What to Watch at the 2013 New York International Children's Film Festival

The 2013 New York International Children's Film Festival will present more than 100 children's films and shorts at several theaters in Manhattan this March. Here, a sneak peek at the movies you won't want to miss.

If you let your little ones stay up late on Feb. 24 to watch the Oscars, you’re surely not alone. The designer gowns and glittering jewels on the red carpet are one reason the awards ceremony attracts millions of viewers each year, but the bigger draw is the films we love to root for—those masterpieces of cinema that offer windows into our culture, our relationships, and even our own souls.

Of course, only a very few of the nominees this year would be considered kid-friendly. But if you’ve got a budding cinephile in your household, you’re in luck: This March, Manhattan will host the 16th annual New York International Children’s Film Festival, a four-week-long (March 1-24) Oscar-qualifying event spanning seven theaters and featuring more than 100 new films made just for kids and teens ages 3-18. The festival also includes kid-friendly opening and closing galas, filmmaker Q&As, filmmaking workshops, and an A-list jury that includes 11 Academy Award-nominated actors, writers, and directors, among them Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon.

NYICFF is the largest event of its kind in North America, presenting premieres of animated and live-action feature films and shorts from around the world. Recipients of NYICFF’s jury prizes, to be given at the Best-of-Fest Awards Ceremony on March 17, are eligible for Oscar consideration in the animated and live-action short film categories.

Here's a sneak peek at what to watch:

The festival opens March 1 with the US premiere of Ernest & Celestine, an animated feature film from France (79 minutes; in French with English subtitles) that received standing ovations at the Toronto and Cannes festivals. Little Celestine the mouse befriends grumpy Ernest the bear in a tale that features the comedic timing of Bugs Bunny and the outlaw romanticism of Bonny and Clyde, all with the look of a watercolor painting come to life.
Recommended for ages 7 and older (or all ages for French-speaking audience)

Approved for Adoption is a documentary (75 minutes; in French with English subtitles) that combines animation and live footage—both archival and new—to trace filmmaker Jung Henin from the day he is adopted from Korea by a Belgian family, through elementary school, and into his teenage years, when his emerging sense of identity begins to create fissures at home. The result is a humorous, wry, and touching memoir. Screening is March 10.
Recommended for ages 11 and older