Animation and more highlights children’s film festival

Above: A scene from the animated film "Louisa: An Amazing Adventure." (Photo: Great British Entertainment Ltd.)

I posted last week about the upcoming 16th Annual Children’s Film Festival Seattle, which will run Feb. 18-28. The festival, which will be held online, has now set its schedule.

Presented by Northwest Film Forum, this year’s event is being held completely virtually and is expressing the theme of “Love & Light” as a means of weathering the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the 133 total films being screened, four will be feature-length selections, accompanied by 16 short-film packages, altogether representing 36 different countries.

The features film include: "Louisa: An Amazing Adventure," "Sisters: The Summer We Found Our Superpowers,” “Triple Trouble” and “Young Warriors” (all appropriate for ages 9 and above). The shorts programs range in age-appropriateness from 2-and-above to 15-and-above.

Here’s how IMDB.com summarizes “Louisa: An Amazing Adventure”: “This story is based on real events and the true courage, determination and extraordinary spirit of ordinary people. January 1899 saw the worst storm at sea in living memory and the most astonishing lifeboat rescue attempt of the century. The coxswain of the Louisa lifeboat and his daughter must struggle with nature, personal loyalty and their duty to save the lives of strangers.”

One reviewer from Kids First! said this about the film: “The messages of this film are to never give up, be willing to help someone out even if it could affect you, listen to your parents and have hope. It promotes love, sacrifice and treating everyone appropriately.”

The festival’s “sliding-scale, pay-what-you-can” ticketing system will allow festgoers from any country to access the films on an on-demand basis any time during the festival’s run.

For information about purchasing festival passes, click here.