If you were to take kids to a Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) screening only once during the festival’s 10-day in-theater run (or its one-week streaming window May 26 to June 1 on SIFF Streaming), this is the one: “The Family Picture Show.”
Why? Because it’s your chance to see 12 excellent family-friendly films together all in one 88-minute sitting. That’s the length of a typical feature film, by the way. In this compilation, no film runs more than 13 minutes, most between three and nine minutes.
From the “Lonely Life of Lint.” (Image: SIFF)
A reel showcase
Another reason? This short film collection showcases film artists from around the world and a wide range of film styles, from animation to live action to stop action to aper mâché. The films run together to stir emotions and delight the heart.
In this year’s show, Ian McKellen lends his voice to a stop-motion fox who leads a young boy on a magical journey, and the studio created the Oscar-nominated “WolfWalkers” tells the story of a brave girl who is strong enough to save her village. You’ll be captivated by a small Indigenous child who partakes in the traditions of her people: ice fishing with magical mittens.
From “5 Cousins & the Creek”. (Image: SIFF)
Magic in minutes
I’ve been attending the SIFF short collection for families for years — my kids loved the shorts, and I continued to love the reminder that a piece of writing or film does not have to be long to be impactful. My kids are grown now, but I continue to attend — to watch the kids and parents in the audience as they laugh and sometimes sniffle their way through films that truly speak to the heart of a child — films filled with heart, beauty, and messages of kindness, resilience, and courage.
Make this the one SIFF show you don’t miss.
From “Dragfox”. (Image: SIFF)
About each film:
Here’s brief synopsis of each short as offered by SIFF festival curators:
- “5 Cousins & the Creek” / Taiwan: Five cousins are determined to use their creativity and tenacity to successfully cross the creek behind their grandpa’s house to see what happens on the other side.
- “Above the Clouds” / USA: An ambitious owlet yearns to fly above the clouds despite his shortcomings but keeps falling short, only to find that all he needed was an unexpected glide down the mountainside. USA
- “Dragfox” / UK: Together with a mysterious fox (voiced by legendary actor Ian McKellen), Sam embarks on a magical journey to the attic to discover the surprising things they might have in common and how to celebrate the ways in which they differ.
- “Éiru” / Ireland: When her Iron Age village’s well mysteriously dries up, only Éiru is small enough to descend into the belly of the earth to bring the water of life back to her people.
- “Goodnight Lucy” / USA: Lucy’s wild imagination gets the best of her as her mother tries to find the perfect bedtime story.
- “Grizzy and the Lemmings World Tour” (Season 4) – Iced Grizzy / France: A bear named Grizzy engages in slapstick battle with a group of mischievous lemmings with unintended but hilarious consequences.
- “Harbor” / USA: Witness the good times and growing pains as a single father raises his daughter in their coastal town.
- The Lonely Life of Lint / USA: An unexpected discovery sends a lonely lint creature on a quest for companionship.
- “Munkha” / Russia: In the snowy heart of Yakutia, a little girl named Nyukku excitedly embarks on her first traditional fishing journey with her family and her “magical” mittens.
- “Overcast” / USA: Cirro, an optimistic cloud, tries to keep the sky from raining until his first encounter with Nimbus, a jaded cloud, who is not so easily convinced.
- “Pow!” / USA: A Native American kid scrambles to charge his dying video game console at a bustling intertribal powwow.
- “Xiaonan and the Hatching Chicken Factory” / Taiwan: Xiaonan does not like smelly or messy places, but he is willing to brave his aunt’s chicken hatchery to make sure his egg friend Silly Head hatches.
Playing May 24, 11:30 a.m. at SIFF Cinema Uptown and streaming online on May 26 through SIFF Streaming. Go online to get tickets and for more details on each short film presented in this 88-minute program.
