New York International Children's Film Festival Announces Lineup

New York International Children's Film Festival recently announced its 2018 lineup. It will be celebrating its 21st anniversary, and will run over four weekends from Feb. 23-March 18. The films for children ages 3-18 include animated, live action, and documentary features from over a dozen countries.

Tickets are currently on sale for members and will go on sale for the general public on Jan. 24 at nyicff.org. The festival takes place at various locations around New York City: Alamo Drafthouse City Point in Brooklyn; Museum of the Moving Image in Queens; and Cinépolis Chelsea, IFC Center, Scandinavia House, and SVA Theatre in Manhattan.

One of the films highlighted this year is Hilda, "Luke Pearson’s episodic adaptation of his celebrated graphic novel series, in which plucky Hilda sets out on adventures evoking both Scandinavian folklore and Studio Ghibli," according to a recent NYICFF press release.

NYCIFF was founded in 1997 and is celebrating its 21st year. The children's film festival receives approximately 2,500 international submissions and shows over 120 short and feature-lenth films. The film fest will also include filmmaker Q-and-As, retrospective programs, parties, premieres, audience voting, and a closing night celebration. 

Here are some of the films and events you and your children can look forward to at the 2018 New York International Film Festival:

• White Fang
  Dir. Alexandre Espigares (France/Luxembourg/USA) – 2018, East Coast premiere, Animation, 85 minutes 
  NYICFF alum and Oscar®-winning short film director Alexandre Espigares returns with his feature debut, a thrilling and thought-provoking adaptation of Jack London’s classic tale. White Fang employs the voice work of Rashida Jones, Nick Offerman, Eddie Spears, and Paul Giamatti to tell the epic journey of White Fang’s life from pup to sled-dog to abused prizefighter and beyond, set in the gorgeously rendered landscape of the Pacific Northwest frontier.

• VR JR., Interactive VR Experiences and VR JR. Talk 
  We’re bringing our high-quality, innovative programming into digital realms, offering a new dedicated Virtual Reality mini-fest for kids and families. A dynamic, interactive experience presented over the course of a full weekend, VR JR. will feature exciting VR projects, special talks, and demos. 

• Belle and Sebastian, Friends for Life
  Dir. Clovis Cornillac (France) – 2018, North American premiere, Live Action, 91 minutes 
  A festival favorite returns with the conclusion of this celebrated French trilogy, capping the adventures of Sebastian and his devoted dog, Belle. In the French Alps circa WWII, Sebastian, happy in his rural village with Belle and her pups, is unsettled when he overhears news of a potential move. 

• March of the Penguins 2: The Next Step
  Dir. Luc Jacquet (France) – 2017, North American premiere, Documentary, 77 minutes 
  Twelve years after its first big splash, March of the Penguins returns in grand form with its inimitable narrator Morgan Freeman, and NYICFF offers the unique opportunity to see the film gloriously on the big screen prior to its HULU premiere March 23. 

For more information visit nyicff.org.