PELHAM, NY — From Friday, September 1st through Tuesday, September 5th The Picture House Regional Film Center (TPH) will present the third annual Westchester International Children’s Film Festival (WICFF) once again bringing the best new films from around the world for ages 3 through 18 to Westchester, the Bronx, and Connecticut. For the second year in a row, the WICFF is being sponsored by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo.
The festival will kick-off on Friday, September 1st with an opening celebration and screening of the award-winning At Eye Level (Germany, PG, 1 hr. 38 mins.). Other highlights of the festival include a screening of Nelly’s Adventure (Germany, PG 1 hr. 37 mins.), a Middle Eastern Shorts program, and the ‘Best of the Fest’ animation and live action films.
Additionally, on Sunday, September 3rd, the festival will feature the documentary Swim Team (USA, 1 hr. 40 mins.) which chronicles the rise of a competitive swim team made up of diverse teens on the autism spectrum. The screening will be sensory-friendly (with the lights turned up and the sound down) and after the film there will be a discussion and Q&A with director Lara Stolman.
“We are thrilled that the Westchester International Children’s Film Festival has become an end-of-summer tradition at The Picture House,” said Clayton Bushong, Director of Programming, Marketing, and Operations at The Picture House. “The third annual festival, with fantastic films from Germany, the United States, the Middle East and beyond, is a chance to travel the world through film without leaving Westchester.”
The Westchester International Children’s Film Festival will conclude with a ‘Taste of Education’ day-long program at the theater, featuring one-hour workshops of some of the Picture House’s most popular education classes taught by TPH faculty. These classes will be free and open to the public but are subject to availability and are offered on a first come, first served basis.
“The Westchester International Children’s Film Festival is another example of The Picture House’s commitment to providing the community with an alternative to standard commercial offerings,” said Laura deBuys, Executive Director of The Picture House. “The festival represents the very best in children’s films from around the world – a curated selection you just won’t find anywhere else in Westchester and we are grateful to WCS’ Bronx Zoo for its generous support.”
A full schedule of screenings and film synopses is available on www.thepicturehouse.org. Tickets to the Westchester International Children’s Film Festival are $12/general admission, $6/members, $10/students and seniors for individual screenings. A Family Pass (good for a family of four) to all the screenings is available for $125/ $115 for members. Additional family members can be added for $10/each. Tickets are available at www.thepicturehouse.org or at the box office, 175 Wolfs Lane, Pelham, NY 10803.