Children’s film festival shares tales of exploration

The Seattle Children’s Film Festival is taking a road trip.

A “best of” collection of live and animated short films from the 2015 festival will be screened twice at the Bing Crosby Theater in Spokane next week.

The children’s festival is in its 11th year, and it’s traveled to such places as Honolulu, Salt Lake City and Philadelphia, but this is the first time it’s come to Spokane, said Elizabeth Shepherd, the festival’s director.

John Rawley, marketing director for Friends of the Bing, said the group sought out the program because it wants to expand its children’s programming. The group is also working to bring more film festival programs to the area.

“There’s a lot of really cool variety there,” said Rawley, who has seen about half the films in the program.

There will be another cool factor at play: air conditioning. The theater has it.

The films have been gathered under the theme “Fantastic Voyages.”

“All throughout the program, there are adventures going,” Shepherd said.

Children love “doing something new, seeing something new. I think they really thrive on that. And that’s what this program is about,” she said.

Shepherd said all the films are favorites – she picked them for the “best of” program, after all – but here’s what she said about a few of them:

• “Anatole’s Little Saucepan”: “It’s really sweet and it’s got a beautiful message to it about being different, and not only accepting the things that are different, but really embracing them.”

That’s a great message for kids, she said: “be yourself, be different.”

• “Decorations”: The animation for this story about a mother and daughter and growing up is all done with cake icing. “It’s so clever and creative. Fun, artistic, something that makes me hungry for sweets.”

• “Sounds of Nature”: “We all know this kid” – one who’s so wrapped up in a video game he can’t separate from the game.

“This film is about discovering that the forest can be just as thrilling as a video game.”

• “The Dive”: This short is about a boy deciding whether to jump off the high dive. “We all remember that from our childhood.” But the film is about more than that leap, it’s about growing up, she said.

“It’s a poignant moment for kids that doesn’t get talked about a lot, and it’s a poignant moment for parents, too.”

• “Sprout”: This film from South Korea is about “a child making her way in the world, for the very first time, by herself.”

While the family is busy preparing for a celebration, a too-young girl “kind of slips away to do something by herself.”

It’s a suspenseful film, she said, as viewers wonder if everything is going to turn out OK.

“It kind of reminds you what it’s like to be a child.”

Kimberly Lusk

When: 7 p.m. Wednesday and 11 a.m. July 11

Where: Bing Crosby Theater, 901 W. Sprague Ave.

Cost: $5

Note: The animated collection is appropriate for all ages. One film has very brief subtitles. The live action films are appropriate for elementary and older children. Three use subtitles, though much of the storytelling is nonverbal. “The Girl and the Gondola” has a single instance of mild coarse language. In “Sprout,” a child accidentally takes a few sips of rice wine.