Northbrook International Children’s Film Festival Goes Virtual

The Northbrook Public Library presents the 5th Annual Northbrook International Children’s Film Festival, featuring enchanting short films and six Chicago premieres in the “Caring and Sharing” program on Saturday, November 7 from 2:00pm-3:20pm, with a Zoom Afterparty for audience members and directors, from 3:30pm-4:00pm. For health and safety reasons related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film festival will be held exclusively online.

The International Children’s Film Festival is an exclusive film experience that showcases award-winning films from around the world designed to stimulate the imagination of parents and children alike. The directors who will attend the Zoom afterparty include Virginia Abramovich and her daughter, Ana, who is the main character in the film (Little Questions, Canada), Leandro Tadashi (Ba, Brazil) and Elena Walf (Bat Time, Germany).

Co-hosted by the Chicago-based International Children’s Media Center, the festival will showcase eleven captivating and culturally rich films from eight different countries, including South Korea, Germany, and Brazil. With the theme "Caring and Sharing," it will feature six Chicago premieres and highlights short films that explore the enduring themes of empathy, understanding, and friendship despite barriers of all kinds. Children and adults alike will resonate with these unique films and their themes that illustrate just how important it is to care for one another.

“Parents will want to watch the films with their children, just as they would at the festival, says ICMC director Nicole Dreiske. “They can interact about the movies during the screening, then talk to children about their favorite films and help them vote,” she continued. Read Dreiske’s Co-Viewing Tips for Parents.

After watching the films at home, your child can vote for their favorite film to win “Best of the Fest.” The results will be tallied and the winner will be announced on the library’s website and www.icmediacenter.org. Films and voting will be available through Monday, November 9.

These world-class children's films will appeal to children ages 5 to 10, but even older kids will find something to spark their imagination in this national mini-festival. The films showcase a wide, diverse range of characters and storylines, from a young girl's journey toward self-expression after meeting an enigmatic cat and a boy whose life is turned upside down when his garden-loving grandmother moves in.

The complete line-up includes: Our Wonderful Nature (Germany), Sky Painter (Singapore), Unmasked (United States), The Girl Who Spoke Cat (United Kingdom), The Ride (United States), Two Balloons (United States), Ba (Brazil), Bat Time (Germany), Saturday’s Apartment (South Korea), 1-2-3 Pas Soleil (France), Little Questions (Canada).

This event is cosponsored by the Friends of the Library.