features

SATURDAY, JANUARY 26 AT 1PM
ALFIE, THE LITTLE WEREWOLF
West Coast premiere!
(Joram Lürsen, The Netherlands, 2011, live action, 95 min)

On the night of his seventh birthday, Alfie suddenly changes into a fluffy white werewolf. A quirky, smart and delightful film about a young boy who suddenly develops full-moon issues. Ages 8 and up. In Dutch with English subtitles. It’s about a werewolf — a subject that, despite its cuteness in this treatment, might be too intense for very sensitive viewers.
Buy Tickets >> | Trailer >>

Screens with the youth-made short, The Inspector (3 min, Max Sarkowsky, 2012).

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

SATURDAY, JANUARY 26 AT 5PM
SUNDAY, JANUARY 27 AT 9PM
THURSDAY, JANUARY 31 AT 7PM
THE CROCODILES: ALL FOR ONE
West Coast premiere!
(Wolfgang Groos, Germany, 2011, live action, 80 min)

Fans of The Crocodiles films, rejoice! The intrepid gang of kids is back for a third adventure, masterminding a high-stakes prison break that will save the life of one of their friends. The first two Crocodiles films, based on the characters from Max von der Grün’s bestseller, have been seen by more than one million cinemagoers in Germany alone and won countless national and international prizes, including the top prize at Children’s Film Festival Seattle 2010.  Ages 10 and up.  In German with English subtitles. Includes plenty of coarse language and dangerous situations.
Buy Tickets >> | Trailer >>

Screens with the short, The Entertainer (3 min, Coyote Central, 2012), a youth-made film created at a summer camp led by Seattle filmmaker Brad Vanderburg.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

SUNDAY, JANUARY 27 AND SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3 AT 3PM
CAPTAIN JANUARY
World premiere of the new score performed live by Leslie McMichael!
(Edward F. Cline, USA, 1924, live action, 61 min)

For decades, this charming film was a forgotten, barely-flickering relic of the silent film era. Now, thanks to efforts by Milestone Film and Video and UCLA Film and Video Archive, audiences are once again falling in love with its star, the irrepressible Baby Peggy — a child actress who took the silver screen by storm ten years before the success of Shirley Temple. At the dawn of film, Peggy Montgomery was the world’s first five-year-old millionaire, churning out two-reelers and features, and becoming the subject of magazine covers, Baby Peggy dolls and look-alike contests. Behind the bright lights, the child star’s life was hard, and she was eventually blacklisted from studios after her manager-father got into bitter arguments with producers. Today, Diana Serra, the actress who played Baby Peggy, is still alive, and the subject of a stirring documentary, Baby Peggy: The Elephant in the Room.

The magic of her films lives on: in this outing, Baby Peggy stars as an orphan who quite literally washes up on the shore of a wild beach, winning the heart of a crusty old lighthouse keeper who takes her in. Our presentation features a live performance by harpist/composer Leslie McMichael, who will bring the heavenly and haunting sounds of Celtic, concert and electric harps to this world premiere performance of her new score. All ages.
Buy Tickets >> | Watch a tribute to Baby Peggy >>

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

SUNDAY, JANUARY 27 AT 3:30PM
GATTU
Northwest premiere!
(Rajan Khosa, India, 2011, live action, 82 min)

In a small town in central India, a young, illiterate urchin is obsessed with flying kites and dreams of bringing down a mysterious kite named Kali that seems to rule the skies. Without money, an education or a loving family, the boy’s goal seems impossible, but with pluck and inventiveness he sets out to make his dream come true. This new film from Children’s Film Society India has won acclaim worldwide for its story of an indomitable child who rises above countless obstacles to achieve his goal. Ages 7 and up. In Hindi with English subtitles. The leading character, a young boy, is treated cruelly at times in the film — an honest depiction of the hardship and poverty that millions of children throughout the world must endure.
Buy Tickets >> | Trailer >>

Screens with Topher’s Candylandy (2 min, Kimball Elementary School, 2009), a film made by fourth-grade students in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle, in a workshop with Seattle filmmaker Brad Vanderburg.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

SUNDAY, JANUARY 27 AT 5PM
MONDAY, JANUARY 28 AT 7PM
TOM SAWYER AND HIS FRIENDS
U.S. premiere!
(Norbert Lechner, Germany/Austria, 2012, live action, 96 min)

A new adaptation of Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, seamlessly transported to 1948 postwar Bavaria. Both those familiar with the story and those new to the thrilling yarn will delight in the characters of Tom and Hacke — two adventurous, fatherless boys who experience the thrill and terror of being on their own in a sometimes dangerous world. Ages 8 and older. In German with English subtitles. Do you remember Tom Sawyer? There is a murder, a haunted house and many scenes involving danger, though violence in the film is not graphic.
Buy Tickets >> | Trailer >>

Screens with the youth-made short Cupcakes with a Vengeance (3 min, Longhouse Media, 2012).

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

SUNDAY, JANUARY 27 AT 7PM
MARIA’S TIGHTROPE
International premiere!
(Eduardo Goldenstein, Brazil, 2012, live action, 80 min)

With a surreal style and colorful flair that recalls the magic of Fellini, Maria’s Tightrope is a gem from Brazil that follows young Maria as she must leave her happy home at the circus to live with her grandmother in the city. As she revisits memories and comes to terms with her past, Maria sets out on a journey of self-discovery, walking forward on her own tightrope line towards the future. Ages 10 and up. In Portuguese with English subtitles. Includes suspenseful tightrope scenes, spooky dream sequences and subject matter dealing with death and a child’s grief and separation from her parents.
Buy Tickets >> | Website>>| Trailer >>

Screens with El Pescador Salado (2 min, Niños del Proyecto, Colombia, 2010). A youth-made film from Festival Internacional de Cine y Television Infantil y Juvenil Cinecita.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

THURSDAY, JANUARY 31 AT 7PM
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2 AT 11:30AM
TOYS IN THE ATTIC
Seattle exclusive engagement!
(Jiří Barta, Czech Republic, 2009/2012 English language version, animated, 74 min)

Legendary Czech film director Jiří Barta creates a fantastic and secret world in an old attic, full of discarded knick-knacks, toys and assorted junk. Peace reigns over the abandoned toys until Buttercup, a beautiful doll, is taken prisoner by an evil cabal on the other side of the attic, igniting a battle to save her and restore tranquility to the kingdom of toys. It’s an adventure fairy tale full of imagination, vision and unbounded inventiveness, combining multiple forms of animation. Featuring the voice talent of Forest Whitaker, Joan Cusack and Cary Elwes. Grand prize winner at the 2010 New York International Children’s Film Festival. Ages 8 and older. Especially sensitive young viewers will find some scenes and characters scary. There is a happy ending!
Buy Tickets >> | Website>>| Trailer >>

Screens with the youth-made short Cupcakes Black and White (4 min, Long House Media, 2012).

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2 AT 3PM
TAKING CHANCES
U.S. premiere!
(Nicole van Kilsdonk, The Netherlands, 2011, live action, 86 min)

When her father heads to a war zone to work as a doctor, imaginative 9-year-old Kiek begins to worry. After her mother and teacher try to ease her fears by explaining the concept of statistical odds, she devises a plan that will improve her father’s chances of survival. Based on the award-winning book A Small Chance, by Marjolijn Court, this film has won a slew of top prizes on the international festival circuit. Ages 10 and up. In Dutch with English subtitles. Includes tense scenes involving the potential deaths of a mouse and family dog.
Buy Tickets >> | Trailer >>

Screens with the youth-made short, ZAP!!!! (30 sec, Iris and Ruby Seiwerath, with camera work by Seattle filmmaker Britta Johnson).

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2 AT 5PM
KRISH, TRISH AND BALTIBOY
U.S. premiere!
(Munjal Shroff and Tilakraj Shetty, India, 2009, animation, 80 min)

Set out with three loveable storytellers — Krish the cat, Trish the monkey and Baltiboy the donkey —on a colorful, exciting and very musical journey to discover Indian folktales from Rajasthan, Kerala and Punjab. This film, from Children’s Film Society India, lights up the screen with wonderfully crafted animation. Ages 4 and up. In Hindi with English subtitles.
Buy Tickets >> | Trailer >>

Screens with Super Mega Bunny (2 min, Kimball Elementary School, 2009). A film made by fourth-grade students in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle, in a workshop with Seattle filmmaker Brad Vanderburg.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

THURSDAY, JANUARY 24 AT 7PM
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 3 AT 1PM
ZARAFA
(Rémi Bezançon, Jean-Christophe Lie, France/Belgium, 2012, animation, 78 min)

Read the film description in the Opening Weekend section of this site!
Buy Tickets for Feb. 3>> | Website>>| Trailer >>
Looking for Opening Night tickets? Please click here>>