Fun Freetime: Children's Festival Seattle Online

In early March, Children’s Film Festival Seattle at Northwest Film Forum was cut short in response to the coronavirus public health crisis. The beloved festival returns May 13-17 to finish its 15th edition with online screenings of seven short film programs, showcasing the best and brightest in visual storytelling for children, and an award-winning feature film, “Supa Modo,” from Kenya.
CFFS 2020 Online will include 60 animated, live action and documentary films from 27 nations, all centered on the experiences, joy and challenges of childhood. In this time of staying safe at home, the programs provide families and youth an expansive window to the greater world, inspiring empathy, understanding, and global awareness.
All screenings will come with bonus activities—including coloring pages, discussion guides and links to filmmaking resources—to build upon the topics and fun found in the films.“"In this time, we want to reach out with high-quality content that has special meaning and can provide hope to kids and families," says festival director Elizabeth Shepherd. "What better way to see the world than through the lens of international films that invite kids to use their imaginations and dream of ways to make the world a better place?"

CFFS 2020 [ONLINE] FESTIVAL HIGHLIGHTS
Gentle animation for the youngest viewers
Action-packed fare appropriate for older kids and adults
A rollicking all-ages collection of films about cats
A topical program centering on urgent environmental issues
An all-Spanish-language program from Latin America, for native and student speakers
The acclaimed Kenyan feature film, “Supa Modo”

Many of the short films in the programs won prizes from the CFFS children’s juries — a panel of 30 youth ages 8 to 17, who finished their work remotely after the festival canceled its closing weekend. Additionally, “Supa Modo,” won both the Audience Prize and a Children’s Jury Prize for Best Feature Film of CFFS 2019.
“We really look forward to welcoming both young and old to our online festival,” says Shepherd. “It’s a great place to see the world and feed your mind, and we’re aiming to provide screen time’s finest hour with these delightful short film programs and feature film.”

How it works:
“Supa Modo” will be available for viewing at https://bit.ly/supamodoonline for the duration of the festival, May 13-17. Registration (a "ticket”) is $10 for this film.
Each shorts screening — see bit.ly/cffs2020online — will have a dedicated show time, just as it would in the theatre. Northwest Film Forum is using Vimeo as its platform. At least 30 minutes prior to the screening’s start time, a private password and link will go out to program registrants via email, and will be active for a 24-hour period. Following the screening, the link and password are deactivated and the programs will not be downloadable from the platform at any time. Registration ("tickets") to see each shorts programs is sliding-scale, pay-what-you-can ($0-$25), and all proceeds support Northwest Film Forum during its closure. Festival passes are also available. Festival passes for short film programs are available for individuals and groups/families.

Northwest Film Forum
Northwest Film Forum, now celebrating its 25th anniversary, is a member-based nonprofit that incites public dialogue and creative action through collective cinematic experiences.
To play its part in curbing the COVID-19 pandemic, Northwest Film Forum closed its physical space at the Forum on March 13 and have moved online to continue offering community-centered content in a virtual space