BAM's first-ever virtual BAMkids Film Festival will begin this weekend, showcasing 68 family-friendly films and hosting a range of workshops for both kids and adults.
Over the festival's 23-year history it has become one of the largest attended children's festivals in the country, presenting nine days of creative, fun and culturally diverse films that tell stories about children and present ideas from a kid's point of view.
This year marks the first time the BAMkids Film Festival will run virtually and on-demand, allowing families from all parts of the country to see the films and connect with artists through curated workshops and performances.
The program includes 68 films by 103 filmmakers from 27 countries in ten languages. There are 14 premieres, including eight East Coast premieres, four New York premieres, and two North American premieres.
International curators, Northwest Film Forum and the Melbourne International Animation Festival, are offering six programs of imaginative animated, live-action, puppetry, and hybrid short films, tailored for children. The Festival will also debut its Young Filmmakers Showcase featuring shorts created by kids from around the world (USA, Russia, Slovenia, Ukraine).
The festival will also present interactive arts workshops, performances, dance parties, and more curated activities for the digital space.
It kicks off this Saturday, Feb. 20, with a virtual dance party featuring music by DJ TonyMonkey and moves by incredible dancers of MOVE|NYC|.
Teaching artists from BRIC and BAM Education will guide families through interactive film and dance workshops. A special collaboration with Colorscape app provides digital coloring pages exclusive to BAMkids Film Festival attendees, and there will also be on-demand yoga and somatic breathing workshops for both kids and adults. Additional activities will be announced at a later date.
The festival will run from Feb. 20—28 and is tailored to children aged 3-11. Individual tickets and festival passes are available at pay-what-you-can prices, with festival passes starting at $30 and individual tickets starting at $5.
Young filmmakers, 13 and under, will have the opportunity to share their cinematic creativity with a community of film lovers through The Young Filmmakers Showcase, a non-competitive call for short films (3 minutes or less) created by and for younger audiences. A selection of entries that capture the broadest range of stories, themes, and styles will be included on the BAMkids Film Festival webpage for everyone to enjoy.
For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.
