey into the world of dreams, countering our crazy world of stimulation. (L) (USA)
“Garpenfargle” (Bill Kersey/Edward Kim): Can one dog obey orders to stay clear of the trash can? Doubt it. (L) (USA)
“Once Upon a Tide” (Drew Takahashi): Blends the moral and visual elements of a mystical fairy tale to inspire us to recognize the importance of ocean conservation. (D/A) (USA)
“The Wishing Well” (Rod Maxwell): One woman’s quest for love takes her to a wishing well. An all-time festival favorite. (L/A) (USA)
Program #9: 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. — Short films for all ages
“Best of Fest”: Celebrating five years of the New Orleans International Children’s Film Festival, enjoy two hours of short films representing the best of the festival over the years! (L/A) (Global)
Program #10: 3:15 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. — Short films for ages 7 and older
“My Greatest Day Ever” (Mark Bellamy): After losing his lucky sock, Scotty must battle superstition to try and win the grand final for his team. (L) (Australia)
“Butterflies” (Andy Bailey): A shy second-grader sees an x-ray and discovers he has butterflies in his stomach. How will he get them out? (L/A) (USA)
“Karma Cafe” (Eben Kostbar): A coffee shop cashier instills confidence in a lonely, young man seeking love. Are they the words of The Wise? Or simply acts of coincidence? A feel-good lesson to end the day. (L) (USA)