NYICFF 2024: Full list of movies you and the kids can watch at beloved festival
New York City, New York (Release): The New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF) has announced its complete feature film slate for 2024. In its 27th year, NYICFF begins Saturday, March 2 and will run weekends through March 17 in NYC.
With venues across Manhattan and Brooklyn, hosts include: IFC Center, SVA Theatre, Film Forum, DCTV’s Firehouse Cinema, Scandinavia House, and Alamo Drafthouse Brooklyn. Renowned independent cinema The Jacob Burns Film Center in Westchester, NY will host additional screenings on March 2-3, while Sag Harbor Cinema will once again host screenings on final weekend of March 16-17.
Here's the complete feature slate
Title: Chicken for Linda (Linda veut du poulet!)
Country: France
Sébastien Laudenbach & Chiara Malta, Animation, 2023, 76 min.
Recommended ages 7+
Plot: Our cheeky young protagonist, Linda, likes to push the limit. To be fair, she, like many kids, feels like she’s always getting blamed for things she didn’t do. When Linda’s mom finally see things from her perspective, she vows to make up for her misjudgement by preparing her favorite meal. Yet one simple request—her late father’s famous chicken—is no easy task with the entire town on strike and not a chicken in sight. And so begins a madcap dash with mother and daughter flying from henhouse to watermelon truck, eventually enlisting the whole neighborhood on their quest for the elusive ingredient. Painted in bold colors expressively animated, Chicken for Linda reminds us that with a little love and patience, even the most unexpected ingredients can make life more delicious.
Coco Farm (Coco Ferme)
Country: Canada
Sébastien Gagné, Live Action, 2023, 89 min.
Recommended ages 8+
Plot: Max, an enterprising 12-year-old, is crestfallen when he must close up shop on his garage-based “business” and move to the countryside. Though he’s now closer to his cousins, the bustling life of a farm family is a shock to his quiet, city-kid existence. But not all hope is lost: when he discovers free range chickens in his cousin Charles’ abandoned barn, a new business plan is born. With the help of their social media savvy neighbor, Alice, their animal-friendly egg farm takes off and brings the whole community together. Yet just when the three partners are hitting their stride, each bringing their own talents to the table, their small-scale business is faced with some large-scale roadblocks.
The Concierge (のコンシェルジュさん)
Country: Japan
Yoshimi Itazu, Animation, 2023, 70 min.
Recommended Ages 9+
Plot: Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my…do they know how to shop! They also have demanding tastes, especially when they walk into the Arctic Department Store, a unique, grand-scale shop that caters exclusively to animal clientele. Akino, a dedicated concierge trainee, is tasked with making sure shoppers are treated as the most welcomed guests. The trouble? As a human, handling her clients’ gruff manners isn’t exactly in her nature. A cheetah’s nose knows when a perfume is an imposter, and it’s not so easy to find the perfect gift when constantly hounded by a fox. But even under the—literal—eagle eyes of her clients and supervisors, Akino’s determined to rise to the challenge with grace and wit in Crunchyroll’s charming adaptation of the popular manga by Tsuchika Nishimura.
Magic Candies/Amedama (あめだま)
Country: Japan
Daisuke Nishio, Animation, 2023, 21 min.
Recommended Ages 8+
Plot: Renowned Toei anime master Daisuke Nishio, of Dragon Ball Z fame, brings a beloved picture book to life in a visually striking, magical realist 3D CGI style. The other kids at the park never ask Dong-Dong to play. That’s ok. He’s fine just playing marbles on his own. One day, he buys a bag of colorful candies instead of new marbles. The first time he pops one of them into his mouth, his old sofa starts talking to him! The two share an unexpected conversation before the sweet melts away. As it happens, the people, animals, and objects in Dong-Dong’s life have a lot to say. With each candy, he discovers new voices and perspectives, including his own. Heartfelt and totally strange, Magic Candies will have you rethinking how you treat the objects, and others, in your life.
The Klutzy Witch: Fuka and the Witch of Darkness (劇場アニメらくだい魔女 フウカと闇の魔女)
Country: Japan
Takayuki Hamana, Animation, 2023, 59 min.
Recommended Ages 8+
Plot: Fuka is a loveable but clumsy apprentice witch and princess of the Silver Castle who, unlike her classmates, still needs some practice with her beginner spells. Despite her lack of natural majesty, she aspires to be just like her mother, the Silver Queen, legendary master of all things magic. When she accidentally breaks the seal of darkness and is transported to a spooky amusement park, nervous Fuka will have to complete a series of tests in order to defeat an evil witch. Luckily for Fuka, childhood friends Karin, gentle princess of the Green Castle, and cheeky Chitose, prince of the Blue Castle, are there to help. But in the face of danger, hot-headed Chitose and stubborn Fukka can’t seem to keep it together. It’s up to patient Karin to find a path to harmony so the trio can go from clumsy to clever. From award-winning anime studio Production IG. and veteran director Takayuki Hamana.
Dounia: The Great White North
Country: Canada
André Kadi & Marya Zarif, Animation, 2023, 51 min.
Recommended Ages 7+
Plot: Audiences might recognize the little girl with the big hair who made her way from Syria to Canada in NYICFF 2023’s poignant Dounia and the Princess of Aleppo. Now settled, Dounia and her grandparents slowly get to know Canada, the new home that welcomed them: its intense seasons, its special foods, its languages (three and counting!). Dounia’s grandparents are sure to keep their Syrian traditions alive at home, while her new friends share traditions of their own, like Rosalie’s French-Canadian lifestyle or Miguizou’s vast indigenous folklore. So while she still misses her dad who stayed back in Aleppo, Dounia now has new ways to keep him with her. It’s when Kukum, Miguizo’s grandmother, teaches Dounia to call her father with all of her heart, that he just might find his way back to her.
Frybread and Me
Country: United States
Billy Luther, Live Action, 2023, 83 min.
Recommended ages 10+
Plot: 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.
Insomniacs After School (君は放課後インソムニア)
Country: Japan
Chihiro Ikeda, Live Action, 2023, 112 min.
Recommended Ages 10+
Plot: No one seems to understand Nakami. His nights are restless, his days sleepy, and his time at school is isolating. Yet all that seems to change when he encounters his carefree classmate, Magari, dozing off in their high school’s abandoned observatory. Not only is Magari friendly, she’s also a closet insomniac. Together they find solidarity in their shared condition, using the observatory to nap as needed. When their unsanctioned use of the space is discovered, the only way to save their refuge is to revive the school’s long defunct astronomy club. As they work together and get to know each other, their bond grows ever stronger, but hidden truths threaten to cut their budding friendship shot. An adolescent drama in the vein of My Girl or The Fault in Our Stars, Insomniacs After School is a tender look at how unbreakable bonds are formed.
Kensuke's Kingdom
Country: United Kingdom, Luxembourg, France
Neil Boyle & Kirk Hendry, Live Action, 2023, 84 min.
Recommended ages 8+
Plot: When a violent storm befalls his family’s sailing trip, Michael and his dog, Stella, are swept overboard. They awake dazed on a beautiful remote island where they must quickly find their wits and the resources to survive—a challenge no less steep for all the island’s beauty. Upon their return from an unsuccessful expedition, they may not be alone; someone has left water near their camp. Soon he meets his mysterious benefactor: an ornery Japanese man named Kensuke, who has been the island’s sole inhabitant since World War II. Despite Kensuke’s rigid boundaries and rules for the island, a friendship begins to form. It couldn’t come at a more fortuitous time, as dangerous invaders begin to threaten their secret world and they must work together to preserve their fragile paradise.
Kung Fu Lion (Kung Fu Leeuw)
Country: China, Netherlands
Froukje Tan, Live Action, 2023, 85 min.
Recommended Ages 9+
Plot: Fourteen-year-old Jimmy is the star kung fu student at his school. Naturally, he’s a shoo-in for head of the lion in this year’s lion dance. So, naturally, he is shocked when his sifu, or teacher, announces that talented newcomer Li Jié wil helm the new crew. In his quest to prove himself as worthy of the lead, Jimmy must defeat neighborhood bullies, convince the sifu of his qualities, and, most importantly, overcome his own ego. Now he’s faced with the ultimate battle of might vs. right. Can he curb his temper and learn to work together with his new nemesis? Kung Fu Lion provides a cross-cultural look at the challenges of growing up, which are a little easier with the wisdom of the martial arts.
Lioness (Leeuwin)
Country: Netherlands
Raymond Grimbergen, Live Action, 2023, 86 min.
Recommended Ages 9+
Plot: Rosi’s life is great: she spends her days dominating the soccer pitch in lush, sun-drenched Suriname. So she’s understandably crushed when her family moves to the Netherlands, leaving the life she knows behind. But her soccer skills might be what saves her from loneliness when she’s befriended by Jitte, a fellow footballer at her new school. On the school’s soccer team, Rosi proves her mettle, quickly making new friends and thriving. Just as Rosi’s feelings of isolation disappear, her obvious talent sparks the envy of her teammates, especially when Jitte is benched to give her more playing time. Then, a family tragedy has Rosi questioning her commitment to soccer altogether. With the interscholastic championships on the horizon and her relationship with her best friend unreconciled, Rosi will have to dig deep to find the confidence and courage to bring out her inner champion.
Moominvalley
Country: United Kingdom
Jay Grace, Darren Robbie, Animation, 2022, 66 min.
Recommended ages 6+
Plot: You may not have heard of the Moomins before, but these adorable trolls and their whimsical yet harebrained adventures are absolutely huge overseas. They’re back once again with three all new stories to satisfy your every Moomindesire. In Homecoming, the moomins find the community at odds and under the spell of a charismatic leader denouncing all rules. The road to friendship is not always they straightest route when Moomintroll tries to help the valley’s latest resident, Snork (new character alert!), make friends in Inventing Snork. Finally, when Moomintroll learns of Moominmamma’s love of hot air ballooning, he’s determined to see her wildest dreams take flight in Moominmamma’s Flying Dream. Featuring the voices of Rosamund Pike, Matt Berry, Warwick Davis, Rhys Darby, and Bel Powley.
Puffin Rock and the New Friends
Country: Ireland
Jeremy Purcell, Animation, 2023, 80 min.
Recommended Ages 3+
Plot: Puffin Rock, a charming gem off of the coast of Ireland, is a warm community and beautiful habitat for all creatures big and small. It makes for an especially calm respite in the storm of migration, and it’s where we find puffin Oona, who looks after her baby brother, Baba, shielding him from any possible dangers the gorgeous flora or fauna may pose. When Puffin Isabelle and her step-brother Phoenix arrive on the Rock, Oona knows all the things to do and games to play to help fend off their homesickness. But there are still serious matters at hand, like protecting a puffin egg that brings the promise of a new generation. Their pals Flynn the Fox, May the Rabbit, and Mossy the hard-working Shrew are on the job, even when Isabelle makes a misstep and has a hard time coming clean.
Robot Dreams
Country: Spain, France
Pablo Berger, Animation, 2023, 103 min.
Recommended Ages 8+
Plot: New York City, 1980s. Dog lives an unassuming life among the bustle of the East Village. Feeling lonely, he orders Robot from a TV ad. Once assembled, Robot instantly becomes Dog’s most steadfast friend. Together, they explore the city, rollerskating and roaming to a near-constant thrum of Earth, Wind, & Fire’s “September.” When the Coney Island seawater leaves Robot’s joints rusted stiff, Dog has no choice but to leave him behind. As the year wears on, their lives take different paths, but they’ll always hold each other in their hearts. City kids will appreciate the familiar sights and sounds of this animal-populated NYC—Subway drummers! Hot dogs in Central Park! A trip to the Strand!—only it’s an octopus rocking the buckets and a llama checking out books. Parents will appreciate they way Dog watches Robot experience it all for the first time. Sentimental audiences of all ages may want to bring tissues.