Belmont World Film's Family Festival-1/17-18 in Newton, 1/19 in Cambridge, 1/24 in Belmont, 1/25 in Arlington

From January 17-19 and 24-25, 2026, Belmont World Film presents its 23rd Annual Family Festival, showcasing some of the world’s most imaginative live-action and animated films for children ages 3–12 and their families. Screenings take place at the West Newton Cinema (1296 Washington Street), Regent Theatre in Arlington (7 Medford Street), and Brattle Theatre in Cambridge (40 Brattle Street). A day of workshops led by two Hollywood animation veterans will also be held at the Belmont Media Center on Saturday, January 24.

Guided by this year’s theme—Lights, Camera, Magic!—the festival features a sensitively curated selection of international films, many making their North American or U.S. premieres, offering young audiences an immersive, culturally rich cinematic experience. Films from the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greenland, India, Mexico, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the US, and Uruguay are presented in English or in their original languages with English subtitles. For emerging readers, subtitles will be read aloud via headphones by a professional voice actor, much like having a story read aloud.

This year’s Artists-in-Residence—story artist and director David Feiss and story artist and writer Paul McEvoy, both of whom have most recently worked on on 2025’s The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, as well as the Minions and Hotel Transylvania films—will teach three workshops: two sessions of Learn to Draw the Minions & Hotel Transylvania Characters” and Introduction to Storyboarding for Animated Films.

A festival hallmark is its strong connection to children’s literature: nearly three-quarters of this year’s films are adapted from classic or contemporary books, nurturing a love of reading while supporting the Massachusetts Public School Curriculum Frameworks.

Films include:

Saturday, January 17— West Newton Cinema, one of the festival’s community partners

Billy the Cowboy Hamster: Billy the hamster has always dreamed of being a cowboy, just like in the adventure stories his father used to tell. Based on Catharina Valckx’s beloved book series, Billy sets off for the Wild West with his friends Jean-Claude the earthworm and Suzie the ferret. (10:30 AM)

Tales from the Magic Garden: After her grandmother’s passing, 8-year-old Suzanne steps into her role as the family storyteller. During an overnight stay at their grandfather’s house, she and her young siblings begin crafting their own tales, discovering the transformative power of imagination. Based on Arnošt Goldflam’s short stories. (12:00)

Blue Fiddle: Set in the breathtaking seaside village of Rathmullan County Donegal, Ireland, this contemporary Irish-language movie brings together traditional Irish music and culture in a story about 10-year-old Molly, who believes that winning the All-Ireland Fiddle Competition might wake her father out of his coma, thereby helping her follow in his musical footsteps and invoke the magic in the music. (1:45 PM)

Lampie: After failing to keep the lighthouse lit during a raging storm, thereby causing a ship to crash against the rocks. 11-year-old Lampie is sent to the mysterious “Black House,” . a place full of secrets. where she befriends a boy with a shimmering fish tail. (3:45 PM)

Sunday, January 18—West Newton Cinema

Woozle & Pip: Adventure in the Magic Garden: On a family vacation, Sam’s stuffed dogs—Woozle and Pip—get lost, and Pip’s heart-shaped ribbon goes missing. Moving between reality and fantasy, Sam confronts her own fears, while Woozle and Pip overcome theirs to find the heart-shaped ribbon. Based on Guusje Nederhorst’s beloved books. (10:30 AM)

Bem & I: When a young lemur is stolen from his Madagascar home by exotic animal traffickers and taken to Mexico City, he ends up in the care of a girl who’s allergic to nearly everything and hasn’t set foot outside in years, limiting her to to her uncle, the internet, and two online friends. The lemur’s arrival sparks an unlikely friendship that gives her the courage to reenter the world—and to help him return home (11:45 AM)

A Girl Named Willow: After 11 year-old Willow inherits a forest, she learns that she has also inherited magical powers she never knew she had. To save her forest from greedy developers, she must find three other girls with magical powers like hers. Based on the children’s book series by Sarah Bohlman. (1:30 PM)

The Secret Floor: After moving to the German Alps where his parents are renovating a former grand hotel, 12-year-old Karli discovers an elevator that transports him back to 1938, where he befriends Hannah, a Jewish girl, and Georg, Together the children must solve a mystery hidden within the hotel’s walls. (3:30 PM)

Monday, January 19—Brattle Theatre

Shorts Program for age 3-8: Pet Projects: A delightful collection of animated shorts featuring mischievous animals, clever problem-solvers, and unexpected friendships. (10:30 AM)

The Songbirds’ Secret: While her mother works on an archaeological dig during a summer visit to her fmaily’s hometown in France, 9-year-old Lucie uncovers a family mystery with the help of two magical songbirds, who always seem to appear at just the right moment. Created with a most unusual technique: cut paper cut and stop-motion animation. (12:00)

Shorts Program for age 8-12: A Different Lens: Together, these short animated and live action films look at things a little differently. (1:45 PM)

Greetings from Mars: Ten-year-old Tom— an autistic boy who often wears his astronaut suit during challenging moments—is sent to his grandparents' house in the country with his two older siblings while his mother travels to China for work. To help him cope with the change, his mother gives him a logbook and encourages him to treat it as a mission to Mars, which leads him to a remarkable celestial discovery. The film invites audiences into Tom’s unique perspective while exploring neurodiversity. (3:15 PM)

Sunday, January 25—Regent Theatre, Arlington

The Scarecrows’ Wedding shown with Tabby McTat: A double feature of Julia Donaldson–inspired (The Gruffalo) films. Academy Award nominee Sophie Okonedo (Slow Horses, Hotel Rwanda) narrates The Scarecrows’ Wedding and Jessie Buckley (Wicked Little Letters, Hamnet) and Domhnall Gleeson star in this latest adaptation about a mischievous rival scarecrow who threatens to upend two devoted scarecrows’ big day. Tabby McTat tells the story friendship between a London busker and his musical cat, narrated by Jodi Whittaker (Dr. Who). (10:30 AM).

School Chale Hum: In a tiny village in Kerala, India a lively group of children blur the line between the ordinary and the magical. When a boy’s wish that his teachers won’t show up to school the next morning unexpectedly comes true, the children are swept into an enchanting chain of events that transforms their understanding of wonder, responsibility, and the world around them. (2:15 PM)

We Are Greenland: Soccer Is Freedom: In honor of the World Cup in Boston! An inspiring and dramatic documentary about five young soccer players who dream of representing Greenland in the World Cup. But before that can happen, they must take on a tough challenge of winning the Island Games and convincing the world’s soccer leaders to recognize Greenland as its own team. (4:30 PM)

The festival is supported by a generous grant from Spark Newton. Festival sponsors include German Consulate General Boston, British International School of Boston, The New England Center for Children, Youbellor Academy of Belmont, Belmont Day School, Ecole Francaise de Boston, RSM-Belmont, and the Consulate General of Ireland, Boston. The support from grant makers and sponsors enables the realization of this culturally enriching festival.

Tickets are $12 for feature films, $8 for shorts program. Workshops are $22 each; sign-up by January 20. Films Only Passes, which include admission to all 14 film programs for one person, are $40. VIP Festival passes are $100 and include admission for one to all 14 film programs and the workshops, 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.

“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 exquisite 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.”