Belmont World Film Presents 22nd Family Festival

Belmont World Film’s 22nd Family Festival, presented by the German International School Boston,will screen some of the world’s most imaginative live action and animated films for and about children aged 3-12. From January 18-20, and on January 26, 2025 at the West Newton Cinema (1296 Washington Street), Regent Theatre in Arlington (7 Medford Street), and Brattle Theatre in Cambridge (40 Brattle Street), these films will be brought to life on the big screen as a shared experience.

The line-up features a sensitively curated selection of films from Belgium,Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the US. Most films are making their North American premieres. Ten films are in other languages with subtitles, with one completely wordless short film program, and five films in English. For younger viewers and those with difficulty reading, subtitles will be read aloud through headphones by a professional voice-over . Films include multicultural casts representing five different continents.

David Feiss, co-director of the recently released animated film Hitpig!, starring Jason Sudeikis and based on Bloom County cartoonist Berkeley Breathed's Pete & Pickles, will take part in a Q&A following the film’s screening on Sunday, January 19. Feiss will also lead a workshop where children can learn to draw characters from the Minions and Hotel Transylvania movies on January 19 from 11 AM-1:00 PM at the Regent Theatre Underground. Feiss has had a prolific career in animation, starting as an animator on Heavy Metal; he has worked on all the Minions and Hotel Transylvania movies and is known forthe Cartoon Network’s Cow and Chicken and I Am Weasel.

Films inspired by beloved classic and contemporary children’s books are a festival hallmark, with more than half of the coming edition’s selections adapted or re-imagined from books. These films, which will be shown on January 19 and January 20, ignite a love for books and reading, while complementing the Massachusetts Public School Curriculum Frameworks. The theme of reclaiming green spaces takes center stage on January 26, inspiring young audiences to value and protect the natural world around them.

The festival kicks off Saturday, January 18 at the newly created nonprofit West Newton Cinema (1296 Washington Street), one of the festival’s community partners. Film programs that day include:

• Shorts Program: “Pet Projects”: From playful pets to wild creatures, this wordless collection of funny and creative international short films—from charming stop-motion to stunning 2D and 3D animation—blends humor, emotion, and creativity. (10:30 AM)
• Elli and the Ghostly Ghost Train (Canada): In a futuristic world where ghosts and the abnormal are no longer allowed in society, homeless little ghost Elli goes in search of her missing uncle and ends up hiding in a Ghost Train filled with eccentric residents. (11:45 AM)
• Dounia: The Great White North (Canada) shown with Skipping Rope (Taiwan): Dounia and her grandparents experience life in Canada after fleeing the war in Syria, leaving her father in Aleppo. She and her new French-Canadian and indigenous friends delight in sharing their respective cultures. Missing her father deeply, Dounia follows her indigenous friend’s grandmother’s advice to call out to him with all her heart. In Skipping Rope, a young girl yearns for the life her older sister leads: being part of a rope skipping team, trendy shoes, a close circle of friends, and the affectionate gaze of their parents. (1:30 PM

Sunday, January 19 at the Regent Theatre features Day 1 of films inspired by books. Films include:

• Tiddler (UK): Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso, Game of Thrones) narrates the newest adaptation of a Julia Donaldson (The Gruffalo) picture book. It tells the heartwarming story of a little fish with a big imagination who gets lost in the deep wide ocean until he’s saved by his own storytelling. (10:30 AM)
• Robin and the Hoods (UK): For 11-year-old Robin and her loyal crew, 'The Hoods,” their neighborhood’s patch of overgrown woods is a magical “Kingdom” where they engage in fantasy games with a rival gang that visually toggles between real armored knights, magical battles, and thunderbolts and the reality of cardboard armor and toy arrows. while simultaneously going up against a ruthless property developer. (11:45 AM)
• Hitpig! (UK, Canada, US): A pig-for-hire saves an elephant from a cruel circus owner in this animated film based on an original idea by Bloom County cartoonist Berkeley Breathed and inspired by his 2008 children’s book Pete & Pickles. Followed by a Q&A with the film’s co-director (and this year’s Artist-in-Residence) Davis Feiss. (1:45 PM)
• Tartini’s Key (Slovenia): A sort of DaVinci Code for kids set in the picturesque seaside town of Piran, Slovenia and based on the novel by Slovenian author Roman Kukovič. Three children embark on an exhilarating treasure hunt tied to the medieval town’s mysteries to find a collection of letters exchanged between legendary violinist Tartini and iconic violin maker Stradivarius. The journey is filled with clever puzzles and daring escapes as they race to outwit two bumbling art thieves. (4:00 PM)

Monday, January 20 at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge features Day 2 of films inspired by books, which include:

• Toopy & Binoo (Canada): When a comical genie accidentally makes Toopy and Binoo’s beloved stuffed animal disappear, they set out for the land of “Lost and Found” in this film based on the 1996 book series by Quebec author Dominique Jolin. (10:30 AM)

• Teca & Tuti: A Night in the Library (Brazil): This enchanting celebration of the magic of books and reading flawlessly combines live-action with stop-motion and traditional animation, drawing inspiration from Alice in Wonderland to craft an entirely original story. Tiny clothes moth Teca lives with her family and pet dust mite Tuti in a sewing box. They love to eat paper, but when Teca learns to read, she realizes that books shouldn’t be eaten. One night Teca and Tuti part towards the library where they discover the most important story of their lives. A gem of a film from a tiny town in Brazil. (12:15 PM)
• The Flying Classroom (Germany): A poor girl receives a scholarship to attend a boarding school in the picturesque German Alps. Her excitement about the opportunity turns to dismay when she gets involved in the long-standing feud between the “day pupils” and the “boarders.” Based on the 1933 novel by Erich Kästner. (1:45 PM)
• Lars Is LOL (Norway): Based on Iben Akerlie’s best-selling Norwegian book, this poignant story follows 11-year-old Amanda, who is assigned to mentor Lars, a new student who has Down Syndrome. They develop a strong friendship based on their shared love of magic and Harry Potter. When peer pressure leads her to betray Lars, Amanda must find the courage to stand up for what is right and reclaim both his trust and her sense of self. (3:30 PM)

Sunday, January 26 at the Regent Theatre in Arlington features films about reclaiming green spaces, which include:

• Sauvages (Switzerland, France, Belgium): Oscar-winning director Claude Barras (My Life as a Zucchini) presents another remarkable stop-motion tale about Kéria, a young girl living in Borneo, who cares for a rescued baby orangutan. Joined by her cousin Selaï, seeking refuge from the conflict between his nomadic family and the logging companies, they strive to protect their endangered ancestral forest. (12:15 PM)
• Curious Tobi and the Treasure Hunt to the Three Rivers (Germany): Part mystery, part travel documentary: Tobi sets off on a scavenger hunt to Vietnam, Mongolia, and the Amazon rain forest, connecting the dots amongst the clues left by a former caretaker in a mysterious treasure chest to find the mysterious flying rivers. (2:00 PM)
• Block 5 (Slovenia): Twelve-year-old Alma is determined to honor her late mother’s legacy of protecting the environment and preserving nature. When the skateboarding crew in her neighborhood start bullying her, she faces a new challenge: can she convince them to put aside their differences and join her in saving their playground? (3:45 PM)

Tickets are $12 for feature films and $8 for shorts programs. The learn to draw Minions and Hotel Transylvania characters workshop is $20; its sign-up deadline is January 12. Films Only Passes, which include admission to all 15 film programs for one person, are $35. VIP Festival passes are $100 and include admission for one to all 15 film programs and the workshop, a T-shirt, and recognition in all of Belmont World Film’s programs for a year. EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare card holder tickets are half price. Tickets and more info are available at www.belmontworldfilm.org/family-festival or by calling 617-484-3980.

Belmont World Film’s 22nd Family Festival is supported by generous grants from Newton Community Pride and the Belmont Cultural Council. Festival sponsors include German International School Boston, British International School of Boston, RSM-Belmont, Quebec Delegation of Boston, Norwegian Consulate General in New York, Belmont Day School, and Powers School of Music. The support from grant makers and sponsors enables the realization of this culturally enriching festival.

“Films from abroad are known for telling wonderful stories rather than relying heavily on special effects, and they are often set in fascinating locations outside the US or feature eye-popping hand-drawn and stop motion animation,” says Belmont World Film Executive Director Ellen Gitelman. “Being able to watch these adventurous films on a big screen as a shared experience is something children will never forget.”